Was there to have been an Errol and Olivia reteaming and…

possible Oscar nod?

I assume Flynn would have been the Morris Townsend (Montgomery Clift) romantic interest role as opposed to the Dr Austin Sloper (and father to Catherine: Olivia) as played by Ralph Richardson.

Clift didn’t get an Oscar “nom” but Richardson DID…

(You may recall that the other lost opportunity being A Tree Grows in Brookyln and a DEFINITE Oscar there!)

Here’s a blurb from a recent  DVD release:

“THE HEIRESS CRITERION COLLECTION REVIEW
June 27, 2019
DVD/Blu-Ray

THE HEIRESS is surrounded by so much film history that it is hard to fix a point to start. What you will know is that it was directed by 3 time oscar winner, William Wyler (The Best Years of Our Lives). It was a winner of 4 oscars including one for Olivia De Havilland (her second) for best actress. You might not know it was based on a play by husband and wife team Ruth and Augustus Goetz, who in turn took the inspiration from the novel ‘Washington Square’ by America’s great chronicler of the affluent, Henry James. You will not know that Errol Flynn was to be the original lead but decided against it. Which meant no reteaming of Basil Rathbone (also up for a role) and De Havilland.”

— Karl