well any of these certainly would have
made for an interesting film welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten biopic
performances we nearly got before we
begin we publish new content every day
so be sure to subscribe to our channel
and ring the bell to get notified about
our latest videos for this list we’re
looking at our pick for actors and
actresses who came close to playing
iconic individuals in biopics
these can include roles that ultimately
went to someone else as well as films
that stalled before production or never
saw the light of day I don’t understand
this thing it’s good old-fashioned
entertainment George everyone loves it
filming
number 10 Eddie Murphy Malcolm X you
know this is the cleanest and when you
think of this hugely influential civil
rights leader passion and gravitas are
probably the first attributes that come
to mind those are not exactly
descriptors associated with Eddie Murphy
or his filmography but once upon a time
he came very close to donning those
iconic glasses Murphy’s name was
attached to a version of the film
scripted by screenwriter and filmmaker
David Mamet ultimately this version of
the biopic was not to be and Denzel
Washington claimed the role with Spike
considering Washington would go on to be
nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars
it’s hard not to imagine how the role
might have affected Murphy’s legacy yeah
what if I can’t do it number 9 Daniel
come Astra Selena who are you going to
laughs and you probably didn’t know this
actress and producer by name but had
things played out a little differently
during the casting of 1997 Selina you
likely would have just 17 years old at
the time
Kumasi was one of 26,000 actresses vying
to play the famed queen of Tejano music
despite the odds and her relative
inexperience camara landed among the top
seven finalists she was in fact the
favorite of the late singer’s father
Abraham Quintanilla in the end it
reportedly got down to her and Jennifer
Lopez the latter claiming the role still
we can’t help but wonder how the film
would have turned out with an unknown
lead I might not be streetwise and all
of it but at least I don’t have to be
that dumb number eight Keira Knightley
Coco Chanel there’s no point to me
keeping it Keira Knightley is no
stranger to period pieces from Pirates
of the Caribbean to Pride and Prejudice
she’s proven that she can shine in any
era and any character type add to the
fact that she’s one of the faces of
Chanel and you have an obvious casting
choice as Glamour magazine reports
Knightley was offered the role of the
brand’s namesake and founder for the
2009 biopic but the part ultimately went
to actress Oh bleep tutu
who turned in a fine performance in an
otherwise rather forgettable film
however Knightley did get to try on the
role herself a few years later I’ll be
it briefly in Karl Lagerfeld’s short
tweed jackets a fair shake on a woman
number 7 Mike Meyers Keith Moon extreme
closeup Wow with iconic characters like
Wayne Campbell and Austin Powers to his
name Mike Meyers is a rock star in the
history of film comedy as such we would
have loved to see his take on Keith Moon
one of rock and roll’s most legendary
drummers the rhythm behind the WHO moon
was a whirlwind of energy on stage but
the chaos followed him offstage as well
in the mid 2000s it was announced that
Meyers would bring the late drummer to
life in a film titled see me feel me
Keith Moon naked for pleasure a
collaborative effort between Myers and
surviving bandmate Roger Daltrey it
likely would have been a one-of-a-kind
biopic had it ever materialized number
six Whitney Houston Tina Turner I just
believe it anything is possible
for the record we couldn’t be happier
with Angela Bassett spur formance as
Tina Turner in 1993’s
what’s love got to do with it she was
nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden
Globe
both well-deserved but that being said
we’d be curious to see what an alternate
reality version of this film would look
like had Whitney Houston accepted the
role she was considered for the part
alongside Halle Berry and Janet Jackson
among others but was then actually
offered the role ultimately her
pregnancy made it impossible but seeing
one iconic singer play the other would
have made for quite the cinematic and
musical treat screw it
try to worrying about it number five Tom
Hanks Dean Martin well everything is
unprecedented until it happens for the
first time Tom Hanks and Dean Martin are
two of the most cherished names in
American entertainment as such it seems
only fitting that one would play the
other in a biopic in recent decades
Hanks has become something of a
cinematic historian doing his part to
recreate major moments in history
Apollo 13 and immortalizing famous
figures in film mr. Rogers Dean Martin
was a legend of music and comedy a Rat
Pack member and a perfect candidate for
a Hank’s led biopic especially with
Martin Scorsese in the director’s chair
in the end however score says he says
Martin’s life was just too hard to
summarise into a concise film oh you’re
to comedy legends both taken before
their time making a movie about this
silent era comedic actor seems almost
cursed all those who express interest in
bringing Arbuckle to life inevitably
meet an early fate just as he did though
John Candy and Chris Farley both
reportedly entertained similar hopes
John Belushi’s Fatty Arbuckle film is
the one we really wish we’d seen Belushi
