10 Actors Who Were Almost Cast In Star Wars

Summary

• Tupac Shakur almost played Mace Windu in Star Wars, before his tragic passing in 1996.
• Toshiro Mifune inspired Star Wars and was considered for Obi-Wan Kenobi or Darth Vader.
• Leonardo DiCaprio turned down the role of Anakin Skywalker in the prequels, which went to Hayden Christensen.

When casting for any Star Wars project, there are many actors who are considered but never make it to the big screen. Sometimes, one actor is simply chosen over another because the director finds a better fit. Other times, an actor drops out of the project for one reason or another, leaving production scrambling to find a last minute replacement.

For these reasons and more, there are many different actors who were almost a part of the Star Wars franchise, nearly cast across several trilogies. Some would have lent star power to the production, others would have been a distraction. These are some of the most surprising, inspiring thoughts about what the franchise might look like were they chosen for the cast.

10 Tupac Shakur Was Almost Involved In The Prequel Trilogy

The Musician Would Have Played Mace Windu

It is difficult to imagine anyone but Samuel L. Jackson playing the iconic role of Mace Windu, but reality was almost very different. Sometime before his tragic passing in 1996, the famous rapper and songwriter Tupac Shakur auditioned for the role of Mace Windu. Given the fact that Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace began filming in 1997, it would have been impossible for Tupac to play the part of Mace Windu even if he was cast.

This would not have been the first movie that the rapper was cast in, as he amassed a small filmography during his career. Starring in movies such as Poetic Justice and Gang Related, the latter of which was released after his death, Tupac would have had experience acting in film. He would have been a compelling choice to play any role he was chosen for, and it is a shame that viewers will never get the chance to see him become a part of Star Wars.

9 Toshiro Mifune Helped Provide The Inspiration For Star Wars

And He Was Almost Cast To Play The Jedi Obi-Wan Kenobi or Darth Vader In A New Hope

It is well known that one of the greatest inspirations for the original Star Wars trilogy were the films of Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. The plot takes heavy inspiration from one film in particular, The Hidden Fortress, a movie in which Toshiro Mifune previously appeared. George Lucas offered Mifune the roles of both Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader, but was turned down due to worries about cheapening the samurai image that Lucas pulled so much inspiration from.

Aside from elements of the plot, aesthetics, and even screen transitions, his participation would have elevated the feeling that, at its core, Star Wars is a samurai movie.

If Mifune had been cast in the original series, either as Obi-Wan or as Darth Vader, the influence of Akira Kurosawa in the final product would have been even more blatant. Aside from elements of the plot, aesthetics, and even screen transitions, his participation would have elevated the feeling that, at its core, Star Wars is a samurai movie. However, because he turned down the role, Alec Guinness and James Earl Jones were chosen for Obi-Wan and Darth Vader respectively.

8 Leonardo DiCaprio Was Almost The Leading Man For The Prequel Trilogy

Anakin Skywalker Would Have Been Portrayed Much Differently

In the late 90s, Leonardo DiCaprio was best known for his roles on television, such as in the sitcom Parenthood, as well as romances such as Romeo + Juliet and Titanic, the latter of which was released in 1997. DiCaprio was originally the frontrunner to play Anakin Skywalker, starting with the movie Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones. However, DiCaprio ultimately turned down the role, which then went to Hayden Christensen.

There were a variety of reasons for this, including the fact that DiCaprio simply didn’t feel ready to take on a role such as that of Anakin Skywalker. By this point in time, Star Wars had already developed a massive wealth of lore, and it just wasn’t something that DiCaprio felt prepared for. He was also working on the Scorsese film Gangs of New York at the time, a role that took up the majority of his time and would have made starring in Star Wars difficult.

7 Orson Welles Almost Provided The Voice Of Franchise’s Most Recognizable Villain

But Darth Vader Needed A Voice That Would Be Special

During the post-production of A New Hope, the character of Darth Vader provided a unique challenge in the way that his lines needed to be dubbed over. This is both because the mask muffled the speech of the actor who played him, David Prowse, and also because his voice seemed uncharacteristic for the role. Surprisingly enough, one of the actors on George Lucas’ shortlist was the iconic Orson Welles, known best for Citizen Kane.

Though it is unknown whether Welles would have taken the role, somehow or another the part was given to James Earl Jones, giving viewers the iconic voice that is so well known today. Darth Vader’s voice needed to become recognizable, something that Jones absolutely succeeded at accomplishing. At the end of the day, according to Lucas, “It was really a choice between Orson Welles and James Earl Jones. James Earl Jones won hands down.”

