The missed opportunity Dennis Quaid called the “only one real regret” of his career
Dennis Quaid has said his “only one real regret” in his career was missing the chance to star in David Lean’s planned adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s *Nostromo*. Quaid recalled meeting his favourite director and discussing the role, but Lean died before filming began, leaving the project unfinished.
Warner Bros had approved a $46 million budget for the film, with Steven Spielberg attached as producer and a cast reportedly including Marlon Brando, Anthony Quinn and Peter O’Toole. Lean died of throat cancer in 1991, six weeks before production was due to start, and the project collapsed. The article notes that Lean reportedly intended Georges Corraface, rather than Quaid, to play Nostromo, and that the film’s unrealised potential for Quaid’s career is impossible to know.
- Quaid regrets missing David Lean’s *Nostromo*.
- Lean died six weeks before filming was due to start.
- The $46 million production never went ahead.
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David Lean was a British film director known for large-scale films such as Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. Late in his career, he planned to adapt Nostromo, a novel by Joseph Conrad set in a fictional South American country shaped by political conflict and a valuable silver mine.
The film had studio backing and was expected to involve prominent actors and producer Steven Spielberg. Quaid says he met Lean and discussed a role, though reports suggest Lean planned for Georges Corraface to play the title character. Lean died in 1991 before filming began, and the production was abandoned, so its effect on Quaid’s career remains unknowable.