One of the most interesting parts of a highly anticipated movie is casting. The movie news industry is often full of stories about who’s “in talks” for a certain role. Sometimes, these talks fall through. There are tons of rumored stories about who almost played what role (like Will Smith turning down the part of Neo), but here’s a sampling of some pretty unexpected ones.

Angela Bassett as Storm

2000’s “X-Men” went through many different incarnations. “Avatar” director James Cameron was in talks to direct, while “The Matrix” star Keanu Reeves was suggested by Fox for the part of Wolverine. Most intriguing however, was the proposed casting of Oscar nominee Angela Bassett as the weather-controlling Storm. Bassett was often considered a fan favorite for the role and the eventual casting of Halle Berry angered many fans. It’s almost devastating to imagine how amazing Bassett would have been in the role, especially considering Storm’s character in the comics being much older than the rest of the team.

Tupac and Leo in Star Wars

In 2014, it was reported that iconic rapper Tupac Shakur auditioned for the part of Jedi master Mace Windu in the 1999 film “Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace”. Reportedly, director George Lucas was a fan of the idea, but shooting of the film began after Shakur’s death in 1996 (it is unclear whether he would have won the role otherwise). The part eventually went to Samuel L. Jackson. Leonardo DiCaprio was also considered for “Star Wars” (though Leo has turned down many high profile parts in the past), and was asked by Lucas to audition for the lead role of Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”. He turned down the role, not wanting to become a part of such a huge franchise.

A Very Different Into the Woods

Disney had been attempting to make a film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim fairy tale musical “Into the Woods” for decades. Though the eventual 2014 film ended up with an incredible cast (including Meryl Streep and Anna Kendrick), the proposed cast in the 90s included Robin Williams as the Baker and Cher as the Witch. Though this production was eventually scrapped, the 2014 movie had a couple of different possibilities as well. Internet sensation Sophia Grace was originally cast as Little Red but dropped out later due to issues with the process, and comedy actress Tina Fey auditioned for the role of the Baker’s Wife.

Michael Jackson: Spider-Man

This is one of the more bizarre casting ideas, but one that was confirmed by Spider-Man creator Stan Lee. With his considerable fortune, the pop icon planned to buy Marvel Comics to be sure that he could play the part of Peter Parker in the 90s. There aren’t many details about what MJ’s version would have looked like, but negotiations for Michael to buy Marvel fell apart and the idea wasn’t brought up again until production for the 2002 film began.

With that said, these movies would have turned out differently if these celebs were cast.