The Fast and Furious franchise has seen a wide range of stars rise to significance within its many films, but among them were very nearly some shocking casting choices. Starting from humble beginnings as an endearing crime series, the Fast and Furious movies have slowly become globe-trotting blockbusters with increasingly absurd vehicular action.

Thus far, the cast of the Fast and Furious franchise has incorporated all sorts of actors, from recognizable stars like Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to lesser-known martial arts legends like Ronda Rousey and Tony Jaa. While some near-misses in their casting are more expected, like Dave Bautista, the series nearly made some very surprising casting choices.

10

Timothy Olyphant

It’s hard to imagine anyone but Vin Diesel as the Fast and Furious series figurehead Dom Toretto, with his genuine earnestness being the perfect vessel for a cheesy commitment to family. However, Diesel was very nearly excluded as a condition of the very first film’s production.

Though his pearly-white smile and impressive fringe have become a fixture of film, these days, Timothy Olyphant is best known as a TV darling in series like The Mandalorian and the cruelly-canceled Santa Clarita Diet. As hard as it is to imagine, Olyphant was once championed by Universal to be the star of the first film, despite being a relative unknown at the time.

9

Halle Berry

Halle Berry was a beloved staple of late ’90s and early 2000s action movies, from the bombastic Die Another Day to the hilariously bad Catwoman. In retrospect, this would have made her a fitting choice for the Fast and Furious franchise early on. Yet it wasn’t until the sequel, Fast & Furious 7, that Berry would have finally joined Toretto’s family.

Rapper and franchise fixture Ludacris commented on his excitement for Halle Berry to make her grand entry into the series with Fast & Furious 7, lending credence to rumors that were swirling at the time. Sadly, the idea would remain a rumor as Berry ultimately decided against appearing in the film, causing the plot to shift dramatically.

8

Ja Rule

As proven by Ludacris’ steadfast presence in the franchise for so long, the Fast and Furious films have never been above taking chances on music stars to become action movie heroes in their own right. Despite this, it still seems bizarre that Ja Rule, of all people, nearly played Tej Parker instead as early as the second movie.

Ja Rule was the second person approached to play Tej, with Ludacris actually being the third runner-up choice from the beginning. According to 2 Fast 2 Furious director John Singleton, Ja Rule turned down the opportunity out of vanity, only to miss out on what should have been an easy slam dunk for his career (Via Grantland).

7

Redman

With Ludacris ultimately being the one to score the role of Tej Parker and Ja Rule coming up second, it may be a surprise to learn that fellow rapper and producer Redman was the original choice for Tej from the very beginning (Via ETOnline). He’d cut his teeth in the film industry in the beloved stoner comedy How High a few years prior, starring alongside future Fast and Furious cameo Method Man.

Redman was actually very open to the idea, and had officially signed on board in pre-production. Sadly, when it came time to film 2 Fast 2 Furious, scheduling conflicts reared their head and shoved Redman out of the running. Thus, the role of Tej trickled down to Ja Rule and then, finally, landed on Ludacris.

6

Eminem

The final rapper to endure a near-miss with the Fast and Furious franchise has also occasionally poked his head into the movie industry, headlining the semi-autobiographical 8 Mile and making cameos in comedies like The Interview. But Eminem was very nearly cast as one of the most important characters in Fast and Furious canon.

By now, Brian O’Conner has become synonymous with the late Paul Walker, owing to his tearful sendoff in Furious 7. It’s interesting to imagine an alternate reality in which Brian was still around and being played by Marshall Mathers, though his own schedule would have likely proved an issue as his rise to fame swelled.

5

Tommy Lee Jones

Though widely revered as a serious prestige cinema darling for his films like The Fugitive, Tommy Lee Jones has never been above the occasional bit of Hollywood spectacle, holding his own opposite Will Smith in the Men in Black movies and making a brief appearance in the early Marvel Cinematic Universe. But somehow, Fast and Furious still seems out of his wheelhouse.

That being said, Jones very nearly came on board in the film that revived the Fast and Furious movies, Fast Five, starring as none other than Luke Hobbs, no less. It’s very hard to imagine Tommy Lee Jones as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s musclebound hero now, as he would’ve likely taken the character in a completely different direction.

4

Denzel Washington

Another actor more hailed for “serious” performances, Denzel Washington does admittedly make for an amazing criminal in movies like American Gangster. It would have been very interesting to see him navigate the Fast and Furious series’ gradual evolution into an increasingly ridiculous Hollywood blockbuster series, a realm Washington doesn’t really play in.

Denzel Washington was likely almost signed on to play the one and only Deckard Shaw, who would go on to be embodied by the wiry British action stylings of Jason Statham. At least, according to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, he would have taken part as Furious 7‘s major villain. Perhaps there’s still room for Denzel to join the fray, but that remains to be seen.

3

Deepika Padukone

One of the strengths of the Fast and Furious franchise scaling with its ever-growing sense of scale and scope is its renewed international appeal, incorporating all sorts of global stars. Furious 7 nearly managed to capitalize on this better with an appearance of Deepika Padukone, one of India’s biggest movie stars.

It’s been confirmed that Padukone was reached out for a possible role in Fast 7, though whether she would have been replacing someone who did get cast or would have been her own unique character remains unclear. Either way, Padukone was already committed to the Bollywood film Ram-Leela, so the opportunity was unfortunately missed.

2

Jason Mantzoukas

In recent years, Jason Mantzoukas has enjoyed something of a renaissance, landing memorable roles in shows such as The Good Place and Invincible while continuing to enjoy the following of his How Did This Get Made? podcast. That being said, he has dabbled in movies, coming very close to an appearance in Furious 7.

Jason Mantzoukas was considered for the role of Safar, Ramsay’s contact in Abu Dhabi, where the team travels in hopes of finding the God’s Eye. According to his own words on his podcast, Mantzoukas auditioned admirably, but lost out to Ali Fazal in the end. Still, Mantzoukas has claimed to be open to future appearances.

1

David Tennant

Still beloved as one of the most famous of the many Doctor Who Doctors, David Tennant’s career has expanded far beyond the walls of the T.A.R.D.I.S., cropping up in TV shows like Netflix’s Jessica Jones and movies like The Thursday Murder Club. But an appearance in a Fast and Furious movie would have undoubtedly exposed his charm to a new audience.

Though Tennant’s cheery demeanor as The Doctor seems an ill-fit for the franchise, he was one of the other U.K. actors considered for Luke Evans’ Owen Shaw in Fast 6. It’s a pity he was never involved, as it would have been amazing to see his take on a bombastic, high-energy Fast and Furious character.

Sources: ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, ETOnline, Grantland