... and Wesley Snipes is Geordi LaForge
By
BafflingBeerMan,
Posted on: 2010-08-26 07:37 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
This kind of thing happens all the time. It's fascinating to look back and play the "what if" game with actors and roles. For instance Kurt Russell, Christopher Walken and Nick Nolte all apparently tried out for the role of Han Solo in the Star Wars movies. 
Even in your list you'll note that Denise Crosby was trying out for the role of Troi...
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Patton Oswalt on Nick Nolte as Han Solo (Warning: NSFW language)
Reggie Jackson for Geordi? Reggie Jackson, as in Mr. October, Reggie Jackson?
I would have thought trying to kill the Queen would disqualify him from any future projects!
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...and Al Roker as Worf.
THAT would be a serious parallel universe.
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Originally Posted by Deus_Otiosus
This entire post should receive some kind of award for being both hysterical and fantastic.
Well done. |
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Well if she would have gotten the part Troi would have been killed after the first season....
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Originally Posted by Lothic
Even in your list you'll note that Denise Crosby was trying out for the role of Troi...
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Agreed. Given the hindsight, it's weird to imagine the other actors on that list playing those roles. Definitely a memo from early in the casting process. Heck, the character of Worf isn't even mentioned on this list, yet alone being cast.
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Originally Posted by Lothic
This kind of thing happens all the time. It's fascinating to look back and play the "what if" game with actors and roles. For instance Kurt Russell, Christopher Walken and Nick Nolte all apparently tried out for the role of Han Solo in the Star Wars movies.
Even in your list you'll note that Denise Crosby was trying out for the role of Troi... |
I wonder if the order the names are listed in is the preferred list of choice?
Also, I love how Tim Russ is like the superutility guy for the Star Trek franchise. "Eh, let's call him in and have him read for this part. Maybe he'll be good. If not, we can always use him elsewhere."
"Ben is short for Frank."
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Ben Murphy for "Ryker"? I guess he was tough to get...he's as elusive as Robert Denby!
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Worf was originally intended to be a background character anyway, more along the lines of John Kyle from TOS, a guy who appears in some episodes with a few lines but isn't one of the leads. But then he turned out to be hugely popular, so his role was expanded.
| Agreed. Given the hindsight, it's weird to imagine the other actors on that list playing those roles. Definitely a memo from early in the casting process. Heck, the character of Worf isn't even mentioned on this list, yet alone being cast. |
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Then we would've been stuck with Yar for the rest of the series? Ewww.|
Originally Posted by Teldon
Well if she would have gotten the part Troi would have been killed after the first season....
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I have nothing against the actresses but the character of Yar was far more annoying to me than Troi in my book.
One of the weirdest cases of "actors trying out for roles different from the one they finally got" was when Charisma Carpenter was initially trying out for the role of Buffy in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV show and Sarah Michelle Gellar was trying out for the role of Cordelia Chase. That would've been a fairly different show with those two playing the opposite roles.
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Actually, Patrick Bauchau would have made a great Picard.
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I dunno... All I see is Sydney when I look at him. He's more typecast to me than Patrick Stewart is... |
Originally Posted by Innovator
Actually, Patrick Bauchau would have made a great Picard.
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Phenomenal actor though.
By the way, note of trivia, several of these people went on to have other roles in TNG: Eric Menyuk (the Traveler), Mitch Ryan (Riker's dad), Rosalind Chao (Keiko O'Brien), Tim Russ (had bit parts in TNG and DS9 before being cast on Voyager), Julia Nickson (bridge ensign in an episode), Kevin Peter Hall (bit part whose character name I don't recognize from his IMDb page). Denise Crosby, of course, ended up as Tasha Yar, and yes, Cheryl McFadden is the same person as Gates McFadden.
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We will honor the past, and fight to the last, it will be a good way to die...
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Originally Posted by Innovator
Actually, Patrick Bauchau would have made a great Picard.
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Originally Posted by Gaderath
I dunno... All I see is Sydney when I look at him. He's more typecast to me than Patrick Stewart is...
Phenomenal actor though. |
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Not Yaphet Kotto great, though.
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Originally Posted by Innovator
Actually, Patrick Bauchau would have made a great Picard.
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This. He's just as good as Stewart, to say the least. In fact, I totally mark out for the guy whenever I see him.
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Originally Posted by Innovator
Actually, Patrick Bauchau would have made a great Picard.
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Yes, but Patrick Steward brings the sexy.
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Originally Posted by Innovator
Actually, Patrick Bauchau would have made a great Picard.
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Goodbye, I guess.
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Originally Posted by Terwilliger
Not Yaphet Kotto great, though.
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Seriously, he was awesome in Homicide
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Jenny Augutter as Dr. Crusher? She's the woman from American Werewolf in London, IIRC. Crusher could have been English. Would Wil Wheaton had to have faked an accent?
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Not any more than Patrick Stewart faked a French accent.
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Originally Posted by Inazuma
Jenny Augutter as Dr. Crusher? She's the woman from American Werewolf in London, IIRC. Crusher could have been English. Would Wil Wheaton had to have faked an accent?
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Goodbye, I guess.
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These kinds of casting things are always so interesting.
Reminds me of how downright adamant Paramount studio executives were about NOT casting Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in "The Godfather".
Those same execs also did not want Al Pacino (a relative unknown back then) in the part of Michael Corleone.
Oh and...
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Hey look!!! It's Enrico Palazzo!! |
Reggie Jackson for Geordi? Reggie Jackson, as in Mr. October, Reggie Jackson? I would have thought trying to kill the Queen would disqualify him from any future projects! |
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Holy crap, they considered Kevin Peter Hall for either Data or Geordi?
I’m basing that claim on a 23 year old memo that surfaced, on Paramount letterhead, written by John Ferraro, who was then a young development executive in Paramount’s syndicated television division, to John Pike, president of Paramount’s TV division at the time.
The memo, which has surfaced on the Letters of Note blog, lists the people who were being brought in to read for Gene Roddenberry in April 1987 for the various roles. Notably, Brent Spiner and Wil Wheaton weren’t even being considered for the roles at that time, and Wesley Snipes was being considered for the role of Geordi LaForge.
Obviously, this was early in the casting process.
Damn, I could have used this for my "Star Trek - Online Discussion" thread parody