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* Damon Lindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.

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* Damon Lindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[Creator/AmericanBroadcastingCompany ABC]] [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.

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* Lance Reddick was the writers' choice for playing Eko, but he couldn't get time off ''Series/TheWire''. Then they invited Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje for liking him as Simon Adebisi in ''Series/{{Oz}}'', who also led to a change in characterization to what they admitted was a cross between Adebisi and the "passive priest" originally written. Akinnuoye-Agbaje also made the original name choice "Emeka" to the more Nigerian Eko.



* The original idea for the Others was that they would be a group of feral jungle dwellers. This was later changed when they were re-imagined as technically advanced and sophisticated people, who only use a disguise of feral jungle dwellers to mislead new arrivals on the Island.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Creator/RebeccaMader was cast. This has lead to a theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.



** He was originally to be named "Emeka".
* The original idea for the Others was that they would be a group of feral jungle dwellers. This was later changed when they were re-imagined as technically advanced and sophisticated people, who only use a disguise of feral jungle dwellers to mislead new arrivals on the Island.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Creator/RebeccaMader was cast. This has lead to a theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.

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* The writers had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Creator/MatthewFox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) so he could be a DecoyProtagonist - the ending of the first episode had Jack being revealed dead atop a tree, until the character was reworked and the victim was instead the plane's pilot - and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
** Damon Lindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.

to:

* Damon Lindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.
* The writers had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Accordingly, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was the top choice) so he could be a DecoyProtagonist - the ending of the first episode had Jack being revealed dead atop a tree. In the finished pilot episode, the victim was instead the pilot of the plane, played by Creator/GregGrunberg.
* Had Jack been killed off as intended, the main character would have been Kate – except that her character was originally planned to be much more similar to Rose, including having a husband who was seated in the tail section of the plane.
*
Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Creator/MatthewFox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was husband being in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) so he could be a DecoyProtagonist - the ending of the first episode had Jack being revealed dead atop a tree, until the character was reworked and the victim was instead the plane's pilot - and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
** Damon Lindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.



* Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show.



* Ilana was meant to have a big part in the final season-in fact, she was going to be Jacob's daughter! But this was cut and scenes were refilmed when they decided they didn't have enough time for this. This explains her promotion to regular, despite not having any development or much importance outside of "Dr Linus" and her [[spoiler:abrupt death and absence from the finale]].
* The climactic battle in the series finale was going to happen during a volcanic eruption, which was planned early enough for a passing mention of volcanic activity in Season 3. ABC ultimately refused to okay the budget for it, which Lindeloff and Cuse quickly realized was a good thing as the lava battle from ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' would be fresh in everyone's minds and they never could have measured up to it.

to:

* Ilana was meant to have a big part in the final season-in fact, she was going to be Jacob's daughter! But this was cut and scenes were refilmed re-filmed when they decided they didn't have enough time for this.to fit it into the show. This explains her promotion to regular, despite not having any development or much importance outside of "Dr Linus" and her [[spoiler:abrupt death and absence from the finale]].
* The climactic battle in the series finale was going to happen during a volcanic eruption, which was planned early enough for a passing mention of volcanic activity in Season 3. ABC ultimately refused to okay the budget for it, which Lindeloff Lindelof and Cuse quickly realized was a good thing as the lava battle from ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' would be fresh in everyone's minds and they never could have measured up to it.
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* In the original drafts for season one, Boone was not with Locke when he discovered the Hatch; it was originally two new characters named Arthur and Sullivan. When it was decided to have a main character accompany Locke instead, the writers chose Boone, which has been described as the genesis for his eventual death later in the season.
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Deleted an interjection calling the speculation of Charlotte originally planned to be adult Annie “implausible”, because no reason was given to doubt its plausibility .


* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Creator/RebeccaMader was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.

to:

* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Creator/RebeccaMader was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.
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* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.

to:

* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder Creator/RebeccaMader was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.
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* "Adrift" was originally supposed to be a Sawyer-centric episode with flashbacks to a con job he pulled. Creator/JoleneBlalock was cast and actually shot a few scenes before the writers decided they just weren't working. The episode was quickly reworked to focus on Michael and his attempts to keep Walt in his life instead.
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* Originally, Charlie was to be an older rock musician, having had great success in the 1980s, and who at present became addicted to heroin. John Hannah was considered for the role. However, the showrunners enjoyed the Dominic Monaghan's audition as Sawyer and decided to hire him as Charlie, rewriting the character for him to be younger.

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* Originally, Charlie was to be an older rock musician, having had great success in the 1980s, and who at present became addicted to heroin. John Hannah was considered for the role. However, the showrunners enjoyed the Dominic Monaghan's audition as Sawyer and decided to hire him as Charlie, rewriting the character for him to be younger.younger and a recent one-hit wonder burnout.
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* Libby's backstory and the specifics behind how she ended up in Santa Rosa were intended to be revealed through other characters' flashbacks after she was killed off, but producers were unable to convince Creator/CynthiaWatros to return to the show.

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* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.

to:

* Charlotte Originally, Charlie was originally meant to be an American older rock musician, having had great success in the 1980s, and who at present became addicted to heroin. John Hannah was considered for the role was offered role. However, the showrunners enjoyed the Dominic Monaghan's audition as Sawyer and decided to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it hire him as Charlie, rewriting the character for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant him to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie younger.
* The original name of Charlie's band
was American this was quietly dropped later on."The Petting Zoo". This had to be changed, however, when it transpired that there really is a band called The Petting Zoo.



* Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh was considered for Libby, but it never got past the producers asking her.



* In original drafts for the show, Rousseau's team of scientists were studying time. The network told the writers not to include it in the show, in case the viewers would think it too science fiction and stop watching.
* Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh was considered for Libby, but it never got past the producers asking her.



* Likewise, Ilana was meant to have a big part in the final season-in fact, she was going to be Jacob's daughter! But this was cut and scenes were refilmed when they decided they didn't have enough time for this. This explains her promotion to regular, despite not having any development or much importance outside of "Dr Linus" and her [[spoiler:abrupt death and absence from the finale]].
* The original name of Charlie's band was "The Petting Zoo". This had to be changed, however, when it transpired that there really is a band called The Petting Zoo.
* In original drafts for the show, Rousseau's team of scientists were studying time. The network told the writers not to include it in the show, in case the viewers would think it too science fiction and stop watching.



* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on.
* Daniel, Charlotte and Miles were originally planned as guest stars who would last only eight episodes. Thanks to how awesomely "Confirmed Dead" turned out, they were promoted to regulars for the rest of season 4 and beyond; while Charlotte was [[spoiler:killed off early in season 5]] and Daniel was [[spoiler:killed off at the end of the season]], Miles remained until the end and Frank made the jump to regular for season 6.
* Matthew Abaddon would be much more important to the plot, but Lance Reddick was busy with the production of ''Fringe'' and the showrunners decided to kill his character earlier than anticipated.
* There was a planned subplot, revealed at Comic Con, that had the DHARMA researchers know that a StableTimeLoop was going on, and that they would perish. It was dropped, due to time constraints and new writers.



* Daniel, Charlotte and Miles were originally planned as guest stars who would last eight episodes, tops. Thanks to how awesomely "Confirmed Dead" turned out, they were promoted to regulars for the rest of season 4 and beyond; while Charlotte was [[spoiler:killed off early in season 5]] and Daniel was [[spoiler:killed off at the end of the season]], Miles remained until the end and Frank made the jump to regular for season 6.



