- Christopher Eccleston, Thor: The Dark World, 2012. Who should be Malekith the Marvel Cinematic Universe? The suits were divided. On one side the Bond (villain) fans, on the other the Doctor Whovians. The ex-Doc9 won and had to learn a whole new lingo of the Dark Elves.
- Toby Kebbell, Fantastic Four, 2014. Marvel wanted the Four back and offered Fox an extension on its Daredevil II plans. No way! So, in the mix for the third Victor Van Doom/Dr Doom were Domhnall Gleeson, Jack Huston, Eddie Redmayne, Sam Riley. And the Danish Mikkelsen just stalked out of his audition! Film flopped. (Only ever made to save the rights). Hollywood Reporter critic Todd McCarthy called it “a 100-minute trailer for a movie that never happens.” Marvel icon Stan Lee saw it coming and refused his seal-of-approval cameo. Kebbell called it a learning experience.
- JK Simmons, Kung Fu Panda 3, 2015. The Casino Royale Bond villain objected to his script changes for the Kai villllain and Oz villain Simmons took over as the first Panda villain without a UK accent.
- Chiwetel Ejiofor, Doctor Strange, 2015. Marvel thinks big! Simon Baker and Gary Oldman were also talked of for Baron Karl Mordo, Stephen Strange’s fellow student of The Ancient One. A villain? “A very complex character,” said Ejiofor. “I don’t think [he] can be nailed down either way.” Mikkelsen was compensated with… the real villain! As, finally, the portal opened to the supernatural side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the Danish dub of the film, Mads’ brother, Lars, voiced the titular superhero.
- Idris Elba, The Dark Tower, 2016.
The 220th of King’s staggering 313 screen credits is the worst. Since Carrie in 1976, King’s filmed books come along in good/bad patches. Dependinbg, not on the stories, usually supernatural, but how they’re made – film or series – and by who. . Frank Darabont, Rob Reiner made classics; Stanley Kubrick and King, himself, did not. As this tale is one of eight exhilarating books, it merits a series, not this middling mess (stuffed with King references) from director Nikolaj Arcel – a not so great Dane who by 2020 hasn’t helmed (or harmed) another movie. (Back when there were only seven books, JJ Abrams planned to film ‘em all). Christian Bale, Javier Bardem, Viggo Mortensen, plus the 2006 Casino Royale good and bad guys, Daniel Craig and Mads Mikkelsen, were up for Roland, The Gunslinger (“I do not kill with my gun, I kill with my heart”), trying to save the vital tower from Matthew McConaughey’s Man in Black (or is he really The Stand’s walkin’ dude, Randall Flagg?). When such strong (on-the-page) characters are upstaged by young Brit Tom Taylor, 14, as a typical King kid, you know something’s very wrong.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 5