Rampage Johnson is a familiar face in the world of mixed martial arts. And, ever since he played the role of B.A Baracus in the hit movie, ‘The A-Team’, he’s a recognizable character in Hollywood, too. With his bulging muscles and aggressive fighting style, he sure seems like a worthy candidate to join the Marvel Universe. So why is it that you haven’t seen him in one of their movies yet?
Jackson was given the opportunity to play the role of John Wraith (Sabretooth) in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ in 2009 but had to turn it down. The MMA fighter was still on contract with the UFC and had a big fight coming up that he had to train for. Since the filming would’ve conflicted with his training, he had to say no. But later that year, he appeared on ‘Miss March’, and the year following was when he landed his first major role, alongside Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper.
John Krasinski as Captain America?
Picture this: Jim from 'The Office' in red and blue spandex fighting off the villains as Captain America. Well, believe it or not, John Krasinski has broken away from his funny guy typecasting to take on more serious roles lately, such as his part in Michael Bay’s '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi'. So, he decided to try his hand and audition for the role of America’s favorite captain.
While Chris Evans ultimately walked away with the part, Krasinski says he’s got no regrets for taking the chance. Plus, he was a good sport when he got the rejection (on his wife’s birthday, no less), laughed it off and said he could see why they cast Evans.
Brie Larson’s Suave Modesty
You probably recognize Brie Larson from playing the title role in Marvel’s new 'Captain Marvel' movies. But she had her reservations about accepting the part – mainly because she knew what entering the Marvel franchise meant: there wouldn’t be very many people in the world who wouldn’t recognize her…as Captain Marvel, anyways. Larson has always gravitated towards more serious roles and wasn’t exactly excited about rising to the top via MU.
Fortunately, she reconsidered and wound up taking the role, which she’s reportedly thankful for, these days. Well yeah, who wouldn’t be thankful for landing a role that pays around $5 million per film? Don’t worry, Brie, everyone can still see the (more) serious side of you in your other films, like 'Room'.
Amandla Stenberg Takes a Moral Stand
The talk about “whitewashing” in Hollywood is flying around everywhere these days, and for good reason. So, when Amandla Stenberg was asked to play the role of African princess Shuri in Marvel’s 'Black Panther' – she put her foot down. The young rising star declined to accept the role, stating that it would be more suited for a darker-skinned woman. Respect!
Plus, it isn’t like the star missed out on her golden opportunity by turning that role down. In 2018 alone she starred in three blockbuster hits, including her part as Starr Carter in 'The Hate U Give'. And the 20-year old actress isn’t going anywhere anytime soon!
Jessica Chastain Says "No" to Playing a Civilian
Jessica Chastain would have made a nice addition to the 'Iron Man 3' cast, which she was set to do as sultry scientist rival to the leading man, himself. But before they started filming, Chastain made the announcement she’d be unable to play the part due to scheduling conflicts. But that wasn’t all she had to say about it.
Apparently, Chastain wanted to play a more exciting role in a Marvel movie, although she had her sights set on joining the franchise somehow. Not long after missing out on 'Iron Man', she was offered a similar role as Dr. Erica Sondheim in the 2015 'Ant-Man' film. Then in 2017, she got her wish when she was cast as an alien shapeshifter in 'X-Men: Dark Phoenix'.