* There was a planned subplot, revealed at Comic Con, that had the DHARMA researchers know that a StableTimeLoop was going on, and that they would perish. It was dropped, due to time constraints and new writers.
* The elements in the tie-in video game, the alternate reality games, and a teaser at Comic-Con where one of the DHARMA researches stated that they knew the events on the island were to die, thanks to the nature of time on the island, were all dumped.

to:

* There Ilana was meant to have a planned subplot, revealed at Comic Con, that had big part in the DHARMA researchers know that a StableTimeLoop final season-in fact, she was going on, to be Jacob's daughter! But this was cut and that scenes were refilmed when they would perish. It was dropped, due to decided they didn't have enough time constraints for this. This explains her promotion to regular, despite not having any development or much importance outside of "Dr Linus" and new writers.
* The elements in
her [[spoiler:abrupt death and absence from the tie-in video game, the alternate reality games, and a teaser at Comic-Con where one of the DHARMA researches stated that they knew the events on the island were to die, thanks to the nature of time on the island, were all dumped.finale]].

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* Creator/LanceReddick was offered the role of Mr. Eko, had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire''. He would eventually appear as Matthew Abbadon.



* Daniel, Charlotte and Miles were originally planned as guest stars who would last eight episodes, tops. Thanks to how awesomely "Confirmed Dead" turned out, they were promoted to regulars for the rest of season 4 and beyond; while Charlotte was [[spoiler:killed off early in season 5]] and Daniel was [[spoiler:killed off at the end of the season]], Miles remained until the end and Frank has also made the jump to regular for season 6.

to:

* Daniel, Charlotte and Miles were originally planned as guest stars who would last eight episodes, tops. Thanks to how awesomely "Confirmed Dead" turned out, they were promoted to regulars for the rest of season 4 and beyond; while Charlotte was [[spoiler:killed off early in season 5]] and Daniel was [[spoiler:killed off at the end of the season]], Miles remained until the end and Frank has also made the jump to regular for season 6.
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** Creator/DamonLindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.

to:

** Creator/DamonLindelof Damon Lindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.
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Spelling


* In the event that the show be CutShort partway through the first season, then plan was to reveal the island to be in TheBermudaTriangle.

to:

* In the event that the show be CutShort partway through the first season, then the plan was to reveal the island to be in TheBermudaTriangle.
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** Creator/DamonLindelof disclosed in 2020 that his original plan for the series was that it would consist of just three seasons, and that all of the show's mysteries would be solved by the end of the run. However, when the show proved to be a smash hit, Creator/{{ABC}} [[ExecutiveMeddling demanded]] that Lindelof and Carlton Cuse expand the number of seasons (suggesting as many as ''ten'' at one point) and wouldn't budge from the position until the third season, at which point Lindelof and Cuse managed to negotiate the number down to six.
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* The series bible reveals that Boone was originally planned to be schizophrenic with a whole subplot dedicated to the fact that he ran out of his meds, leading to him becoming an active danger to the rest of the group. This idea was scrapped later on, although the medicine angle still made it in the show through Shannon's asthma.
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* The writers had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Creator/MatthewFox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.

to:

* The writers had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Creator/MatthewFox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) before so he could be a DecoyProtagonist - the ending of the first episode had Jack being offed revealed dead atop a tree, until the character was reworked and the victim was instead the plane's pilot - and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.



* Creator/LanceReddick was offered the role of Mr. Eko, had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire''.

to:

* Creator/LanceReddick was offered the role of Mr. Eko, had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire''. He would eventually appear as Matthew Abbadon.



* The original name of Charlie's band was "The Petting Zoo". This had to be changed, however, when it transpired that there really is a band called "The Petting Zoo".

to:

* The original name of Charlie's band was "The Petting Zoo". This had to be changed, however, when it transpired that there really is a band called "The The Petting Zoo".Zoo.



* Daniel, Charlotte and Miles were originally planned as guest stars who would last eight episodes, tops. Thanks to how awesomely "Confirmed Dead" turned out, they were promoted to regulars for the rest of season 4 and beyond; while Charlotte was [[spoiler:killed off early in season 5]] and Daniel was [[spoiler:killed off at the end of the season]], Miles is still around and Frank has also made the jump to regular for season 6.

to:

* Daniel, Charlotte and Miles were originally planned as guest stars who would last eight episodes, tops. Thanks to how awesomely "Confirmed Dead" turned out, they were promoted to regulars for the rest of season 4 and beyond; while Charlotte was [[spoiler:killed off early in season 5]] and Daniel was [[spoiler:killed off at the end of the season]], Miles is still around remained until the end and Frank has also made the jump to regular for season 6.



