10 Iconic Movie Villains (Almost Played By Someone Else)

There have been memorably suave and sinister versions from Brian Cox and Mads Mikkelsen - while Gaspard Ulliel, erm, is also an actor who played the part - but the truly iconic Hannibal Lecter remains Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins picked up a Best Actor Oscar for all of 16 minutes on screen, but he wasn't even the first choice for the role.

Director Jonathan Demme thought Sean Connery was perfect for the smooth cannibal, seeing in the former James Bond just the right mix of intelligence and physicality (and his ubiquitous Scottish accent wouldn't have been any more out of place for the liver-munching Lithuanian than any other).

Plenty of big Hollywood names wanted the chance to sink their teeth into such a meaty role, with everyone from Dustin Hoffman to Morgan Freeman expressing an interest in playing the cultured criminal genius, but disappointingly for Demme Connery was not one of them.

Before approaching anyone else, Demme sent Connery a script. Sir Sean sent it straight back calling the movie disgusting and saying that he wouldn't dream of playing the part.

When you add Hannibal onto Gandalf and Morpheus, both of which the Zardoz star turned down as he didn't understand them, it's hard not to think that Connery's later years could have been incredible if he had a better eye for a good script.

On the other hand, it's equally hard to imagine that he would have made quite such a chilling Hannibal as Hopkins anyway.