10 Iconic Movie Roles Almost Played By Totally Different Actors

The whip, the hat, the quip, the Harrison Ford - these are the core elements of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas's Indiana Jones. But back in the days before Raiders of the Lost Ark, when Indy was merely another adventurer in the mould of Allan Quatermain, most of these elements were up for grabs, not least the lead role.

Cast as Indy before Ford ever showed his face, Tom Selleck (presumably moustache-and-all) was set to don the fedora and journey to parts unknown. Unfortunately, the Blue Bloods actor was caught in a bind when CBS wouldn't let him any wiggle room in his contract for Magnum PI - the role that made him the force of the TV world that he is today - and the man with the magnificent 'tache had to bail on Spielberg, Lucas and the role of a lifetime.

While it may have been an opportunity sorely missed for Selleck, who has never starred in anything remotely as big as Indiana Jones on the silver screen, it is something of a fortunate break for the rest of us. While Selleck would undoubtedly have done a great job, there is simply no comparison to the inimitable dry humour and morose physicality that Ford brings to all of his parts. Selleck would have made a bankable movie - Ford made a legend.