Sandra Bullock and Angelina Jolie are two of the most famed Hollywood actresses. From Miss Congeniality to Wanted and from Maleficent to The Proposal, between them, they have been part of some of the most named and famed blockbusters. In fact, they were up for roles in films that ultimately went to the other.
Sandra Bullock was in contention to play the protagonist in an action-adventure duology that pushed Angelina Jolie to stardom. On the other hand, Jolie had initially bagged the leading role in a film that swept the 2014 Academy Awards.
Sandra Bullock Almost Got The Leading Role In Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Films
Back in the 90s, Lara Croft was all the rage. When the first video game of that franchise got released in 1996, it took everyone aback. She was quickly dubbed the female Indiana Jones for her treasure-hunting adventure plotlines. Over time, her profile rose, and she became a part of pop culture. As expected, Hollywood stepped in to cash in on her popularity by making a film.
Today the two films, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider- Cradle of Life (2003), have Angelina Jolie as their leading woman. The first film made $273 worldwide, and the second one took home $157 million on budgets of $94 million and $90 million, respectively. However, Jolie wasn’t the only choice for the role.
Sandra Bullock was also in the running to get the role, as were other well-known actresses like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jennifer Love Hewitt. But Bullock didn’t get the role, and neither did the others. However, as fate would have it, the opposite happened years later, and this time, Bullock snatched away a coveted role.
Sandra Bullock Snatched An Oscar Winning Film From Under Angelina Jolie’s Nose
Gravity by Alfonso Cuaron is one of the highlights of Sandra Bullock’s career. The film took $685 million at the box office and 10 Oscar nominations. Out of the ten, it bagged 7 golden statues, including that of Best Director. However, Bullock wasn’t the first choice for the leading role- Angelina Jolie was. In fact, Variety confirmed that the studio’s first preference was the Salt actress.
However, she passed on the role in the summer of 2010 after years of trying to work out a deal. The Bird Box actress was brought in because she had won an Oscar for 2009’s The Blind Side film. So Warner Brothers and Cuaron moved fast and snagged the star.
It’s certainly interesting to imagine how Sandra Bullock would have looked in the two Tomb Raider films or how Jolie would have fared in Gravity. But overall, it can’t be denied that they played their parts in those films to perfection. Also, each of them has equally impressive careers now, which are still continuing.
The two Tomb Raider films and Gravity are on Amazon Prime Video.