had a certain edginess to him which
might have helped him handle the
controversial dark period of fatty
Arbuckle’s career after he was accused
and acquitted of rape and manslaughter
it would have been a tough role but one
that could have been a performance of a
[Music]
number three Jim Carrey Howard Hughes
you don’t know the real me man on the
moon might not have been for everyone
but then again neither were the comedic
stylings of a subject Andy Kaufman
regardless the film proves one thing
beyond the shadow of a doubt Kerry knows
how to deliver a biopic so it’s a real
shame that they keep escaping him he
first lost out on the role of Charlie
Chaplin to Robert Downey jr. for the
1992 film Chaplin he was later set to
play Howard Hughes in a Christopher
Nolan directed biopic about the famous
aviator
but then Scorsese and DiCaprio’s project
got greenlit and theirs disappeared we
imagine Kerry’s performance would have
been very different though perhaps no
less compelling you don’t care about
money because you’ve always had skews me
I’m speaking number 2 Tom Hardy Elton
John you know what you can take a
situation and draw a circle around it
and find a way to work something out
seriously if this actor even capable of
turning in a bad performance from humble
beginnings playing a minor role in Black
Hawk Down Party has built a rock solid
resume overflowing with phenomenal
performances say what you will about
venom his erratic take on Eddie Brock
and the symbiote is worth the price of
whenever the role he throws himself in
headfirst and consistently delivers all
about to say his take on Sir Elton John
likely would have made for one truly
unforgettable biopic parties legend
co-star Taron Egerton has proven himself
a more than capable leading men but will
always be haunted by the Tom Hardy
version of Rocket Man that nearly was
number one Sacha Baron Cohen Freddie
Mercury a freddie mercury biopic has
long been in the works and throughout
much of that period of gestation we were
under the impression that it was Sacha
Baron Cohen who’d be bringing the Queen
singer to life sadly creative
differences over the direction of the
film ultimately saw Cohen leave the
project he reportedly disagreed with the
wishes of Queen bandmates the film on
them after Freddie’s death and toned
down depictions of Mercury’s partying
rami malek is an incredibly talented
actor who seemingly shines in the role
but after so much anticipation for
Cohen’s take on mercury will always
wonder so now what this is when the
operatic section comes in oh the
operatic section yeah do you agree with
our picks check out these other great
clips from WatchMojo and be sure to
subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
made for an interesting film welcome to
watchmojo.com and today we’re counting
down our picks for the top ten biopic
performances we nearly got before we
begin we publish new content every day
so be sure to subscribe to our channel
and ring the bell to get notified about
our latest videos for this list we’re
looking at our pick for actors and
actresses who came close to playing
iconic individuals in biopics
these can include roles that ultimately
went to someone else as well as films
that stalled before production or never
saw the light of day I don’t understand
this thing it’s good old-fashioned
entertainment George everyone loves it
filming
number 10 Eddie Murphy Malcolm X you
know this is the cleanest and when you
think of this hugely influential civil
rights leader passion and gravitas are
probably the first attributes that come
to mind those are not exactly
descriptors associated with Eddie Murphy
or his filmography but once upon a time
he came very close to donning those
iconic glasses Murphy’s name was
attached to a version of the film
scripted by screenwriter and filmmaker
David Mamet ultimately this version of
the biopic was not to be and Denzel
Washington claimed the role with Spike
considering Washington would go on to be
nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars
it’s hard not to imagine how the role
might have affected Murphy’s legacy yeah
what if I can’t do it number 9 Daniel
come Astra Selena who are you going to
laughs and you probably didn’t know this
actress and producer by name but had
things played out a little differently
during the casting of 1997 Selina you
likely would have just 17 years old at
the time
Kumasi was one of 26,000 actresses vying
to play the famed queen of Tejano music
despite the odds and her relative
inexperience camara landed among the top
seven finalists she was in fact the
favorite of the late singer’s father
Abraham Quintanilla in the end it
reportedly got down to her and Jennifer
Lopez the latter claiming the role still
we can’t help but wonder how the film
would have turned out with an unknown
lead I might not be streetwise and all
of it but at least I don’t have to be
that dumb number eight Keira Knightley
Coco Chanel there’s no point to me
keeping it Keira Knightley is no
stranger to period pieces from Pirates
of the Caribbean to Pride and Prejudice
she’s proven that she can shine in any
era and any character type add to the
fact that she’s one of the faces of
Chanel and you have an obvious casting
choice as Glamour magazine reports
Knightley was offered the role of the
brand’s namesake and founder for the
2009 biopic but the part ultimately went
to actress Oh bleep tutu
who turned in a fine performance in an
otherwise rather forgettable film
