User blog:ClockworkFirefly/Who Could Have Been: DC Extended Universe (with Alanomaly)

Förena de sju! (Minus Green Lantern eller Martian Manhunter Jag jävlar gissa)

Hello and welcome to the fourth installment of Who Could Have Been! Today I have a very special guest with me today, one of my close friends and fellow user Alanomaly!

"Insert cheers here"

Alan and I will be going over the well-known and frequently bashed DC Extended Universe! How this will work is after I give my opinions on the potential castings, Alan will give his thoughts below in the coloured text.

I’ll still get paid right?

Moving on! Similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe installment, I’ll be doing each flick separately rather than just a specific character.

So let’s sit back and get some popcorn (or rotten tomatoes) and let’s take a look into the DC Extended Universe!

Man of Steel:

 * Matt Bomer was Zack Snyder’s first choice to play Superman, but ultimately negotiations fell apart.


 * Joe Manganiello had talks with Zack Snyder about playing Superman, but commitments to True Blood caused him to back down. Manganiello would later be cast as Deathstroke in the DC Extended Universe.


 * Colin O'Donoghue, Matthew Goode, Armie Hammer, and Zac Efron (Yes) were all shortlisted by Warner Brothers to play Superman while David Giuntoli auditioned before Henry Cavill was cast


 * Amanda Seyfried auditioned for Lois Lane, but was turned down in favor of Amy Adams.


 * Natalie Portman, Charlotte Riley, Anne Hathaway, Dianna Agron, Kristen Stewart, Malin Åkerman, Rachel McAdams, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kristen Bell, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis and Jessica Biel were considered to play Lois Lane as well.


 * At one point, Viggo Mortensen was considered for the role of General Zod.
 * Julianne Moore, Lisa Rinna, Jodie Foster, Sela Ward, and Elisabeth Shue were considered for the role of Martha Kent.


 * Dennis Quaid, Bruce Greenwood, Michael Biehn and Kurt Russell were considered for the role of Jonathan Kent.

(Looking at all of these choices, I honestly think Matt Bomer has the look, physique, and voice to play one hell of a Clark Kent. Goode and Manganiello would’ve been alright as well, but where did “Zac Efron as Superman” came from? Amanda Seyfried could’ve been okay as Lois Lane along with Hathaway, Winstead, or Wilde, but I think Amy Adams was a better pick than Kristen Stewart tbh. Viggo Mortensen as General Zod would’ve been kickass along with Foster or Rinna as Martha or Greenwood or Quaid as Jonathan).

(Manganiello not being Superman was definitely a good thing considering he's pretty much the perfect Deathstroke. Zac Efron would definitely not work as Superman. If Anne Hathaway was cast as Lois, I couldn't not see her as just Catwoman acting the part of a news reporter. Portman also kinda falls into that situation as well given her role in Thor. If McAdams was casted, Doctor Strange would get a little stranger. Stewart, Wilde, and Kunis seem like a few odd choices. Not bad, but definitely not who would come to my mind. Jodie Foster, huh? "Clarice! You're letting them kill Clarice!" You mean to tell me Superman and Star-Lord almost had the same dad? Maybe if that were the case, Superman's facial hair CGI would've gone a lot better.))

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice:

 * Josh Brolin and Jon Hamm were both offered the role of Bruce Wayne before Ben Affleck was cast. Brolin would later go on to play Thanos in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Cable in Deadpool 2.


 * Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Richard Armitage, and Armie Hammer were all considered for Bruce Wayne as well while Scott Adkins auditioned before Affleck's casting.


 * Bryan Cranston and Jackie Earle Haley screen-tested for the role of Lex Luthor at the request of Warner Brothers and Zack Snyder.


 * Adam Driver, Matt Damon, Joaquin Phoenix, Bradley Cooper, and Jean Dujardin were all on Warner Brothers' list to play Lex Luthor. They even considered Tom Hanks after seeing his performance in Cloud Atlas.
 * Timothy Dalton was considered for the role of Alfred Pennyworth before the casting of Jeremy Irons.

