What are some of the Best/Worst casting close-calls? By best I mean close calls that would have been good and worst are the ones that would have killed the movie.

Best:
Jean Reno-Agent Smith
Chow yun Fat-Morpheus

Worst:
Burt Renolds-Han Solo
Sissy Spacek-Princess Leia

Worst:
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), thankfully starring Errol Flynn. They had planned to make the film a couple of years earlier with James Cagney starring as Robin Hood. Hard as I try, I just can't picture it.

I don't know if it would have been worst or best. It truthfully could have gone either way. Both had TV contracts at the time which interfered.

Tom Selleck - Indiana Jones
Pierce Brosnan - James Bond

Of course, Pierce is Bond now, but how would The Living Daylights & License to Kill been with him instead of Timothy Dalton? I'm sure there wouldn't have been 6 years between License to Kill and Golden Eye.

How about Stuart Townshend as Aragorn, thank god Viggo Mortensen's son was a big LOTR fan .

As for worst casting close-calls:

Haley Joel Osment - The Phantom Menace

Worst:
Robert De Niro - Big

You know, not that I would have been rooting for Haley Joel Osment in the role, but I don't see how he could have been any worse than Jake Lloyd. Of course, the fault most likely falls on Mr. Lucas so it's very possible that that role was doomed to be awful unless they found a child who could act all on his own.

Me too.

Worst
Robert Duvall - Hannibal Lecter

I can't help but think how funny it would have been if they did cast him.

It would've been a disaster.

Agreed

After watching the features on Back to the Future the other day, I have to say that it's probably a good thing they decided to recast rather than go ahead with Eric Stoltz in the role, and I even like Stoltz.

Best-- Christopher Walken-- Han Solo. Really.
Christopher Lee- Prof. Dumbledore
Any role Bruce Campbell was considered for.

Worst
Keanu Reeves,Nicholas Cage-- Superman
Stuart Townsend as Aragorn wouldnt have been right either.

<Best> [Chris Rock] Jimmy Olson

Worst:
The Night of the Hunter - Gary Cooper instead of Robert Mitchum
Dirty Harry - Frank Sinatra instead of Eastwood
Apocalypse Now - Steve McQueen instead of Brando
The Terminator - Lance Enrikson instead of Arnie
Casablanca - Ronald Reagan instead of Bogart
Beverley Hills Cop - Sylvester Stallone instead of Eddie Murphy
Bridge On The River Kwai - Cary Grant instead of William Holden
Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid - Warren Beatty instead of Robert Redford
Lawrence of Arabia - Marlon Brando instead of Peter O'Toole
Reservoir Dogs - James Woods instead of Tim Roth
The Untouchables - Bob Hoskins instead of DeNiro


Good Either Way:
On the Waterfront - Montgomery Clift instead of Brando
Dr. No - Cary Grant instead of Connery
The Graduate - Robert Redford instead of Hoffman
The Wizard Of Oz - W.C. Fields as The Wizard

Sylvester Stallone as Axl Foley.

"I see Sith Lords"

Repent, sinner! Such impure thoughts are the work of the DEVIL!

One of the worst casting decisions that I can recall was Greg Kinnear in the lead of "Auto Focus" playing Bob Crane. While Kinnear has done some decent acting work, he did not really take on the persona of Crane, and worse looked nothing like him before or after movie makeup. OTOH, casting Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles was spot on [had to mention as I saw "Ray" last night].

Me thinks you misunderstood the original posters question. He was talking about people that did NOT get the part.

The only one I can think of is Beverly Hills Cop with Sylvester Stallone.

Good job he pulled out.

I like him, but it wouldn't have been the same film without Murphy.

I understood, just didn't want to start a new thread. I did a search and this was as close as I got.

I must add another awful close-call: Tobey Maguire as Jake Hoyt in Training Day. If it were a comedy he would be okay for the part. He just doesnt have the rugged masculinity that Ethan Hawk brings to the table.

Better? Arguably. Just as good? Definately.

Lon Chaney Sr.- The Frankenstein monster in Frankenstein(1931). Died before production began.

Christopher Lee-Dr. No

I'd have to see George Raft as Sam Spade in Maltese Falcon to decide. Who was it turned down role of Rick in Casablanca? Was that Raft also?

good:
Yoda puppet over Yoda CGI.