With news of the new “Twilight” web series, we thought back to when we met Robert Pattinson six years ago. Though he sparkled his way into our hearts as Edward Cullen, he wasn’t the only one vying for the sexy vampire role.
Can you imagine Superman Henry Cavill wooing Bella Swan? It almost happened, too, because author Stephanie Meyer always dreamt of Cavill playing the role.
That isn’t the only shocking almost-casting in the YA world, though. Keep reading for more shockers, and see if you can imagine these role swaps in your head.
Edward Cullen, “Twilight”
Summit Entertainment
1. Dave Franco
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“I tested for Edward Cullen,” Franco told MTV in 2012. “I don’t know how close I was. I read for [director] Catherine Hardwicke, but who knows.”
2. Jamie Campbell Bower
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Though Bower really wanted to play Edward, he told Fandango, “I don’t think it would have worked. It would have ruined it.” He went on to play Caius in the second film, “New Moon” and the lead in other YA film “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.”
3. Dustin Milligan
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The former “90210″ star joked to Access Hollywood that he would have gotten the part if he had a British accent.
4. Henry Cavill
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Author Stephanie Meyer always envisioned Cavill playing Edward, but he was too old by the time “Twilight” became a movie when he was 24.
5. Shiloh Fernandez
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Director Catherine Hardwicke says that it came down to Fernandez vs. Robert Pattinson, but Pattinson and and Kristen Stewart just had better chemistry. She later cast him in “Red Riding Hood.”
Four, “Divergent”
Summit Entertainment
6. Alex Pettyfer
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There were rumors that Pettyfer was confirmed for the role of Four, but he lost out to Theo James. However, he did play #4 in “I Am Number Four,” which would have made things very confusing.
7. Colton Haynes
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After Haynes announced he was leaving “Teen Wolf,” he tweeted about “great news” and followed author Veronica Roth on Twitter. However, he ended up just making an announcement about “Arrow” instead.
8. Alexander Ludwig
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Though Ludwig screen-tested for “Divergent,” he didn’t get the role since it was too similar to “The Hunger Games.”
9. Miles Teller
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“I auditioned for Four originally,” he told Teen.com. “And then there was some thought that I was gonna play Eric, so I was kinda thinking about that. Then, literally the next day, they said, ‘This part of Peter we’d love to offer you.’ ”
10. Jeremy Irvine
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Irvine also tested for Four.
11. Brenton Thwaites
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The young star reportedly screen-tested with Shailene Woodley, but ended up in both “The Giver” and “Maleficent” instead. Not too shabby.
12. Luke Bracey
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Bracey was said to be one of the final four actors for the part. He will star in “The Best of Me” next, the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation.
13. Jack Reynor
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After being cast in “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” he was out of the running for the “Divergent” trilogy. He also reportedly screen-tested with Woodley, though.
14. Lucas Till
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Till was also one of the final chemistry tests with Woodley, but he didn’t get the part.
Peeta, “The Hunger Games”
Lionsgate
15. Liam Hemsworth
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Back in 2011, Hemsworth told MTV that he’d be interested in playing Peeta! Instead, he ended up as Gale, of course.
16. Alex Pettyfer
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Pettyfer told Access Hollywood that he was “undecided” about the role after meeting with “Hunger Games” producers in 2011.
17. Hunter Parrish
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“I’ve met the producers,” Parrish told E! Online in 2011 before reading the script. “I’d be grateful to get the opportunity. Like, really grateful. It would be amazing.”
18. Lucas Till
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Just like with “Divergent,” Till also screen-tested for the role of Peeta.
19. Alexander Ludwig
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Ludwig ended up playing tribute Cato instead, but he screen-tested for Peeta, too.
20. Evan Peters
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Before “American Horror Story,” Peters was in the running to play Peeta and also tested with Jennifer Lawrence.
Gale, “The Hunger Games”
Lionsgate
21. David Henrie
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During his time on “Wizards of Waverly Place,” Henrie was reportedly on the short list to play Gale.
22. Robbie Amell
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Before “The Tomorrow People,” Amell was up against Liam Hemsworth for the part.
23. Drew Roy
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The “Hannah Montana” star was on the list for Peeta as well.
Augustus Waters, “The Fault in Our Stars”
20th Century Fox
24. Brenton Thwaites
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In addition to testing for Four and starring in “The Giver,” Brenton was also almost Augustus.
25. Noah Silver
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The “Borgias” star screen-tested for Augustus, but didn’t get the part.
26. Nick Robinson
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The “Melissa & Joey” star didn’t end up winning the role, though he also screen-tested for Gus.
27. Nat Wolff
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“The Fault in Our Stars” was almost a lot different. Wolff told MTV that playing Isaac didn’t even occur to him while he was auditioning for Gus, but in the end, he loved playing Isaac.
Thomas, “The Maze Runner”
20th Century Fox
28. Stiles Stilinski
MTV
Funny story: Dylan O’Brien bombed his first audition… because of his “Teen Wolf” hairstyle! “I didn’t hear back for like a month and a half, because Wes was like, ‘His hair is too MTV!’ That’s what he thought, which was so funny,” O’Brien revealed. “Then he saw a picture of me with more regular hair, the buzzcut or something from ‘Teen Wolf,’ and he brought me back and it worked.”
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