* There was a planned subplot, revealed at ComicCon, that had the DHARMA researchers know that a StableTimeLoop was going on, and that they would perish. It was dropped, due to time constraints and new writers.

to:

* There was a planned subplot, revealed at ComicCon, Comic Con, that had the DHARMA researchers know that a StableTimeLoop was going on, and that they would perish. It was dropped, due to time constraints and new writers.

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* The writers had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Matthew Fox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed, Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the part of Sawyer, but had the part of Charlie written in for him instead, and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Creator/ForestWhitaker as Sawyer (he was busy directing ''First Daughter''), Creator/LanceReddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).

to:

* The writers had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Matthew Fox Creator/MatthewFox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed, Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the part of Sawyer, but had the part of Charlie written in for him instead, offed and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include
* Creator/JonHamm auditioned for Jack.
*
Creator/ForestWhitaker as Sawyer (he was offered the role of Sawyer, but he was busy directing ''First Daughter''), Daughter''.
*
Creator/LanceReddick as Eko (had was offered the role of Mr. Eko, had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and ''Series/TheWire''.
*
Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which was considered for Libby, but it never got past them the producers asking her).her.



* The original idea for the Others was that they would be a group of feral jungle dwellers. This was later changed when they were re-imagined as technically advanced and sophisticated people, who only use a disguise of feral jungle dwellers to mislead new arrivals on the Island.



* The climactic battle in the series finale was going to happen during a volcanic eruption, which was planned early enough for a passing mention of volcanic activity in Season 3. ABC ultimately refused to okay the budget for it, which Lindeloff and Cuse quickly realized was a good thing as the lava battle from ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' would be fresh in everyone's minds and they never could have measured up to it.

to:

* The climactic battle in the series finale was going to happen during a volcanic eruption, which was planned early enough for a passing mention of volcanic activity in Season 3. ABC ultimately refused to okay the budget for it, which Lindeloff and Cuse quickly realized was a good thing as the lava battle from ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' would be fresh in everyone's minds and they never could have measured up to it.it.
* Mr. Eko was originally supposed to appear in the series' finale, but a deal could not be worked out.
----

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* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Creator/ForestWhitaker as Sawyer (he was busy directing ''First Daughter''), Lance Reddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).
* Casting was going on as the pilot was being written. Sayid, Jin, Sun and Hurley were written for actors who auditioned for other parts or written in to accompany those parts in Jin's case. It was not originally decided who would be a regular cast member, Rose or Claire, and on the DVD you can see a cast promo picture getting taken with L. Scott Caldwell instead of Emilie de Ravin. Caldwell dropped out for much of the season thanks to her husband's cancer (later on, this would be the inspiration for Rose's backstory). They were later on ''still'' unsure if they wanted to keep on Claire permanently after the kidnapping, hence why de Ravin was on a holding contract until Claire returned (namely, they were only credited when they appeared while everyone else was credited regardless).

to:

* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Creator/ForestWhitaker as Sawyer (he was busy directing ''First Daughter''), Lance Reddick Creator/LanceReddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).
* Casting was going on as the pilot was being written. Sayid, Jin, Sun and Hurley were written for actors who auditioned for other parts or written in to accompany those parts in Jin's case. It was not originally decided who would be a regular cast member, Rose or Claire, and on the DVD you can see a cast promo picture getting taken with L. Scott Caldwell instead of Emilie de Ravin. Caldwell dropped out for much of the season thanks to her husband's cancer (later on, this would be the inspiration for Rose's backstory). They were later on ''still'' unsure if they wanted to keep on Claire permanently after the kidnapping, hence why de Ravin was on a holding contract until Claire returned (namely, they were only credited when they appeared while everyone else was credited regardless).
her).
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Word Of God is when creators make statements regarding canon in the work, not development of the work itself.