(Brolin and Hamm both sound like good ideas in my head for Batman, but I’ve always liked the idea of Luke Evans as Batman due to his Bruce Wayne-y look and mysterious voice. Whoever thought of ditching Cranston or Harley for Jesse Eisenberg should be shot by a legion of many angry fans. Out of all the other choices, I think maybe Driver could’ve been decent along with maybe Damon or Dujardin. James Bond as Alfred anybody?)

(As much as I like Batfleck, it would've been funny to have Brolin as Batman because then he could be in MCU, XMCU, and DCEU. Uh... Orlando Bloom... as Batman... Uh... I'm good, thanks. Bryan Cranston needs to be Lex Luthor. I don't care that Luthor has appeared twice already. Recast him with the right person. If we're getting a replacement for Batfleck of all things, then a replacement for a bad version of Luthor has no excuse to not happen. Damon, Poenix, Cooper, and Hanks are interesting... No one would ever beat Cranston though. I could imagine Dalton as Alfred).)

Suicide Squad:

 * Many A-List actors were considered for the role of Deadshot with a few to name include Leonardo DiCaprio, Ewan McGregor, Jason Statham, Colin Farrell, Michael Fassbender, and Matt Damon.


 * The first choice for the role of the DCEU Joker was Ryan Gosling. Sadly, he ultimately turned it down due to his reluctance to the multi-picture deal the studio was requiring.


 * Sharlto Copley and Matt Smith were also briefly considered to play The Joker (Neal Adams revealed that his choice to play The Joker was Matt Smith).


 * A number of actresses had been considered for Harley Quinn before Margot Robbie was cast with Olivia Thirlby, Imogen Poots, Alison Brie, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Emma Watson, Emily Browning, Zooey Deschanel, Lily Collins, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Emma Stone, Amanda Seyfried, and Evan Rachel Wood being among them.


 * Tom Hardy was initially cast in the role of Rick Flag, but dropped out in order to star in The Revenant. After Hardy dropped out, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joel Edgerton, and Jon Bernthal were considered before Joel KInnaman was cast.


 * Octavia Spencer, Kerry Washington, and Oprah Winfrey were all in the running to play Amanda Waller before Viola Davis was cast.


 * Director David Ayer also considered giving Shia LaBeouf a part in the film, however Warner Brothers allegedly vetoed this decision, due to his reputation.

(I honestly like the idea of maybe DiCaprio or Statham playing Deadshot, but no one could top The Fresh Prince. Gosling and Smith both sound like cool options for Mistah J when I think about it, but I’d have to seem them in action. Out of all the picks for Harley Quinn, I think Mara and Stone hit my bullseye for a good potential Harley Quinn. Tom Hardy as Rick Flag would’ve made the part so much more fun to watch along with Oprah or Shia Fucking LaBeouf).

(DiCaprio as Deadshot would make SS feel like DCEU Edition of Wolf of Wall Street assuming Margot would still be Harley. Jokes aside the choices here are pretty good, but I'm already pretty attached to Will Smith Deadshot. Gosling's an ok choice for Joker. Matt Smith is a fucking hilarious idea, and definitely a better choice than Leto if the latter keeps doing what he's doing. Eminem for Joker when tho. Trying to pick between Wilde, Watson, Deschanel, and Stone for Harley... I could imagine Zooey, honestly. But Margot's Harley is too spot on for me to want anyone else. Any of the Rick Flag options work, in all honesty. Thank god it wasn't Bernthal, though, cause he's too good at Punisher for him to go as someone else. The idea of Oprah Winfrey as Amanda Waller just makes me laugh. Do it. Just do it. Make your dreams come true. Put Shia LaBeouf in a DC movie. Just do it).)

Wonder Woman:

 * When first casting Wonder Woman, the studio narrowed it down to Gal Gadot, Elodie Yung, and Olga Kurylenko. It was rumored that Yung was the next choice if Gadot turned down the role.


 * Liam Hemsworth and Alexander Skarsgård were considered for the role of Steve Trevor before the casting of Chris Pine.


 * Nicole Kidman and Charlize Theron were both approached for the role of Queen Hippolyta before Connie Nielsen was cast.

