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"The Godfather" could have turned out to be a completely different flick, because it turns out Al Pacino was very nearly given the axe from his iconic portrayal of Michael Corleone!

The role eventually landed Al an Oscar nom, so it’s wild to think the studio initially wanted Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, or Warren Beatty instead. And, even after director Francis Ford Coppola championed Pacino for the gig, the journey to prove the naysayers wrong was super rocky.

Al spills the tea in his memoir "Sonny Boy" ... saying just a week and a half into filming, Francis dropped the bomb that Paramount wasn’t feeling him for the role.

Martin Lawrence is all about spreading the love where it counts, making it clear he’s not losing sleep over the wave of critics coming for "Bad Boys 4."

We caught up with the movie star at LAX Monday, and he had some sage words for the critics of his latest action flick installment, telling us they’re entitled to their opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s the fans who loved the movie that matter most -- after all, they’re the ones keeping the lights on.

He also spilled the beans on whether he’d be up for a fifth 'Bad Boys' movie with his buddy Will Smith, and you’ll want to check out the video to catch his thoughts.

Harrison Ford is quite the dapper Hollywood superstar, but he’s taking a trip down memory lane and cringing at one particularly iconic look.

The movie star confessed that looking back at pics of him from the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, where he was rocking unbelievably short shorts, makes his stomach turn -- In fact, in his own words, he quipped to GQ, "I think I’m going to be ill."

Harrison's full look comprised a navy blue sweater and matching shorts that seem a touch too teeny for comfort.

"The Apprentice" director Ali Abbasi isn't sweating Donald Trump's harsh criticism of his flick ... in fact, he's encouraging 45 to keep posting about the biopic.

We caught up with the filmmaker on "TMZ Live" Monday, where we got Abbasi's honest reaction to Trump blasting "The Apprentice" on his social media platform, Truth Social.

As Abbasi puts it ... he has no problem with the former prez taking to social media to air his grievances, as the reaction only brings more eyeballs to the controversial movie.

Adam Sandler is getting back into character as "Happy Gilmore" and working on his golf game ... taking swings at a driving range on the set of the much-anticipated sequel.

The Sandman was spotted filming scenes for "Happy Gilmore 2" with a golf club in hand ... hacking away with an iron at a golf course.

No drivers this time ... seems Happy is working on his short game, which, let's face it, has never really been Gilmore's strong suit.

Kevin Spacey is ready to giddy up and get back to work ... over a year after he was acquitted in his sexual assault trial in the UK.

The actor gave a glimpse of his new role Friday, posting on X a photo of himself sitting on a horse on the set of his new project.

Per Kevin, he's currently on location in Phoenix, Arizona filming the upcoming flick ... though, he made no mention of the film's title.

Jessica Chastain is receiving mixed reviews on social media over her criticism of JetBlue and handling of a $15 refund from the airline.

Here's the deal ... the actress and her husband, Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, took a 6-hour JetBlue flight, but the entertainment system didn't work, so Jessica complained to the company's management.

In a now-deleted post on X, Jessica griped that her flight cost $1,500, which means the credit was only 1/100 of what she paid for the overall flying experience.

Actress Theresa Randle was arrested for assault this week in Los Angeles ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ cops were first called to an L.A.-area home for an alleged assault on October 5. Officers responded and took a report -- Randle was gone by that time. Two days later, they got another call from the same location reporting a possible domestic issue and a potential restraining order violation.

Sources say when officers arrived, the "Bad Boys" actress was at the scene, and she was arrested for felony assault -- for the October 5 incident.

Donald Trump is getting trolled by the film he fought tooth and nail to prevent from being released ... and marketers for the flick are rubbing it in his face at one of his rallies.

Trump held an event Wednesday in Reading, Pennsylvania ... and midway through, the people behind "The Apprentice" pulled a publicity stunt that likely pissed him off.

A plane flew over the crowd ... with a banner reading, "TRUMP, GO SEE THE APPRENTICE FRIDAY."

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is officially DOA -- even wildly despised by some theatergoers -- but the actor at the center of one of the biggest fanboy gripes has one question ... Why so serious?

Be warned ... there are major spoilers for 'Joker 2' below!

Here's the deal ... The highly anticipated sequel starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix only made a weak $20 million at the domestic box office opening weekend ... and even worse ... the Todd Phillips-led movie got slapped with a dismal "D" grade on CinemaScore.

Former Canadian actress Sarah Polley was 20 years old when she played Ronna -- the drug dealing store clerk turned speed bump who's living paycheck to paycheck -- in the comedy/crime film "Go" back in 1999.

Sarah shared the big screen and played opposite Timothy Olyphant as a fellow drug dealer wanting to scare Ronna, Todd Gaines, Scott Wolf as the dude lookin' to score some ecstasy, Adam and Katie Holmes as the cashier and Ronna's less confident co-worker, Claire Montgomery.

Other cast-worthy mentions include Jay Mohr, Taye Diggs and Melissa McCarthy.

Matthew McConaughey is making sure his 16-year-old son, Levi, is doing alright, alright, alright on the set of his big break ... TMZ has learned.

In video footage obtained by TMZ ... the Oscar winner is seen reassuring his and Camila Alves' son, who is on set at Mission Beach in San Diego filming his breakout role in the movie, "Way of the Warrior Kid."

Levi clearly appears nervous before one particular take, turning to his famous dad -- who is not involved in the film -- for advice.

Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock had an epic reunion ... rolling up for a special 30-year anniversary screening of their iconic film, "Speed."

Yes, it's hard to believe it’s been 3 decades since the action thriller launched Sandra into stardom -- and she looked just as stunning as she did back then when she arrived at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre, just after Keanu made his entrance Tuesday night.

The film solidified Keanu's leading man status ... and he was back in charge last night, signing autographs before heading into the venue for an adrenaline-packed dose of nostalgia.

A major Australian airline is apologizing after showing a sexually explicit movie on every single screen during a 10-hour flight ... horrifying passengers who had no say in their in-flight entertainment.

The movie on this flight was "Daddio" ... which stars Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn and features graphic nudity, sexting and tons of profanity.

The film's IMDB Parents Guide section notes "Photos of nude female breasts & a prosthetic penis are shown on a phone."

Alec Baldwin's film "Rust" is gearing up for its world premiere at Poland’s EnergaCAMERIMAGE International Cinematography Film Festival next month ... but it’s being slammed as tone-deaf by industry peers of the late Halyna Hutchins.

Many are raising concerns about whether it’s appropriate to showcase the controversial Western at an event that Hutchins, who was from neighboring Ukraine, regularly attended -- since she died on the set of the film 3 years ago after being hit by a bullet fired from a loaded prop gun.

The festival -- which will also host a special panel to honor Halyna’s life -- promoted the upcoming premiere on IG with several stills from the movie -- but the comments section is anything but hyped for the event.

Ben Affleck's father-son outing took a detour when his vehicle, an electric Ford Bronco, ran out of juice ... while on a Los Angeles freeway this weekend.

The actor and his son, Samuel, who he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, were enjoying a drive in the Tiffany blue vehicle Saturday ... when they found themselves in need of some roadside assistance.

The electric vehicle appeared to malfunction as the Afflecks were on one of L.A.'s busy freeways, forcing the two to pull over to the side of the road. The timing was terrible for Ben and Sam ... who were dressed to the nines in matching blue suits.