20 Things You Somehow Missed In Collateral
17. Collateral's Cast Almost Looked Very Different
Had things gone a certain direction, Collateral would have been a very different film from the one we eventually got. Before the Mann-Cruise-Foxx trifecta joined the project, directors such as Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese and Fernando Meirelles were considered, and other creatives such as Janusz Kaminski and Hans Zimmer almost joined the project.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mann revealed that the leading roles almost went to Russell Crowe and Adam Sandler. Other actors considered for the project included Leonardo DiCaprio and Cuba Gooding Jr. but none of these talents were able to commit to the project.
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino were also sought for the Max/Vincent duo, with De Niro's part serving as a homage to his role in 1976's Taxi Driver.