11 Movies That Almost Starred Nicolas Cage But Were Lame Instead

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Cage.

1. Lord of the Rings

New Line Cinema/BuzzFeed

Cage was actually offered the role of Aragorn, but turned it down because he didn’t want to spend 3 years in New Zealand. The role eventually went to Viggo Mortensen after director Peter Jackson’s second choice Stuart Townsend (THIRST ALERT) was unceremoniously replaced a few months into shooting.

2. The Matrix

Warner Bros/BuzzFeed

Cage, again unwilling to travel for the role (this time Australia,) turned down the mega-hit. Not to mention the two subsequent movies. (Man does this guy love turning down franchises.)

3. The Wrestler

Fox Searchlight/BuzzFeed

Instead of Cage, who didn't think he could muscle-up in time, Mickey Rourke made his (what, like) third comeback, and won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of washed-up wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson.

4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Warner Bros/BuzzFeed

Cage lost interest in the role before the film ever made it to production. Tim Burton went with Johnny Depp instead.

5. Encino Man

Buena Vista Pictures/BuzzFeed

Before Sean Astin dug up Brendan Frasier and Pauly Shore taught him how to "wease the juice", we almost got to see Nic Cage portray caveman Link.

6. Masters Of The Universe

Mattel/BuzzFeed

Sadly, an adaptation of the iconic 80s cartoon has yet to make it into production, but John Woo, lover of white doves, had hoped to cast Cage in his reimagining.

7. Dumb and Dumber

New Line Cinema/BuzzFeed

Cage and Jim Carrey had been hoping to join forces, so Carey tried to get Cage to sign on to play his idiotic counterpart. In the end, Jeff Daniels immortalized the role of Harry Dunne.

8. The Breakfast Club

Universal Pictures/BuzzFeed

Can you image Cage's version of John Bender? Unfortunately it's rumored he was already too famous and therefore out of the production's price range. A hot as balls Judd Nelson portrayed "The Criminal" in the unforgettable flick.

9. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Focus Features/BuzzFeed

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman originally imagined Cage in the Joel Barrish role when he wrote the script, later directed by Michel Gondry. Jim Carrey inhabited the role on the big screen and we were all denied what would have been some epic Cage meltdowns.

10. The Perfect Storm

Warner Bros/BuzzFeed

Along with Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson, Cage turned down Mark Wahlberg's role portraying real-life sailor Bobby Shatford of the Andrea Gail.

11. Superman Lives

Warner Bros

Another movie that never made it to the big screen, Tim Burton's ill-fated late 90s Superman reboot, starring none other than Cage as the Man of Steel. You don't have to imagine what it would've looked like though, thanks to leaked images from a rumored costume test.