* Mr Eko was meant to be one of the most important characters on the show, with a arc that would cover the rest of the series. Then the actor left. WordOfGod has it that Sayid's season 5 and 6 arc was intended for Eko, although that leaves the question as to what Sayid's original storyline would have been.

to:

* Mr Eko was meant to be one of the most important characters on the show, with a arc that would cover the rest of the series. Then the actor left. WordOfGod has it that Sayid's season 5 and 6 arc was intended for Eko, although that leaves the question as to what Sayid's original storyline would have been.

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Changed: 629

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None


* The writers of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Matthew Fox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed, Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the part of Sawyer, but had the part of Charlie written in for him instead, and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Lance Reddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).

to:

* The writers of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Matthew Fox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed, Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the part of Sawyer, but had the part of Charlie written in for him instead, and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Creator/ForestWhitaker as Sawyer (he was busy directing ''First Daughter''), Lance Reddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).



* The original mythology was going to be much more sci-fi oriented.
* In the event that the show be CutShort partway through the first season, then plan was to reveal the island to be in TheBermudaTriangle.



** He was originally to be named "Emeka".



* Caesar was meant to have a regular, and fairly major, role in the final season. But the actor turned down more ''Lost'' in favor of GI Joe, so Caesar's abrupt death stuck and his character became an unintentional red herring.

to:

* The original name of Charlie's band was "The Petting Zoo". This had to be changed, however, when it transpired that there really is a band called "The Petting Zoo".
* In original drafts for the show, Rousseau's team of scientists were studying time. The network told the writers not to include it in the show, in case the viewers would think it too science fiction and stop watching.
* Caesar was meant to have a regular, and fairly major, role in the final season. But the actor turned down more ''Lost'' in favor of GI Joe, ''Film/GIJoe'', so Caesar's abrupt death stuck and his character became an unintentional red herring.



* The elements in the tie-in video game, the alternate reality games, and a teaser at Comic-Con where one of the DHARMA researches stated that they knew the events on the island were to die, thanks to the nature of time on the island, were all dumped.

to:

* There was a planned subplot, revealed at ComicCon, that had the DHARMA researchers know that a StableTimeLoop was going on, and that they would perish. It was dropped, due to time constraints and new writers.
* The elements in the tie-in video game, the alternate reality games, and a teaser at Comic-Con where one of the DHARMA researches stated that they knew the events on the island were to die, thanks to the nature of time on the island, were all dumped.dumped.
* The climactic battle in the series finale was going to happen during a volcanic eruption, which was planned early enough for a passing mention of volcanic activity in Season 3. ABC ultimately refused to okay the budget for it, which Lindeloff and Cuse quickly realized was a good thing as the lava battle from ''Film/RevengeOfTheSith'' would be fresh in everyone's minds and they never could have measured up to it.
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None


* Mr Eko was meant to be one of the most important characters on the show, with a arc that would cover the rest of the series. Then the actor left. Though what exactly this arc entails and who it was given to is unknown, the most likely option is that the MIB-as-Locke arc was meant for him given Eko's link to the Smoke Monster.

to:

* Mr Eko was meant to be one of the most important characters on the show, with a arc that would cover the rest of the series. Then the actor left. Though what exactly this arc entails and who WordOfGod has it was given to is unknown, the most likely option is that the MIB-as-Locke Sayid's season 5 and 6 arc was meant intended for him given Eko's link to Eko, although that leaves the Smoke Monster.question as to what Sayid's original storyline would have been.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* The writers of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Matthew Fox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Michael Keaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed, Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the part of Sawyer, but had the part of Charlie written in for him instead, and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Kristen Bell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Lance Reddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).

to:

* The writers of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Matthew Fox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Michael Keaton (Creator/MichaelKeaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed, Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the part of Sawyer, but had the part of Charlie written in for him instead, and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Kristen Bell, Creator/KristenBell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Lance Reddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None

