From the moment he took the Guildhall stage 46 years ago as Doalty in Brian Friel's magnificent play "Translations," it was clear to anyone lucky enough to catch that legendary production thatLiam Neeson was destined for stardom. It seemed to be happening fast for Neeson. John Boorman cast him that same year as Sir Gawain in "Excalibur," which should've been a big-screen springboard for the actor, but his momentum randomly stalled. He took supporting roles in movies both good ("The Bounty," "The Mission") and bad ("Krull," "High Spirits") before disappearing into the vengeful hillbilly role of Briar Gates in John Irvin's "Next of Kin." Neeson is an absolute hoot in that movie, and his unhinged energy must've made an impression on Sam Raimi and casting director Nancy Nayor when they were hunting down the title role of "Darkman."
Three years later, Neeson became one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors via his emotionally complex portrayal of Oskar Schindler in "Schindler's List," but it's safe to say no one saw his transition to action hero coming asretired CIA officer Bryan Mills in the "Taken" movies. Neeson's had a varied, unpredictable career, and it all could've headed in a completely different direction had he been cast as unconventional English teacher John Keating in "Dead Poets Society." Neeson was the director's first choice, but it didn't break his way for one big reason.
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Liam Neeson had the acting chops, but lacked the star power
Tom Schulman's screenplay for "Dead Poets Society" was a hot property when it hit the market in the 1980s, and the first director on the project, Jeff Kanew ("Revenge of the Nerds"), was convinced he had the perfect John Keating in Neeson. Kanew's instincts were sound (because Keating was not written for Williams' particular set of skills), but Neeson simply wasn't a star at this point. Touchstone Pictures had high hopes for "Dead Poets Society," and they'd set their sights on A-listers like Dustin Hoffman, Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, and, inexplicably, Mickey Rourke (please, please,pleaseget me to the alternate universe where this came to pass).
Touchstone quickly shot down Neeson, which led him to "Next of Kin" (which, again, I think got him to "Darkman"). Subsequently, the studio targeted Robin Williams, who'd just earned his first Academy Award nomination forhis seriocomic performance in "Good Morning, Vietnam."Touchstone loved Williams, and Kanew had no choice but to take their preferred star. Unfortunately, Williams didn't want to work with Kanew. When Williams didn't show up for the first day of shooting, the production was scrapped, the sets were destroyed, and "Dead Poets Society" was, well, dead.
Then a miracle occurred. Touchstone, eager to bring the brilliant Australian filmmaker Peter Weir into the fold, handed off Schulman's script to the Academy Award-nominated director of "Witness." Williams was stoked to work with Weir, and, once on set, added an essential element of levity to the otherwise dour proceedings. Neeson would've been good, but at that point in his career, he lacked the warmth necessary to connect with the young actors. This is one of those cases where everything worked out for the best for everyone — save for Mickey Rourke.
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