- Russell Crowe, Robin Hood, 2009. Before directors Sam Raimi, Bryan Singer and Jon Turteltaub passed the Sherwood project to Sir Ridley Scott, both the Leeds star and Christian Bale were suggested Robins until Scott favourite, Crowe became, at 45, the oldest Hood in history. Chicago critic Roger Ebert complained “little by little, title by title, innocence and joy is being drained out of the movies.”
- Casey Affleck, The Killer Inside Me, 2010. As directors changed from Andrew Dominik and Marc Rocco to Michael Winterbottom, so did the favourites for the mild-spoken, intellectual psychopath Lou Ford. From Tom Cruise to Affleck and Riley, the Yorkshireman from Brighton Rock, Maleficent, not to mention Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.
- 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 Riley, Domhnall Gleeson, Jack Huston, Eddie Redmayne. As for Danish Mads Mikkelsen, he simnply 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.
- Michael Pitt, Ghost In The Shell, 2017. Riley and Jim Sturgess were up for the mysterious hack Hideo Kuze – opposite Scarlett Johansson – in the rotten (and whitewashed) live-action substitute for the (marvellous) 1995 UK-Japanese aime from director Mamoru Oshii. Poor Pitt – such a scandously wasted US talent.
Birth year: Death year: Other name: Casting Calls: 4