A Clockwork Orange that almost was – How about this: Early version was to include Jagger, Beatles.

In theaters Friday: Gravity, Runner Runner

New on Blu-ray: The Croods, Frozen Ground, This is the End

Imagine Mick Jagger in the now iconic role of Alex DeLarge, made famous by Malcolm McDowell.

On Friday, an amazing discovery by Letters of Note revealed that three years before iconic director Stanley Kubrick took the helm of A Clockwork Orange for his 1971 surreal epic staring Malcolm McDowell, the biggest names in rock ‘n’ roll made a nearly convincing case for participating in a cinematic adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ future-set novel on the screen.

In February of 1968, Clockwork producer Si Litvinoff sent a script—penned by Terry Southern (Easy Rider), who’d been attempting to write for the Beatles a film follow-up to their 1965 romp Help!—along with a letter to prospective director John Schlesinger pitching Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger for the lead role of Alex DeLarge and the Fab Four themselves for the soundtrack. Jagger and all four Beatles signed the letter.

It was not meant to be. Schlesinger turned down the project to direct the Oscar-winning Midnight Cowboy a year later, and once Kubrick signed on with Litvinoff after the 1968 release of his 2001: A Space Odyssey, he would spend two years re-writing the script and choosing his own cast and music. Of course, Kubrick’s version is now a cult classic and McDowell’s performance nothing short of a cultural landmark. But still, it is fascinating to imagine what might have been. Jagger has a similar smirking and aristocratic heir about himself and could have pulled off an interesting take on Alex. Ringo Starr might have played a Droog—he would co-star opposite Peter Sellers in The Magic Christian a year later—and John Lennon could have relished the chance to cameo as one of Alex’s Big Brother-like brainwashers.

In the summer of 1968, a wickedly confident Jagger and his Stones were just emerging from a hit-and-miss psychedelic period to boldly embrace their identity as progenitors of hard blues-influenced rock [see: “Jumping Jack Flash”]. The Beatles were holed up in Abbey Road studios recording their sprawling, wildly ambitious self-titled epic, a.k.a. “The White Album.”

A Clockwork Orange, with its violence, dark humor and futuristic vision, was almost filled with Beatles music.

Of course, under Schlesinger’s direction, the film’s imagery would have been starkly different from Kubrick’s visionary finished product, but it is not hard to imagine any number of “White Album” songs suiting Burgess’ novel well: be it the freak-out sound collage of “Revolution 9”, the jagged edge and dark doo-wop of “Happiness is a Warm Gun”, the menacing horn and slashing guitar attack of “Savoy Truffle”, the howling chug of “Why Don’t We Do it in the Road” or the sugary strum of “I Will”—for an eerie contrast not unlike Kubrick’s twisted use of “Singin’ in the Rain.”

John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison at a photo shoot to promote The Beatles, a.k.a. “The White Album.”

Instead, the Stones would make a musical appearance in Jean Luc Godard’s documentary One + One that summer, and Jagger would not make his feature film acting debut until 1970, receiving mixed reviews in both Performance and Ned Kelly. One Beatle did release a soundtrack that year. George Harrison composed and recorded the music for Wonderwall, a psychedelic, Indian-influenced slate featuring contributions from Eric Clapton and Ringo Starr, including the menacing “Ski-ing”.

Jagger, recording “Sympathy for the Devil,” for Jean Luc Godard’s One + One.

For most, altering Kubrick’s film is akin to sacrilege, but I’m always fascinated by what could have been. I’m also a fan of faux movie trailers, and for any Movie Filter reader out there that can re-edit A Clockwork Orange footage with Beatles music and clips of Jagger, there’s a special 225 prize waiting for you. Come on Internet, let’s make this happen. Send a link to your trailer for the A Clockwork Orange that could have been to [email protected].

Viddy well, then! Here is a recent fan-made Clockwork trailer inspired by The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: