Hollywood movies that were almost never made: Top 10 including Titanic, Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings | In Pictures

Even decades after its 1997 release, Titanic remains to be one of the most beloved movies of all time.

But there’s a chance the world might never have seen Jack and Rose’s love story play out, due to its behemoth budget, studio scepticism and casting chaos.

The film’s initial budget went from $100m (AUD$158m) to $200m (AUD$317m), making it the most expensive film ever made at that time.

Director James Cameron was begged to cut the length of the 3h 14m movie but he refused, and even gave up his $8m (AUD$12.7m) salary to keep the movie on track.

Disaster also struck when Kate Winslet filming the sinking finale, with her coat getting caught on a gate in the water. “I had to sort of shimmy out of the coat to get free,” she told The Times.

“I had no breath left. I thought I’d burst. And Jim just said, ‘OK, let’s go again.’ That was his attitude. I didn’t want to be a wimp so I didn’t complain.”

In an absolutely shocking twist, dozens of the film’s cast and crew were drugged with PCP-spiked chowder. PCP (also known as phencyclidine or angel dust) is a mind-altering drug that can lead to hallucinations and psychosis. Everyone got sick, but to this day no one knows who did it.

Despite some huge challenges, Titanic became one of the highest grossing movies of all time and won a whopping 11 Oscars.