1. First Blood
Before Sylvester Stallone signed on to play John Rambo in 1982's First Blood it seems nearly half the male actors working in Hollywood were considered for the part. John Travolta was one of them, but he turned the role down as he though it to be "too violent".
2. The Godfather Part III
In 1983 Paramount Pictures nearly financed a second sequel to The Godfather, this one would've been directed by Sylvester Stallone (yes, him again). He would've also co-starred in the production alongside John Travolta in the role of Anthony, Michael Corleone’s son. Hands up who wants to see a Godfather film starring Stallone and Travolta!
3. Purple Rain
Let this one wash over you - in some alternate universe there is a world where John Travolta is Prince! And not in the "Tonight Matthew I'm going to be..." sense, but actually starring in 1984's Purple Rain as The Kid.
After Prince's recent passing, Rolling Stone published an interview with Purple Rain director Albert Magnoli. Although the movie was always intended to be a vehicle for Prince whilst Magnoli and Prince’s manager Robert Cavallo were attempting to get backing for the picture they took a meeting with Warner Bros. And this happened...
"The first meeting at Warner Brothers was with the head of the studio and production and some executives, and the first thing they said was, “Is it possible to ask if John Travolta can play Prince?”"4. Rambo (again)
Travolta and Sly seemed to be destined to work together one day as when it came to making the first John Rambo sequel, Rambo: First Blood Part II, the producers wanted John Travolta to play Stallone's partner. Sly, however, vetoed the idea.
5. Top Gun
Travolta was considered for the role of Maverick before Tom Cruise. Ultimately it was his agent that lost him the part by demanding too high a fee, and Paramount didn't think Travolta was worth the price after having a string of mid-80s box office flops.
6. The Doors
Several actors were considered for the role of Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's 1991 movie. Among them were Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Richard Gere and the one and only John Travolta. By the way, Val Kilmer wasn't the first person offered the part, that would be Ian Astbury of The Cult, but he declined the role because he was not happy with the way Morrison was represented in the film.
7. Forrest Gump
Despite being the first choice to play Forrest Gump in Robert Zemeckis's 1994 movie, and at the time in need of a big hit, Travolta declined the offer. Crazy, no? Well, yes and no. Yes because he may have ended up with that Oscar which Tom Hanks took home, No because instead he made Pulp Fiction with Quentin Tarantino and shot straight back up to the top of Hollywood's A-list once again. Life really is like a box of chocolates!
8. Apollo 13
Yep, Tom Hanks got another of Travolta's cast-offs after he turned down the lead role of Jim Lovell in 1995s Apollo 13. Travolta choosing to make Get Shorty instead.
9. The Green Mile
Yes, it's a third film that Travolta passed on which Tom Hanks went on to star in. Travolta was the first choice for role of Paul Edgecomb in 1999's The Green Mile but instead chose to make The General's Daughter and involve himself deeply in pre-production for Battlefield Earth!
And we all know how good that was!!
10. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Finally, back when Ron Howard was attached to direct The Curious Case of Benjamin Button no prizes for guessing who he intended to star in his adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald short story.
The production became stuck in development hell and Howard moved turned his attention to other movies. Incumbent director David Fincher was just not feeling the Travolta vibe. But, yep, it's another famous role that was almost played by John Travolta.
Previously
7 Famous Roles Almost Played By Arnold Schwarzenegger
10 Famous Roles Almost Played By Will Smith
10 Famous Roles Almost Played By Jeff Goldblum
10 Famous Roles Almost Played By Michael Keaton
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