Star Wars has spent so long as a beloved part of pop culture, it can be easy to forget just how risky a proposition it seemed in the beginning. George Lucas’s effort to resurrect Flash Gordon-style space opera with a mythic upgrade and better special effects looked for all the world like a disaster. Even the director himself felt so, as he famously co-created Indiana Jones while vacationing in Hawaii in an effort to escape what he thought would be a disastrous reaction to his galaxy far, far away.

That extended to the casting, which ultimately attracted some notable names like Alec Guinness and Peter Cushing. But it also resulted in a number of big stars considered for parts, only to turn them down. Of the lot -- all of whom likely kicked themselves the minute the first box office returns came in -- few squandered the chance quite like Al Pacino, who was virtually guaranteed the part of Han Solo.

RELATED: Reylo Has Fizzled, But Three Other Star Wars Ships Are Rising to Replace It

Lucas had directed a massive hit with 1973’s American Graffiti and had the currency in Hollywood to pitch what at the time seemed like a very strange project. That earlier film had been produced by Francis Ford Coppola, whom Lucas had worked for in the two directors’ early days. The two remained friends and colleagues throughout their career, collaborating on later projects like Tucker: The Man and His Dream and Captain EO.

That would put Pacino in Lucas’s circle almost by default. Coppola had famously directed the actor in 1972’s The Godfather and 1974’s The Godfather, Part II where he attained cinematic immortality as Michael Corleone. It was followed by the likes of Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, leaving Pacino as an A-list star and one of the most respected actors of his generation.

RELATED: The Book of Boba Fett Star Assures Fans the Bounty Hunter Is Still an Antihero

It also made Pacino an easy fit for Han Solo, an intergalactic smuggler with flexible morals and a streetwise attitude that matched the same characters who had made the actor a star. Casting him would give the project instant box office appeal and perhaps convince more movers and shakers in Hollywood that Lucas’s passion project was worth more attention. When balanced against then-unknowns Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, it would have made a very compelling core trio of heroes.

Of course, that didn’t happen. Though Pacino was offered the role before Harrison Ford, he wasn’t interested. In a 2015 interview with The Independent, the actor claims he didn’t understand the script. That didn’t necessarily constitute a deal-breaker -- few people seemed to grasp what Lucas had in mind before the film’s release -- but considering Pacino’s status a time, it’s hardly a surprise that he might focus on work he found more compelling.

The actor has been more than gracious about the turn of affairs, noting that in 2013’s An Evening With Al Pacino that it made Ford a huge star in his own right, while Pacino’s status had already been secured. Ford subsequently spent the '80s appearing in one blockbuster after another, while Pacino suffered a career lapse around the same time, turning it around only after 1989’s Sea of Love. Considering Star Wars’ profile and how plausible a Han Solo Pacino might have been, it says a lot about how one casting decision can change movie history.

KEEP READING: Shang-Chi's Simu Liu Explains Why Qui-Gon Jinn Is Star Wars' Best Jedi