Was going to be Tim Burton at one stage
According to Burton's wiki page Dunne approached Burton originally before Scorcese came along needing a project after Last Temptation got cancelled.
shareIn the Making of bonus feature on the dvd, it's mentioned that once Burton learned Scorsese was interested, he graciously bowed out.
Worked out for the best, though. Burton did Pee-wee, and After Hours would have been a much different picture without the Scorsese touch.