Posted 1 minute agoSubscribe to Screen Time NewsletterCaret Down29 Last-Minute Casting Choices That Literally Saved The MovieI literally can't imagine anyone but Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.by Hannah MarderBuzzFeed StaffFacebookPinterestLink Recently, Reddit user ValoNoctis asked about last-minute casting that saved a movie, and I can't believe some of these actors almost didn't play these iconic roles. Here are actors who came in at the eleventh hour and killed it. 1. Director Quentin Tarantino struggled to find the right actor to play Hans Landa in Inglourious Basterds. On the podcast The Moment With Brian Koppelman, Tarantino said the movie was already in pre-production, and they hadn't cast the role - which was a problem, as Tarantino had decided to shelve the project for a few years if he couldn't find the perfect actor. "It's Tuesday morning, and by Friday, Universal Pictures is...gonna sign the check, and now we're making the movie for Universal. And I know if I'm gonna pull the plug, I've gotta pull it before Thursday," he revealed. On Wednesday, Christoph Waltz auditioned, and Tarantino immediately knew he'd found his Landa. Waltz would end up winning an Oscar for his portrayal. Francois Duhamel/Weinstein Company/Courtesy Everett Collection Suggested by u/bvmse 2. Gene Wilder wanted the role of Jim in Blazing Saddles, but director Mel Brooks thought he was too young. "I need an older guy - someone who could look like an over-the-hill alcoholic," he told Wilder. He went with Gig Young, who was known to struggle with alcoholism in real life, which Brooks thought would work well with the character. However, on the very first morning of filming, Young was dealing with alcohol withdrawal - which was made worse by the fact that his character was upside-down. "We draped Gig Young's legs over and hung him upside down. And he started to talk and he started shaking." At first, Brooks thought this was just great acting. Ron Galella / Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images Suggested by u/hedbopper But..."The shaking never stopped, and green stuff started spewing out of his mouth and nose, and he started screaming." Brooks said he learned his lesson not to cast someone with alcoholism as a character with alcoholism: "I said, 'That's the last time I'll ever cast anybody who really is that person.'" He continued, "Poor Gig Young, it was the first shot on Friday, nine in the morning, and an ambulance came and took him away. I had no movie." Brooks quickly called up Wilder, who flew out the next day to film. They were shooting again on Monday. Wilder ended up being perfect for the role, cementing the movie in comedy history. Crossbow Productions/Courtesy Everett Collection 3. Another actor who was replaced after filming started? Harvey Keitel in Apocalypse Now. He actually shot for a full week before being recast. The film's director, Francis Ford Coppola, apparently felt he wasn't right for the role, and also that Keitel was uncomfortable filming in the jungle (which Keitel has disputed). Coppola convinced Martin Sheen to take the role instead - he'd originally wanted Sheen for the role, but he was unavailable. Sheen's performance would end up being the most memorable part of the film. United Artists /Courtesy Everett Collection, Karwai Tang / WireImage via Getty Images Suggested by u/congo66 4. Joaquin Phoenix was originally cast as the lead in Split, but dropped out only weeks before filming began. James McAvoy stepped in to play the role and said he only had two weeks to prepare. While Phoenix obviously is a talented actor, McAvoy's performance was stellar, garnering critical acclaim - one reviewer called it "the performance of his career." John Baer/Universal Pictures / courtesy Everett Collection, Monica Schipper / Getty Images Suggested by u/ralo229 5. Tim Colceri spent weeks rehearsing for his role as a drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket, with director Stanley Kubrick continuously telling him shooting would begin the next day, then not following through. Eventually, Colceri was given a letter by Kubrick stating he had been recast with R. Lee Ermey. Ermey, a Vietnam War veteran, had been initially hired as a technical consultant on the film. However, he won Kubrick over with an unsolicited audition tape, earning the role over Colceri, who had been cast eight months earlier. Ermey knocked it out of the park, with the scene of him yelling at the recruits - which was half improvised - becoming one of the most memorable parts of the film. Colceri was cast in a smaller role. Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection, Gabe Ginsberg / Getty Images Suggested by u/Alteredego619 6. Paul Dano only had about four days to prepare for his role as Eli in There Will Be Blood. He had already been cast as Paul, and Kel O'Neill had been cast as Eli (who was not initially Paul's brother). In fact, O'Neill had already filmed for weeks. However, O'Neill did not work well with the director, Paul Thomas Anderson, so Anderson decided