Casting 'Mr. & Mrs. Smith' - 7 Big Stars in the Running Before Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt (Including Another of His Famous Exes)

In 2005, Mr. & Mrs. Smith introduced us to the cultural phenomenon that came to be known as Brangelina by pairing Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in a steamy romance. However, they very nearly didn’t share the screen in the movie.

The former A-list couple met and fell in love while playing a husband and wife who work as assassins for opposing agencies in Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

Brad and Angelina‘s interpretation of Jane and John Smith sizzle so hotly on screen that they sparked romance rumors while filming. Of course, they wound up dating and eventually getting married (and divorced) in the years that followed.

While the movie is famous for introducing us to the couple, it turns out that they almost weren’t paired up in the roles. In fact, Brad was first tied to the movie with another popular actress. However, she had to back out, which led to Brad also briefly departing the project.

After that, several other stars were considered for the roles of Jane and John before Brad and Angelina were finally cast. The list includes a popular singer, one of Brad‘s exes and so many more of Hollywood’s most recognizable stars.

We recently got an update about the cast list of the Prime Video spin-off show’s second season. That made us curious so we did some digging to see who else was in the running to star in the original.

Scroll through the slideshow to see the actors who could have landed Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s parts in Mr. & Mrs. Smith…