Ford v Ferrari Could Become Instant Cult Classic if These Actors Accepted the Lead Roles

Before its release in 2019, many people expected Ford v Ferrari to be a generic sports drama, but it turned out to be much more than that.

Although it's still essentially a movie about cars, this is also a story about strong characters, personal drama, and world-changing inventions. In short, you don't have to love cars to enjoy Ford v Ferrari — all you need is love for great cinema and compelling stories.

Without a doubt, the film benefited greatly from two outstanding actors, Matt Damon and Christian Bale, starring as the story's main characters. Yes, the two once again pulled off brilliant performances and were largely praised by both critics and the general public… but what if we told you there were even bigger stars to tackle their roles in Ford v Ferrari?

As it turns out, Tom Cruise was supposed to portray Carrol Shelby instead of Damon, and Brad Pitt was to play the role of Ken Miles, which eventually went to Bale. And though this duo may be just as talented as Damon and Bale, they certainly outdo the Ford v Ferrari stars in terms of how big they are in the industry.

Both fans and film experts agree that, with Cruise and Pitt on board, Ford v Ferrari could have easily become a cult classic right after its release. Coupled with the film's other strong sides, these two actors would have made it even more iconic, ensuring a massive inflow of moviegoers.

So why didn't Cruise and Pitt join the production in the end? Apparently, the movie's budget was the reason.

'I got to the point where I had Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt at a table read, reading the script together. But we couldn't get the budget to the number it had to be at, and it was the right number. So that was the one for me that got away,' Joseph Kosinski shared (the filmmaker was in charge of the project before James Mangold took over as the director).

But as we said already, the film did not suffer much in the end, as both Bale and Damon gave phenomenal performances, and it's hard to imagine anyone doing a better job than they did with their roles.

If anything, it's just a huge bummer that the movie didn't quite reach the status of an instant classic — and not because of the cast's lack of talent, but because of their names.

Source: The Playlist