6 Benicio Del Toro Nearly Joined The Franchise Much Earlier

Darth Maul Was Played Instead By Ray Park In The Phantom Menace

Well known for movies such as Sicario, The Usual Suspects, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Benicio del Toro has even made an appearance as the enigmatic DJ in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. However, he almost became a part of the Star Wars franchise much earlier on in his life. This is because del Toro was originally not just in the running to play the dark side apprentice Darth Maul, but was the original cast member for the role.

Because of the lacking dialogue and screen time, it is possible that del Toro simply felt that the part was no longer worth it.

Despite initial excitement for the role, del Toro eventually parted ways with the project. This is likely because the part had been cut considerably in subsequent drafts, bringing the part of Darth Maul down to a few minutes and a handful of lines. Because of the lacking dialogue and screen time, it is possible that del Toro simply felt that the part was no longer worth it.

5 Gary Oldman Was Originally Cast To Voice General Grievous

But He Was Eventually Forced To Drop The Revenge Of The Sith Role

Being another character requiring an iconic voice, General Grievous is one that many would assume is difficult to cast. However, the original Grievous casting would have seen Gary Oldman of The Fifth Element and The Dark Knight Trilogy fame as the lightsaber wielding general. Despite the fact that he originally read lines for George Lucas and was even directed by him in some respect, he was eventually forced to drop the project.

This is because Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith was not a union production. George Lucas had previously pulled out of both the Director’s Guild of America and the Writer’s Guild of America due to issues concerning credits and his famous opening title crawl, and because of this he has since run into issues when it comes to hiring specific actors. Oldman didn’t want to be known for breaking any union rules, and because of this, Matthew Wood was chosen for the role instead.

4 Al Pacino Might Have Been A Unique Choice To Venture Among The Stars

The Scarface Star Would Have Played A Much Different Han Solo

When A New Hope was initially in its development stages, many different actors were asked to play the roles of the starring characters. One such actor was Al Pacino, who was originally asked to play the role of Han Solo. Despite saying that the crew offered him quite a bit of money to play the part, Pacino eventually turned the role down.

Pacino stated that this was because, after reading the script, he simply did not understand the movie. Though he was not specific about what in the script he didn’t understand, it was enough for him to pass up the role in its entirety. This caused the role to eventually go to Harrison Ford, who quickly shot to stardom following the movie’s release. If Al Pacino were to play the role of Han Solo, the character would have been in for a much more intense performance, making for a much different character than the laid-back rogue that viewers know and love.

3 Michael Jackson Wanted To Be A Part Of Star Wars

The Singer Auditioned For The Role Of Jar Jar Binks

Famous pop star Michael Jackson was no stranger to movie roles, making appearances in movies such as The Wiz and Moonwalker. Jackson famously auditioned for Star Wars as well, wanting to play the now almost universally disliked character of Jar Jar Binks. He was a massive Star Wars enthusiast, but not even this was enough to land Jackson the role in The Phantom Menace.

It is likely that his massive level of fame compared to everyone else in the cast would have overshadowed the movie in some way.

George Lucas turned Jackson down for a variety of reasons, notably because Jackson wanted to play the role in prosthetics and makeup as opposed to the CGI the character was eventually made from. It is also likely that his massive level of fame compared to everyone else in the cast would have overshadowed the movie in some way, even for a small part like Jar Jar. Regardless of what Lucas’ full reasoning was, Ahmed Best was eventually chosen for the role.

2 Jim Henson Could Have Lent His Voice To The Trilogy

Yoda Was Made By Jim Henson, But He Did Not Voice The Jedi

Jedi Master Yoda, along with his unique manner of speaking, is one of the most recognizable parts of the Star Wars brand. The original puppet was created by the famous puppeteer Jim Henson, who also created many iconic series, such as Sesame Street and The Muppets. Originally, George Lucas also asked him to provide the voice of Yoda, but Jim Henson turned down the opportunity because he was so busy at the time.

However, instead of simply turning down the role and walking away, Henson actually recommended Frank Oz, the final voice of Yoda in The Empire Strikes Back, for the role. Oz was also a puppeteer that worked with Henson, and he had extensive voice acting experience. It is because of this that Yoda was given his iconic voice, one that is difficult to imagine the character without.

1 Kurt Russell Could Have Been The Star Wars Franchise’s Leading Man

He Was In The Running For Luke Skywalker And Han Solo

Made famous for his roles in movies such as The Thing and Escape From New York, Kurt Russell almost played one of the most iconic characters in movie history. Not only did he audition for Luke Skywalker, but Russell was also up for Han Solo as well. Despite this and the fact that George Lucas loved him in both roles, Russell eventually decided to walk away from the project.

Russell cited his decision to walk away as being due to George Lucas’ own indecision. Because Lucas did not know whether to cast him as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, or if to cast him at all, Russell decided to turn down the offer and take other movie roles instead. This denied them both a great possibility, causing many to wonder what Star Wars would look like now if Kurt Russell had been cast in those early stages.

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