Added DiffLines:

* The writers of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' had wildly different plans for many of the central characters. The most famous of these is the by now well-known early plan to have Jack killed by the monster in the middle of the pilot episode. Casting footage on the first season DVD shows just how differently the show might have evolved, with Matthew Fox reading as a much slicker version of Sawyer, Yunjin Kim (Sun) reading for Kate, and multiple mentions of Kate's husband, who was in the tail section. Furthermore, Jack was to be played by a "name" actor (Michael Keaton was specifically mentioned) before being offed, Dominic Monaghan auditioned for the part of Sawyer, but had the part of Charlie written in for him instead, and Nikki and Paulo were intended to become major characters. Specifically, "Exposé" was planned to be solely Nikki-centric and follow her time on the show... and only reveal at the end that the absurd stripper plot was part of a show. Luckily, they were killed off and, thankfully, this was quietly dropped.
* Charlotte was originally meant to be an American and the role was offered to Kristen Bell, but she rejected it for a role on ''Series/{{Heroes}}''. So it was changed when British actress Rebecca Madder was cast. This has lead to a (implausible) theory held by some that she was meant to be revealed as Annie (given her link to DHARMA), but since Annie was American this was quietly dropped later on. Other ''Lost'' castings that never were include Lance Reddick as Eko (had to drop out due to his role on ''Series/TheWire'') and Creator/JenniferJasonLeigh as Libby (which never got past them asking her).
* Casting was going on as the pilot was being written. Sayid, Jin, Sun and Hurley were written for actors who auditioned for other parts or written in to accompany those parts in Jin's case. It was not originally decided who would be a regular cast member, Rose or Claire, and on the DVD you can see a cast promo picture getting taken with L. Scott Caldwell instead of Emilie de Ravin. Caldwell dropped out for much of the season thanks to her husband's cancer (later on, this would be the inspiration for Rose's backstory). They were later on ''still'' unsure if they wanted to keep on Claire permanently after the kidnapping, hence why de Ravin was on a holding contract until Claire returned (namely, they were only credited when they appeared while everyone else was credited regardless).
* Mr Eko was meant to be one of the most important characters on the show, with a arc that would cover the rest of the series. Then the actor left. Though what exactly this arc entails and who it was given to is unknown, the most likely option is that the MIB-as-Locke arc was meant for him given Eko's link to the Smoke Monster.
* Likewise, Ilana was meant to have a big part in the final season-in fact, she was going to be Jacob's daughter! But this was cut and scenes were refilmed when they decided they didn't have enough time for this. This explains her promotion to regular, despite not having any development or much importance outside of "Dr Linus" and her [[spoiler:abrupt death and absence from the finale]].
* Caesar was meant to have a regular, and fairly major, role in the final season. But the actor turned down more ''Lost'' in favor of GI Joe, so Caesar's abrupt death stuck and his character became an unintentional red herring.
* Daniel, Charlotte and Miles were originally planned as guest stars who would last eight episodes, tops. Thanks to how awesomely "Confirmed Dead" turned out, they were promoted to regulars for the rest of season 4 and beyond; while Charlotte was [[spoiler:killed off early in season 5]] and Daniel was [[spoiler:killed off at the end of the season]], Miles is still around and Frank has also made the jump to regular for season 6.
* After the idea of the reset was introduced, the producers considered season 6 both featuring no reset/alternate timeline of any kind, or a complete reset. After deciding both approaches were deficient, they decided to do ''both''. [[spoiler:In fact, they decided to both "do both" ''and'' "not do both" by having the alternate timeline in fact be a waiting room for the afterlife rather than an actual alternate timeline, while still having it take place in a what-if-the-plane-never-crashed scenario.]]
* The elements in the tie-in video game, the alternate reality games, and a teaser at Comic-Con where one of the DHARMA researches stated that they knew the events on the island were to die, thanks to the nature of time on the island, were all dumped.

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