One of the little games I enjoy is trying to imagine what iconic movie characters would’ve been like if they’d been played by someone other than whoever made them into icons. For example, I think everyone knows that Tom Selleck would’ve been Indiana Jones if CBS hadn’t held him to his Magnum contract, and that Ronald Reagan was once considered for Bogart’s signature role, Rick Blaine in Casablanca. (For the record, I think Selleck would’ve made a fine Indy, but nobody today would remember Casablanca if Reagan had played Rick. Just my opinion, of course…)

Somewhat lesser known is that Nick Nolte was considered for Han Solo, and that Luke and Leia could just as easily have been played by William Katt (of The Greatest American Hero fame) and Spielberg’s one-time girlfriend, Amy Irving, rather than Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher.

One of the most intriguing possibilities, however, is the notion that Cary Grant could’ve been the original James Bond. That seems startling at first, given the lightweight stuff that Grant is mostly remembered for, but I really think it might have worked. I’ve long thought that North by Northwest has much the same tone and style as Dr. No, and I believe Grant could’ve played brutality if the script had called for it. Someone else apparently thinks so, too. Here’s a video compilation that gives you a taste of what might have been: