What is the only thing better than being the president in Sharknado 3? Getting to be president in real life, of course.

It was a gamble President Trump happened to luck out on. David Latt, who works on the selachian Syfy brand, told The Hollywood Reporter that in January 2015 the team wanted to cast Trump as the fictional president in Sharknado 3. Trump even "said yes," Latt said. "He was thrilled to be asked."

It wasn't to be, though. The Sharknado 3 team was later told by Trump's lawyer that "Donald’s thinking about making a legitimate run for the presidency, so we'll get back to you. This might not be the best time."

The story only gets stranger from there:

With the production clock ticking, [independent film company] Asylum pulled the trigger on a backup plan, offering the role to Mark Cuban — a modest casting coup that Syfy trumpeted with a press release. "Then we immediately heard from Trump's lawyer," recalls Latt. "He basically said, 'How dare you? Donald wanted to do this. We're going to sue you! We're going to shut the entire show down!'" Contacted by THR, Cohen acknowledges a dinner with [Sharknado star Ian] Ziering to discuss casting Trump but says he has no recollection of the angry correspondence. [The Hollywood Reporter]

On second thought, maybe being the Sharknado president would be more fun. Jeva Lange