- Taylor Kitsch, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 2008. Chris Hemsworth and Lost’s Josh Holloway were in the loop for the first – and last? – appearance of the Cajun mutant thief Remy LeBeau, aka Gambit, in the franchise. Porter, a young X-Men fan from Nebraska also and then, mega-magnanimously, accepted Kitsch’s request for tips on how to tackle the role! Porter preferred such X-Men as Havok, Nightcrawler, Psylocke and hoped to portray another Marvel hero, Hawkeye.
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Chris Evans, Captain America: The First Avenger, 2010.The first screen version of the WWII propaganda comicbook hero – Defender of the Defenceless – since Republic’s 1944 serial (with Dick Purcell), two 1979 tele-quickies (Rep Brown) and the 1989 movie (Matt Salinger, son of the monumental JD, no less). A 1981 Universal plan for Jeff Bridges never flew. Nor did Cannon’s 1984 take which UK director Michael Winner never got around to casting (well, not out loud).Losing the Cap in 2010 meant the lanky Nebraskan stayed in series…Friday Night Lives, Caprica, The Good Wife, etc. Also missing the nine-picture deal for Cap Am sequels, Avengersmovies and cross-overs were… Jensen Ackles, Wilson Bethel, Michael Cassidy, Dane Cook, Chace Crawford, Garrett Hedlund, Kellan Lutz, Ryan Phillippe, Alexander Skarsgård, Will Smith, Sebastian Stan (chosen for Bucky Barnes), Channing Tatum (in last three), Mike Vogel, Sam Worthington. Plus two of the Jonas brothers band (Joe and Kevin), three of the TV-Marvelverse: Wilson Bethel (Daredevil), Chad Michael Murray (Agent Carter), Derek Theler (New Warriors). And John Krasinski. “This is stupid,” he yelled during his costumed test, “I’m not Captain America!” And he wasn’t. But he was Amazon’s TV’s surprise Jack Ryan in 2018.
- Ezra Miller, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, 2015.
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Henry Cavill, Justice League, 2017. For ten years, Warner exercised extreme cowardice, until Marvel showed them how to make superhero summits with Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy. In October 2007, Mad Max’s dad, George Miller, found his Bat/Supermans, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aqua Man, Green Lantern, even the Martian Manhunter J’onn J’onzz, after auditioning about 40 youngsters in synch for a franchise… such as Speed Racer’s Porter for Superman. Four months later, everything was “tabled.” Dumped! By 2010, Miller had gone and who could blame him. Besides, he wanted to go to the Max again.
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Ezra Miller, The Flash, 2019. (Released in 2023). After their Gotham triumph, the Batman boys, Jon Peters and Peter Guber, planned the first Flash movie as long ago as 1991. Much later, Ryan Reynolds was up for what would have been the first of his three superheroes (counting Captain Excellent in Paperman). Next? Chris Pine in 2016. They never happened. But 28 years later, Bradley Cooper, True Blood’s Ryan Kwanten, Scott Porter and Daniel Radcliffe, were in the mix. Plus the Lost star Matthew Fox… back in ’91 the choice was another Fox – Michael J Furthermore, the actual writer-creator (with artist Harry Lampart) of the three scarlet speedsters was yet another Fox – Gardner Fox, 1911-1986. (What? Oh no, the fourth Flash, Barry’s grandson, Bart, didn’t arrive until 2006).
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5