- Orlando Bloom, Elizabethtown ,2004. Auteur Cameron Crowe’s first misstep in six films. He wrote shoe-designer (!) Drew Baylor for Bloom. When he was committed to Kingdom of Heaven,Crowe read other possibles: Evans, James Franco, Colin Hanks, Christopher Masterson, Sean William Scott – and chose Ashton Kutcher (!) until he projected zero chemistry with co-star Kirsten Dunst. Bloom be came free, created shoes yet little magic with Dunst. Far from Tom Cruise-Renée Zellweger Mk II.
-
Casey Affleck, Gone Baby Gone, 2006. Five years before becoming Captain America, Evans tested for Patrick Kenzie, half of the Boston bed and business partners cum-private eyes. Michelle Monaghan is the other half. Instead of starring, Ben Affleck co-wrote and fully directed this version of Dennis Lehane’s fourth book about what Chicago critic Roger Ebert called babes in the woods. They not into guns or heavy lifting and yet “end up with crucifixion murders, kidnapped babies and, as always, people who are not who, or what, they seem.”
-
James Franco, Milk, 2007. Director Gus Van Sant had first planned a film in the early 90s about the first openly gay man elected to US public office – assassinated for it (with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone) in 1978. Van Sant’s main candidates back then to play Harvey Milk’s lover, Scott Smith, were Bradley Cooper… and Evans: “I really wanted to be a part of Milk,but I lost out to James Franco.. I guess if you’ve got to lose, he’s the guy to lose to.” Or not…. Three years later, Evans took over Franco’s role in The Iceman, 2011.
-
Casey Affleck, Gone Baby Gone, 2007 Brother Ben considered starring (as well as writer-directing). Evans, the future Captain America then auditioned for Boston private dick Patrick Kenzie. Finally, guess who won? Ben’s bro, bien sur.
-
Channing Tatum, GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra, 2008. Evans, Lost TV star Matthew Fox Mark Wahlberg Sam Worthington were in the loop for Duke in Hollywood’s crazy toys-as-source-material movies. Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers skewered this one: “I don’t know what to say about the acting, writing and directing… because I couldn’t find any.” As Captain America, Evans later proved that a Marvel comic hero gave better action than a Hasbro toy.
- Ray Liotta, The Iceman, 2011. First plan of Del Toro and James Franco later became Liotta and Chris Evans – on the sidelines of the true story of the Polish-American serial killer Richard Kuklinski. When caught in 1986, he admitted killing more than 100 people,then again… maybe 250. Michael Shannon stole all but the actual screen in the title role.
-
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street, 2012. Auditioned for Danny Porush, pal of Leonardo DiCaprio’s titular eco-criminal – Leo’s fifth collaboration with Martin Scorsese. And nothing to do with the 1929 film with the same title: first US film, as Scorsese would tell you, to have one actor (Paul Lukas) dubbed by another (Lawford Davidson).
-
Jack Huston, Kill Your Darlings, 2012. An excellent debut from ex-Yale and NYU director John Krokidas revealing many a secret (murder, included) of the the pre-Beat Generation years of Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and their friend Lucien Carr – Daniel Radcliffe, Ben Foster, Jack Huston and Dane DeHaan. Three Beats were changed during a financial delay in shooting. Radcliffe survivied a risky return to glasses and schooldaze a mere two years after graduating from Hogwarts.
- Justin Theroux, The Girl on the Train, 2016. Never any question in producesr Marc Platt’s mind about who would be The Girl – Emily Blunt, from his Into The Woods. But Tom only became Theroux when Evans proved committed to Gifted. He was lucky to miss the messy Hitchcock wannabe. Never came close.
-
Ewan McGregor, Doctor Sleep, 2018. What, asked so many Stephen King fans at book signings, happened to Danny Torrance? King would joke had wed Firestarter Charlie McGee, Then, he got to think – and what about Jack Torrance, and Wendy and Hallorann? The answers are in his sequel novel and its movie that had to please all factions. Those who love and deplore Kubrick’s film (and disregarded the TV series), vice-versa. (Or can’t read). New horror king Mike Flanagan (born two years after Carrie) checked into the Overlook Hotel. So, who could be Nicholson’s shining son, now the titular hospice orderly? Almost inevitably the top choices were Captain America, Hawkeye, Doctor Who and Downton’s Abbey’s Matthew Crawley (oh yes!). Chris Evans, Jeremy Renner, Matt Smith and Dan Stevens were all floored by Obi-Wan Kenobi… in the 273rd of King’s staggering 313 screen credits since Carrie in 1976. Flanagan was due for a prequel, Hallorann, But Sleep snored.
-
James Marsden, Sonic the Hedgehog, 2019. For the new movie version of the video game, 15 actors jostled for Tom Wachowski, the Montana cop helping the speedy blue blur alien from another planet in his fight against Jim Carrey’s Dr Robotnik. They were: Evans, Jack Black, Ansel Elgort, Bill Hader (also up for voicing Sonic), Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Adam Pally (also seen for Sonic, he wound up as Wade, Tom’s deputy), Chris Pratt, Paul Rudd, Jason Segal, Justin Timberlake, Milo Ventimiglia, Owen Wilson and Marsden, who was ready for “as many as they want to make. it was so much fun to see Jim enjoying himself again.”
-
Gerard Butler, Greenland, 2019. “The sky’s on fire!” No less than Captain America was due to save his family from a lethal comet, called Clarke (!), with South African Neil Blomkamp directing. Their schedules interferred but Butler’s interlocked perfectly with Ric Roman Waugh, the stuntman-turned-director, who helmed Butler’s previous hairy thriller, Angel Has Fallen.
- Adam Driver, House of Gucci, 2021. Ridley Scott’s Succession, Italian Style had been on many shelves over the years. With the role of Maurizio, the Gucci heir murdered on his ex-wife’s orders, aimed at Leonardo DiCaprio. Plus Batman and Captain America. Christian Bale and Chris Evans – first reserve if Adam Driver couldn’t get free for his second consecutive Scott trip after The Last Duel, 2020.
- Jonah Hauer-King, The Little Mermaid, 2021. One day the titular Ariel’s prince will come… But which one? Asher Angel, Noah Centineo, Cameron Cuffee, Gavin Leatherwood, Christian Navarro, even Captain America Chris Evans and UK pop idol Harry Styles were among the potential royal Erics for Disney’s live-action version of its glorious 1989 animation release. (The Covid 19 pandemic delayed the release until 2023).
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 14