Some roles for which Woody Allen was being considered

Woody Allen is one of my favourite comics and also one of the most prolific comedy writers of the past half century. While Allen’s best years are clearly behind him, his legacy includes his influence in the work of current comedy writers such Louis C.K., Judd Apatow, and Larry David. Writing has been the field in which Woody Allen is the most accomplished, but he’s also a talented director, musician, and actor. Even though he mainly acts in his own writer/directorial efforts, he has had several big parts written for him or offered to him over the years.

Oh, God! (1977)



Larry Gelbart wrote Oh, God! with the intention of directing it with Woody Allen and Mel Brooks as the leads. Gelbart wanted Allen in the grocery store manager role that went to folk singer John Denver and Mel Brooks as God. Gelbart recalls that Brooks was willing to play God, but Woody Allen didn't want to take part in the project because he was making a movie of his own that dealt with god, Stardust Memories. Oh, God! became a highly-successful comedy, and Bruce Almighty owes a great deal to this one.


Willie & Phil (1980)



Writer/director Paul Mazursky wanted Woody Allen and Al Pacino for the lead parts in this one but wasn't able to lock either actor down. Mazursky was finally able to cast Allen over a decade later in the 1991 movie Scenes from a Mall. Willie & Phil wasn't a hit at the time of its release. Even though Allen and Pacino would have generated more audience interest than the film's actual leads, it wouldn't have done much for Woody Allen's career to appear in this one.


What About Bob? (1991)




When What About Bob? was in the early stages of development, studio execs were discussing pairing Bill Murray with Woody Allen, in what the LA Times called “the comedy team of the '90s.” Little did they know at the time that the '90s would suck a little bit of momentum out of the careers of both actors. The LA Times reported that the studio was going to offer Allen a special deal to co-write, direct, and star in the movie. Woody Allen has always generated his own projects, so it's odd to hear about a studio trying to hand him an existing property to make his own. I liked What About Bob?, and now knowing that Allen might have been involved could have made it even better. Allen and Murray are an interesting pair, and it would have interesting to see Allen switch from patient to psychiatrist. Richard Dreyfuss really sucked in the film.


Eyes Wide Shut (1999)




It's hard to believe but Stanley Kubrick considered Woody Allen to play a supporting role in his final project, but for whatever reason, Sydney Pollack ended up taking the part. Kubrick may have intended to cast Allen before the whole Soon-Yi fiasco, and the 1990s weren’t exactly the best time to cast Allen in a project about sexual obsession. Allen claims he was never offered the part. Some have reported that Stanley Kubrick wanted Woody Allen for Tom Cruise's role in the movie. Kubrick began the project in the 1980s so it's possible that Allen received early consideration.

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