Michael Keaton was originally cast to play Jack on Lost, and the fact that he didn't stick around led to a missed opportunity. It's been over a decade since Lost came to an end on ABC, but time shouldn't diminish just how massive a hit the show really was. Whereas it was common for TV dramas to feature weekly episodes that told a mostly self-contained story, Lost — while certainly also owing a debt to classics like Twin Peaks — helped turn the tide toward the serialized storytelling that even today still dominates the small screen landscape.
For years, Lost's mysteries captivated millions of viewers, and it truly became the proverbial water cooler discussion topic. Each Lost episode seemed to create even more questions while usually only offering the scantest answers, and while this style did eventually grow tiring for many, it served to keep audiences hooked for extended periods. That said, it shouldn't be discounted how much Lost's large ensemble cast figured into its appeal, headlined by Matthew Fox as Dr. Jack Shepard.
How Lost's Ending Controversy Would Be Different If It Aired Via Streaming
Jack took a leadership role in Lost's movie-length pilot, and over time became the leader of Oceanic Flight 815's survivors, albeit with the occasional challenge to that role. Before Fox ever got the part though, none other than Beetlejuice star Michael Keaton was in line to play Jack. Along with that plan came a major twist: Jack was meant to die before the end of the pilot. In hindsight, Lost likely would've benefited from sticking to this Jack plan, especially since Jack ended up quite the divisive character.
When it came time to cast the role of Jack — who in the original Lost pilot script was actually one of the plane's pilots, not a doctor — co-creator J.J. Abrams reached out to Keaton to try and get him on board. At that point in time, Keaton's career wasn't what it once was, although things would eventually turn around for him thanks to giving one of the best movie performances of the decade in 2015's Birdman. Still, Keaton remained a big name, even if he wasn't starring in films as big as Batman anymore. Keaton's notoriety is actually why Abrams wanted to cast him, as the plan was to shock the audience by killing off the biggest star at the end of the pilot.
Abrams and company eventually decided not to kill Jack though, fearing viewers might be turned off by the move. This led to Keaton's exit, as he didn't want to commit to ongoing TV work. Fox got the Jack role and the rest is history. In hindsight, however, Lost would've been better off going with its original plan. Killing Keaton's Jack off in the pilot would've ratcheted up the tension by establishing that no one was ever safe on the island, and likely also served to make viewers curious as to who would drop next. Making use of surprise deaths would work well for Lost as it went on, so Abrams was probably off base with his worries killing Jack would anger audiences. In addition to that positive, which could've made an already excellent pilot even better, Keaton's brief turn as Jack would've prevented the character from wearing out his welcome with many as the seasons went on, including starring in that awful episode about his tattoos.