Inglourious Basterds is now regarded as a modern classic, but it would have been completely different if some of the actors who nearly starred in it had nailed down their roles. Inglourious Basterds is one of Quentin Tarantino's best movies, with a freewheeling war story that allows the director to pay homage to some old classics while still injecting his own dark humor and trademark violence into the story. Tarantino plays with history in Inglourious Basterds, presenting a vision of the Second World War that seems completely alien and exciting.

The cast of Inglourious Basterds is one of the movie's great strengths, even though Tarantino went out of his way to cast several actors who were relatively unknown at the time. Some of these actors have gone on to achieve great things, starting with Christoph Waltz's Oscar win for the part of Hans Landa. However, the movie was almost a different beast, as Tarantino eyed up some big-name stars to line up alongside Brad Pitt, with some actors only unable to appear in Inglourious Basterds due to scheduling conflicts.

Tarantino Wanted Leonardo DiCaprio & Simon Pegg To Play Key Roles

DiCaprio Had To Wait To Work With Tarantino

At one point in its production, Inglourious Basterds was going to be a miniseries. This sums up just how much it changed from Tarantino's initial idea to the finished product. With this in mind, it's no surprise that the cast underwent several drastic changes. Tarantino originally wanted Leonardo DiCaprio and Simon Pegg to star in Inglourious Basterds, but this plan never came to fruition. (via MTV) Both actors would have elevated the star power of the cast, especially when compared to the actors who ultimately replaced them.

DiCaprio's role in Django Unchained shows that he's more than capable of creating an eccentric, terrifying villain, but it's hard to imagine anyone being better than Waltz in Inglourious Basterds.

DiCaprio was supposed to play the villainous Hans Landa, until Tarantino opted for Christoph Waltz when he decided that he wanted an actor who could speak fluent German. DiCaprio would get a chance to play one of Tarantino's villains a few years later, when he was cast in Django Unchained. DiCaprio also worked with Brad Pitt in Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. While his role in Django Unchained shows that he's more than capable of creating an eccentric, terrifying villain, it's hard to imagine anyone being better than Waltz in Inglourious Basterds.

Simon Pegg is a more surprising pick, but Tarantino wanted him to play the role of British commando Archie Hicox, which eventually went to Michael Fassbender. Pegg had to make the difficult choice between working with Tarantino and Steven Spielberg on The Adventures of Tintin. (via Bleeding Cool) The fact that both directors were after his services shows that he was a hot commodity at the time, having just starred in Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead. Fassbender, by contrast, had only been working in Hollywood for two years by the time Inglourious Basterds was released.

A Few Other Major Actors Were In Consideration

Inglourious Basterds Was Almost A Star-Studded Affair

DiCaprio and Pegg weren't the only big names who were in the mix during the casting of Inglourious Basterds. Tarantino wrote the role of Donny "The Bear Jew" Donowitz with Adam Sandler in mind. This would have been a surprising gear shift for Sandler, but he had to turn the role down since he was busy starring in Judd Apatow's Funny People. Since Eli Roth was cast instead of Sandler, Tarantino decided to alter the character a little, and reduce his importance in the final cut. It would have been interesting to see Sandler in such an unfamiliar environment, but Roth's performance is commendable.

Inglourious Basterds has an international cast, with actors from the United States, , and elsewhere. Tarantino originally had Hong Kong actor Maggie Cheung involved too, although her scenes were cut to avoid the movie becoming overstuffed. Another international star who almost appeared in Inglourious Basterds was Jean Reno. The Léon: The Professional actor was meant to play Monsieur LaPadite, the French farmer who appears in the iconic opening scene that serves as Hans Landa's introduction.

Sources: MTV, Bleeding Cool