however Knightley did get to try on the
role herself a few years later I’ll be
it briefly in Karl Lagerfeld’s short
tweed jackets a fair shake on a woman
number 7 Mike Meyers Keith Moon extreme
closeup Wow with iconic characters like
Wayne Campbell and Austin Powers to his
name Mike Meyers is a rock star in the
history of film comedy as such we would
have loved to see his take on Keith Moon
one of rock and roll’s most legendary
drummers the rhythm behind the WHO moon
was a whirlwind of energy on stage but
the chaos followed him offstage as well
in the mid 2000s it was announced that
Meyers would bring the late drummer to
life in a film titled see me feel me
Keith Moon naked for pleasure a
collaborative effort between Myers and
surviving bandmate Roger Daltrey it
likely would have been a one-of-a-kind
biopic had it ever materialized number
six Whitney Houston Tina Turner I just
believe it anything is possible
for the record we couldn’t be happier
with Angela Bassett spur formance as
Tina Turner in 1993’s
what’s love got to do with it she was
nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden
Globe
both well-deserved but that being said
we’d be curious to see what an alternate
reality version of this film would look
like had Whitney Houston accepted the
role she was considered for the part
alongside Halle Berry and Janet Jackson
among others but was then actually
offered the role ultimately her
pregnancy made it impossible but seeing
one iconic singer play the other would
have made for quite the cinematic and
musical treat screw it
try to worrying about it number five Tom
Hanks Dean Martin well everything is
unprecedented until it happens for the
first time Tom Hanks and Dean Martin are
two of the most cherished names in
American entertainment as such it seems
only fitting that one would play the
other in a biopic in recent decades
Hanks has become something of a
cinematic historian doing his part to
recreate major moments in history
Apollo 13 and immortalizing famous
figures in film mr. Rogers Dean Martin
was a legend of music and comedy a Rat
Pack member and a perfect candidate for
a Hank’s led biopic especially with
Martin Scorsese in the director’s chair
in the end however score says he says
Martin’s life was just too hard to
summarise into a concise film oh you’re
to comedy legends both taken before
their time making a movie about this
silent era comedic actor seems almost
cursed all those who express interest in
bringing Arbuckle to life inevitably
meet an early fate just as he did though
John Candy and Chris Farley both
reportedly entertained similar hopes
John Belushi’s Fatty Arbuckle film is
the one we really wish we’d seen Belushi
had a certain edginess to him which
might have helped him handle the
controversial dark period of fatty
Arbuckle’s career after he was accused
and acquitted of rape and manslaughter
it would have been a tough role but one
that could have been a performance of a
[Music]
number three Jim Carrey Howard Hughes
you don’t know the real me man on the
moon might not have been for everyone
but then again neither were the comedic
stylings of a subject Andy Kaufman
regardless the film proves one thing
beyond the shadow of a doubt Kerry knows
how to deliver a biopic so it’s a real
shame that they keep escaping him he
first lost out on the role of Charlie
Chaplin to Robert Downey jr. for the
1992 film Chaplin he was later set to
play Howard Hughes in a Christopher
Nolan directed biopic about the famous
aviator
but then Scorsese and DiCaprio’s project
got greenlit and theirs disappeared we
imagine Kerry’s performance would have
been very different though perhaps no
less compelling you don’t care about
money because you’ve always had skews me
I’m speaking number 2 Tom Hardy Elton
John you know what you can take a
situation and draw a circle around it
and find a way to work something out
seriously if this actor even capable of
turning in a bad performance from humble
beginnings playing a minor role in Black
Hawk Down Party has built a rock solid
resume overflowing with phenomenal
performances say what you will about
venom his erratic take on Eddie Brock
and the symbiote is worth the price of
whenever the role he throws himself in
headfirst and consistently delivers all
about to say his take on Sir Elton John
likely would have made for one truly
unforgettable biopic parties legend
co-star Taron Egerton has proven himself
a more than capable leading men but will
always be haunted by the Tom Hardy
version of Rocket Man that nearly was
number one Sacha Baron Cohen Freddie
Mercury a freddie mercury biopic has
long been in the works and throughout
much of that period of gestation we were
under the impression that it was Sacha
Baron Cohen who’d be bringing the Queen
singer to life sadly creative
differences over the direction of the
film ultimately saw Cohen leave the
project he reportedly disagreed with the
wishes of Queen bandmates the film on
them after Freddie’s death and toned
down depictions of Mercury’s partying
rami malek is an incredibly talented
actor who seemingly shines in the role
but after so much anticipation for
Cohen’s take on mercury will always
wonder so now what this is when the
operatic section comes in oh the
operatic section yeah do you agree with
our picks check out these other great
clips from WatchMojo and be sure to
subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos
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