Charlton Heston wanted to play Brody in Jaws but was rejected by Steven Spielberg. Although director Steven Spielberg wanted Charlton Heston to play Brody, the main reason he decided against casting Heston was because of his "saving the day" role in his previous movies, Airport 1975 (1974) and Earthquake (1974). Spielberg reasoned that if Heston would have been cast, it signifies to the audience that the shark has virtually no chance against the hero.
