David O. Russell Originally Wanted Vince Vaughn and Zooey Deschanel to Star in 'Silver Linings Playbook'

The Huffington Post ran a lengthy interview with director David O. Russell on Wednesday, with the highlight being the revelation that Russell planned on making Silver Linings Playbook with Vince Vaughn and Zooey Deschanel — not Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, the film's actual stars.

"The Fighter" really helped me see that more. Although, I wrote this five years ago and I rewrote it 20 times. And I thought I was going to make it with Vince Vaughn and Zooey Deschanel before "The Fighter." And then it didn't happen, for any number of reasons that were out of my hands.

Silver Linings Playbook is currently one of the top Oscar contenders, ranking No. 3 in the most recent OscarIndex. Would Russell's film be in that position if it starred Vaughn and Deschanel instead of Cooper and Lawrence. I dunno. Vaughn hasn't had a real hit in years, much less played a serious role. I like Deschanel, but Lawrence is currently the frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar — could Deschanel have matched that?