Alternate castings

Had Rob Reiner bought the rights to the film, 'The Shawshank Redemption' could have looked very different.

The inmate Ellis Boyd 'Red' Redding – who is played by Morgan Freeman – could have been played by the likes of Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford, though none of them ultimately signed on.

As for Andy Dufresne, Tom Cruise was committed to the part and even attended a table read, though ultimately opted to turn it down after the inexperienced Frank Darabont signed on, thus allowing Tim Robbins to swoop in and take the role.