re: I just read Kevin Costner turned down the Andy role in Shawshank for Waterworld

On paper, Waterworld has way more potential at being an incredible blockbuster film than Steven King's average-at-best entertaining short story/novella. Case in point, in the same book of Shawshank Redemption, there are two much more riveting stories, The Body and Apt Pupil. The Body became the beautifully made "Stand by Me". And Apt Pupil was made into the terrible "Apt Pupil".

It just so happened that Waterworld was grossly miss cast and terribly implemented, whereas Shawshank benefitted from fantastic performances by the entire cast and perfectly directed and edited.