20 Wild Horror Movie Casting Choices We Almost Got

20. Meryl Streep - Ellen Ripley (Alien)

There are few horror roles more enduring than that of Alien's Ellen Ripley, which eventually went to Sigourney Weaver.

But Ridley Scott initially had another on-the-rise actress in mind - Meryl Streep.

Streep, who was on the eve of a major career breakout with The Deer Hunter, was eyed by Scott but he ultimately never made contact with her due to the passing of her partner John Cazale during pre-production in early 1978.

And so, Scott went on a wider casting call, considering the likes of Helen Mirren before finally settling on Weaver, whose audition blew away Scott and producers David Giler and Walter Hill.

As brilliant an actress as Meryl Streep is, it just isn't easy to picture her in the role of Ripley.

Above all else, her general aversion to action and horror roles makes this feel like a bad fit, even if it's certainly interesting to consider how different Streep and Weaver's careers might've been if the former had played Ripley instead.