20 Things You Didn't Know About Heat

19. Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Nick Nolte, Jeff Bridges & Don Johnson Were Considered For The Lead Roles

Heat Al Pacino Robert De Niro Val Kilmer
Warner Bros.

With Mann hot off the success of The Last of the Mohicans, it's little surprise that Heat attracted the potential casting of many A-list talents.

For starters, Mann considered casting Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford in the roles of Vincent Hanna and Neil McCauley - the parts ultimately played by Al Pacino and Robert De Niro respectively.

At another stage, Mann considered Nick Nolte and Jeff Bridges for the leads, and even lined up Don Johnson as a back-up for both Pacino and De Niro in case one of the actors dropped out.

In the end it's impossible to imagine the film with anybody else in the leading roles, but the Gibson-Ford pairing in particular would've made for fascinating - and very, very different - viewing.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.