Star Wars Casting Choices That Never Happened (But We Almost Wish They Did)

Star Wars has been around since 1977 and at this point includes an astounding 11 movies and several TV shows.

Countless actors have appeared in them, perhaps second only to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So it's no surprise that there have been multiple casting choices for each character, and while we all know and love the final choices, it's still fascinating to think about how different the franchise could have been had they happened.

Here are five of the most surprising casting choices.

Jodie Foster as Leia Organa

It seems that the iconic space princess could have been a little younger had she not been portrayed by Carrie Fisher.

According to Foster herself, the actress' busy schedule at the time was the reason why she didn't accept the role.

Al Pacino as Han Solo

In a recent interview, the Hollywood legend joked that he gave Harrison Ford a career by turning down an offer to play the iconic smuggler.

While we all love Ford, it would have been great to see a completely different take on Han with Pacino's gangster charisma.

Leonardo DiCaprio as Anakin Skywalker

After his breakout role as Jack in Titanic, Leo was offered the chance to play a younger version of one of the most iconic villains of all time.

He turned it down because he "didn't feel ready to take that dive."

With all due respect to Hayden Christensen, his take on the character was much criticized after the prequels were released, but perhaps even DiCaprio's talent couldn't have made some of the worst lines of dialogue more bearable.

Tupac Shakur as Mace Windu

The iconic rapper could have worn the mantle of the first black Jedi Master, but unfortunately his untimely death in 1996 led to the role being given to Samuel L. Jackson.

Though it would have been a unique take on the character, L. Jackson's charisma is the reason why fans speculate that Mace survived the events of Episode III and wish to this day for him to reprise the role.

Benicio Del Toro as Darth Maul

Prior to his appearance as DJ in Episode VIII, Del Toro was offered the role of the iconic Sith Lord. However, the actor turned it down because Maul did not have enough dialogue for him.

Probably for the best, as the role went to Ray Park, whose martial arts skills made his final duel with Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon the best part of the entire film.