Anthony Stokes has a few casting suggestions for Marvel Studios….
Marvel’s cast selection process is very unorthodox by traditional studio standards. Instead of going for the biggest name they tend to take risks and pick up-and-comers to headline their movies. The casting of Chris Pratt as Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy has inspired me to pick some people I think would be a great fit for the Marvel Cinematic Universe…
Martin Freeman – Role: Hank Pym
Martin Freeman, no matter how unimposing his characters are, always has a screen presence and great comedic timing and expressions. He has a great track record with The Cornetto Trilogy, The Hobbit and Sherlock; he’s at the very least a recognizable face and being a staple of another big franchise could give him the career boost he needs to become a big star.
Jennifer Lawrence – Role: Scarlet Witch
Jennifer Lawrence already has a lot of exposure being in both the X-Men franchise and The Hunger Games, but it still wouldn’t hurt her career to join Marvel. She has charisma, action chops, and an Oscar. She’s a phenomenal actress on top of all that and I haven’t seen her sleep through a role yet in her career. She’s already played a crazy character in Silver Linings Playbook in which she won an Oscar, so I’d love for her to tackle Scarlet Witch, although it now looks as if Elizabeth Olsen has secured the role.
Benedict Cumberbatch – Role: Doctor Strange
Benedict Cumberbatch has blown up in a matter of months and turned into that one British guy who hasn’t been a Doctor who is starring in a ridiculous amount of high profile projects including The Hobbit trilogy, Star Trek Into Darkness, and 12 Years a Slave. He’s got a commanding presence on screen, a distinctive voice, and a very unique face. He looks like he was born to be a wizard and his commanding voice, stature, and presence would make him perfect for Doctor Strange.
Charlie Day – Role: Eric O’Grady
Nobody plays the lovable dickhead quite like Charlie Day. He’s made a career of being a bumbling idiot with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and Horrible Bosses and he had a stand out performance in this little movie called Pacific Rim. Charlie Day is such a great comedic talent because not only does he have manic expressions and delivery along with timing and improvisational skills, but he also gets smart humor having wrote episodes of It’s Always Sunny. He’d be perfect for Eric O’Grady, who is someone so dumb and selfish it’s endearing.
Phi Lord and Chris Miller – Role: Something Obscure and High Concept
Hear me out… Before Jon Favreau directed Iron Man he mostly dabbled in comedies and ended up helming what I consider to be the best superhero origin movie ever made. Cloudy with a Chance Of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street were two movies NOBODY asked for and both turned out to be regarded as stand out comedies in their respective years. These guys bring a lot to the table in their movies. They bring heart, humor, and likeability – something that fits into the Marvel formula. For their ability to embrace silliness, they’d have been the perfect choice for Guardians of the Galaxy – even better then James Gunn in my opinion.
Who would you like to see joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Let us know in the comments below…
Anthony Stokes is a blogger and independent filmmaker.
Originally published August 23, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
