It is a well-known fact that British actor Sir Alec Guinness hated the role of Obi-Van Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy – so much so that he insisted for the character to die in Episode IV. The situation was similar with Harrison Ford, who had to be convinced by a hefty sum to play Han Solo beyond the first Star Wars film. He was not the first to turn down a major role in a major on-screen epic, and certainly not the last. Here, All Slots casino takes a look at actors that turned down famous roles for different reasons. But perhaps it is a lesser-known fact that famous directors were also offered the chance to direct Star Wars movies – and many of them have said no to the offer, contributing to the way the saga looks today by these actions. A few of them, listed below, will likely surprise some of you.
David Lynch
Director David Lynch was one of those George Lucas approached in 1980 about helming “Return of the Jedi”, shortly after his historical drama “The Elephant Man” earned him eight Oscar nominations and a BAFTA. But as Lynch was not a “big fan” of the science fiction genre, and seemingly didn’t understand the story, he turned down the offer. Surprisingly, though, he proceeded to direct Dune, released one year after Episode VI, which was a box office bomb – but has become a cult classic ever since.
Stephen Spielberg
Spielberg actually wanted to direct the third film in the original Star Wars trilogy. His rivalry and friendship with George Lucas are well-known, so much so that Spielberg was Lucas’ first choice to direct “Return of the Jedi”. But a dispute surrounding the credits of the Star Wars movies (that they only appear at the end of the movie, not the beginning) between Lucas and the Directors Guild of America made it impossible for Spielberg to accept the job.
Later, Spielberg approached Lucas with the desire to direct one of the three prequels – but was turned down, seemingly because Lucas didn’t feel like sharing at the time.
David Cronenberg
This is perhaps one of the most surprising names on our list. Those familiar with Cronenberg’s work know why: some of his best-known films include horror titles like “The Fly”, “Videodrome”, “eXistenz”, and “Scanners”. When asked about the time he was approached to direct “Return of the Jedi”, Cronenberg told the Hollywood Reporter: “[…] instead of saying ‘Oh my God, yes!’ I said, ‘Well, you know, I don’t really do other people’s material.’ Click. I don’t know how far it would have gone, but it ended there.” Imagine how different Episode VI could have looked under his helm!
