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Will Smith has starred in a lot of movies in his lifetime. One might say he would’ve always been in the minds of any director wanting to make a multi-million dollar movie who just couldn’t figure out which A-lister to choose. Smith is always a safe option in this regard, as he has, not up until the Oscars incident, ever pulled off a controversial moment.
But it must also be kept noted that he was in line to be cast in one of the most successful movie releases of 2018,A Star Is Born, which as we all have seen saw the main lead roles go to Bradley Cooper and pop-icon Lady Gaga. Here’s how Smith missed out on it.
A Must-Read:“I hope my actions don’t penalize my team”: Will Smith Desperately Asks Fans to Watch ‘Emancipation,’ Claims Entire Crew Should Not Be Punished For Him Slapping Chris Rock
Will Smith Could’ve Led A Star Is Born With Another Popular Celebrity
A Star Is Bornhas gone through four iterations ever since the very first movie was released back in 1937, then in 1954, in 1976, and now in 2018.
The 2018 version of the movie, which could sort of be called a remake franchise at this point, saw the internet drool and go crazy over Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga’s onscreen romance. It was a beautiful musical romance that saw it earn a whopping $400+ million at the box office against a budget of just $36 million!
But the question arises over whether or not the movie would’ve been as successful if any other actor was in the lead role(s). In fact,HancockstarWill Smith, alongside popular singer-songwriter Beyonce was considered for the lead role in the 2018 remake but that never materialized.
Related:“Why are you trying to Oprah me?”: Will Smith Reveals to Trevor Noah He Was Humiliated By His 9 Year Old Nephew, Asked ‘Emancipation’ Star Why He Slapped Chris Rock Over a Joke
The star of the 1976 remake of the movie, Barbra Streisand, during an interview with the Australian TV showThe Sunday Project,revealed that Smith and Beyonce were the first candidates for the remake-
“At first, when I heard it was going to be done again, it was supposed to be Will Smith and Beyoncé, and I thought, that’s interesting. Really make it different again, different kind of music, integrated actors. I thought that was a great idea.”
However, the biggest fault she found in the 2018 remake was that it was too similar to the one she starred in decades ago-
“So, I was surprised when I saw how alike it was to the version that I did in 1976.”
“I can’t argue with success but I don’t care about so much about success as I do originality.”
Harsh words from the previous star herself. But to be fair, Will Smith and Beyonce would’ve excelled as stars of the movie too, if not better.
Also Read:“What you did was f—ked up”: Trevor Noah Makes Will Smith Cry, Blasts Internet For Comparing ‘Emancipation’ Star With Abusers Brad Pitt and Gary Oldman
Fans Really Wish It Was Will Smith And Beyonce In A Star Is Born
Although Barba Streisand’s words are a year old, it still stings because of what could’ve been. The quote comes up once in a while and fans of Will Smith and Beyonce get super-distraught over it every time they get reminded of it.
Related:“Somebody just found their spouse cheated”: Will Smith Hints Jada Pinkett Smith Made Him Slap Chris Rock, Gets Candid With Trevor Noah
Here’s Twitter’s reaction to what would’ve been an equally good remake ofA Star Is Born-
The fact that they were meant to be working together either way since Will Smith acted in the King Richard movie for which Beyoncé sang the original song ‘Be Alive’. ❤️https://t.co/tzphWOfJNe
— Anthos (@anthosgroove)July 21, 2025
Should’ve been them! –
why would you tell us this? now I’m depressedhttps://t.co/dbGuCGAsqHpic.twitter.com/uvjk8TJgTE
— #1 Polaroid stan 🐻💛🇭🇹 (@kseulgihive)June 01, 2025
It was laid out-
🥹🥹🥹 WHY GOD WHYhttps://t.co/RtlOz6i5VB
— fka jean. (@insidehismind)July 16, 2025
A whole new take would be quite refreshing too-
They should star as a couple in a different movie. Give us some of that Cadillac Records acting.https://t.co/2JXvKtqpTc
— Jor-El (@CylentHill)August 11, 2025
They have the money, so maybe a fifth remake? –
https://twitter.com/valentine2fine/status/1600559121316868096
It’s sad to see that things didn’t turn out like how Streisand wanted them to. We got a cool movie regardless, but the bar just gets higher with this one fact.
A Star Is Bornis currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Source:Twitter
Sang Tonsing
Articles Published :385
Sang is a content writer for Fandomwire with over 300 published articles. He now has 3 years of experience and counting in content writing. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Delhi University.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sang-tonsing-a2467414b/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonsing.ginmuansang/
