Star Wars: 20 Things You Didn't Know About The Empire Strikes Back

Believe it or not, legendary Dutch filmmaker Paul Verhoeven claimed in a 2012 Q&A that he was in contention to direct the film due to the enormous popularity of his Golden Globe-nominated 1977 romantic thriller Soldier of Orange.

Verhoeven was invited to meet with the producers and brought along a copy of his new film, Spetters, which quickly became infamous for its frank, graphic depictions of sex.

And so, it's perhaps little surprise that Verhoeven never heard from the producers again about the possible Star Wars gig, presumably appreciating how thoroughly wrong the director's sensibilities were for a more commercial, family-friendly tentpole film.

As a result, Verhoeven had to wait a few more years for his Hollywood breakthrough, which came with 1987's RoboCop.