Here's the role Nathan Fillion auditioned for in 2004's Dawn Of The Dead remake. George Romero's Dawn Of The Dead remains a classic of the horror genre and follows a group of survivors who take refuge in a shopping mall after a zombie outbreak sweeps the planet. It has sharp satire to go along with its shocking gore and constant action, and it's arguably the best of Romero's zombie movies. Few fans of the movie were expecting 2004's remake from a first-time director named Zack Snyder to be much good when it was announced.
Against all expectations, not only was it a blast but it's also considered its own horror classic. Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead only took the basic concept of the original and dialed up the action and intensity. The film was a surprise success, and for many, it's still considered Zack Snyder's best film. The director recently returned to the genre with Netflix's Army Of The Dead, which is unrelated to his remake and instead follows a mercenary team pulling off a heist in a zombie-infested Vegas.
In addition to being Zack Snyder's first directorial effort, the movie's screenplay was also penned by future Guardians Of The Galaxy helmer James Gunn. In 2006 Gunn made his own directorial debut with cult horror-comedy Slither, about a town that becomes infested with alien slugs that can take over human bodies. The movie starred Nathan Fillion, and during Slither's DVD audio commentary, the actor revealed he auditioned for a role in Dawn Of The Dead, before quipping “They said they wanted someone to be more of a young, blond woman," referring to Sarah Polley's lead character Ana. The role Fillion actually auditioned for is Ana's love interest, Michael.
Jake Weber ended up playing Michael in Dawn Of The Dead, who seeks shelter in the mall alongside Ana and Ving Rhames' cop Kenneth. Michael is portrayed as level-headed and always tries to do the right thing, even when it puts his own life at risk. That said, the character is sometimes a little too strait-laced and bland, so maybe if Nathan Fillion had taken the role he could have injected some humor into it.
Fillion had starred in Firefly before Zack Snyder's Dawn Of The Dead and had already acquired a fanbase. Neither the actor nor Snyder have commented on why he was passed over for the part, though it's possible the director felt Nathan Fillion's acting style wouldn't gel with the tone he was seeking. James Gunn obviously saw the leading man potential in him though, and soon cast him as Slither's lead.
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