5. Joel Edgerton Relinquished 300: Rise Of An Empire To A Less Famous Australian
Before Sullivan Stapleton took the lead in the sequel to Zack Snyder's surprise hit 300, producers went to another Aussie with the part. The actor that Warner Bros. originally wanted was Joel Edgerton, the big, often beardy star of Warrior and The Great Gatsby, who was - at the time Rise Of An Empire was first in production - getting prepped for a breakout hit in the US, having wowed in the likes of smaller fare like Animal Kingdom. As the film got closer to filming, however, Edgerton backed out, and he was promptly replaced by Animal Kingdom co-star Sullivan Stapleton, who took on hero Themistocles for director Noam Murro. And while Rise Of An Empire may not have been well loved by critics, it was still just that bit more of a hit than Edgerton's big 2014 movie, Exodus: Gods And Kings.