(Judging solely by what I’ve seen of Yung and Kurylenko, I think Elodie Yung would’ve been my second pick for WW. I’m also curious to see what Skarsgård or Hemsworth would’ve been like as Steve Trevor. Same goes for Theron and Kidman as well).

. >(The only of the three Diana choices I recognize is Gal, and thank god she took up the part, cause she is an amazing Wonder Woman. If Steve Trevor wasn't Chris Pine, I probably wouldn't enjoy the character at all. So, good on ya, Pine. Not sure how I feel about Theron. Kidman makes me laugh because that would mean Batman once had a fling with Wonder Woman's mom. Instead, he had a fling with Aquaman's mom))

Justice League:

 * Ryan Kwanten, Matthew Fox, and Scott Porter were considered for the role of The Flash before Ezra Miller was cast.


 * Michael B. Jordan was considered by Zack Snyder to play Cyborg in the film. He’d previously voiced the role in The Flashpoint Paradox animated film.


 * Literally no one else was considered for Aquaman because Jason Momoa is the living embodiment of badass.

(If I had choose someone other than Miller, maybe I would’ve picked Scott Porter due to him looking like a Barry Allen type imo. Michael B. Jordan also would’ve been cool, but nothing is cooler than Jason Momoa as Aquaman).

(Michael B. Jordan wouldn't be too bad of a pick. Shame about him being in Flashpoint Paradox, though. That was a fucking shitty film. Fuck yeah. Aquamomoa ftw. I was initially hesitant due to the fact he didn't look a thing like the character, including the armor that's iconic to Arthur, but after seeing them successfully adapt the character into the universe, I've only become extremely hyped for the Aquaman movie. Calling it now, it's gonna be a success. Jason Momoa's acting as Aquaman + James Wan's directing. Fuck yes... Shit we have to wait a fucking year? Goddamnit. Oh well. Hype hype hype hype hype).)

Aquaman:

 * Karl Urban was considered for the part of Orm before Patrick Wilson was cast.


 * Michael Kenneth Williams and Michael Jai White publicly expressed interest in playing Black Manta before the casting of Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

(Hell, Karl Urban as anything is bound to make the role a bit more awesome. I personally see MKW and MJW as potential John Stewart actors if anything).

Shazam:

 * John Cena and Joshua Sasse were frontrunners for the role of Shazam before it ultimately went to Zachary Levi.


 * Parker Young, Jake McDorman, Billy Magnussen, and Zane Holtz all sent in auditions for the titular role while Kellan Lutz and Brandon Molale were considered by David F. Sandberg.


 * Before Levi was cast, Dwayne Johnson openly expressed interest in Armie Hammer to play Shazam due to his large height.

(Kellan Lutz has always been my first choice to play Shazam due to his childlike boisterousness and lovable charisma. John Cena also sounded potentially hilarious with a Rock vs Cena match being Black Adam vs Shazam sounding cool. I’m not really familiar with the other actors despite Parker Young giving a pretty good audition online).

(John Cena was who I was rooting for to be Shazam. Zachary is an interesting choice and I'm looking forward to seeing his interpretation)

Clock's Recastings:
If some of the actors for The Justice League or other superheroes or villains said no to the role, here would've been my second choices.


 * Superman - Matt Bomer


 * Batman - Luke Evans


 * Wonder Woman - Elodie Yung


 * The Flash - Scott Porter


 * Cyborg - Michael B. Jordan


 * Aquaman - Jason Momoa (Suck it)


 * Shazam - Kellan Lutz


 * The Joker - Matt Smith/Ryan Gosling


 * Harley Quinn - Rooney Mara/Emma Stone

‘’(I also hope someday they cast Charlie Hunnam as Green Arrow, Katheryn Winnick as Black Canary, and Tom Cruise as Hal Jordan).’’

Clock’s Final Thoughts:
I’m very fond of the cast we got currently, but I do think that some potential castings here sounded sensational. I’ve always dreamed of Luke Evans as Batman or Matt Bomer as Superman in a DC movie. There were also some really bad dodged bullets like Kristen Stewart as Lois Lane or Shia LaBeouf as anyone really. However, looking at the actors we have right now in the roles, I realize that the comic book movie world wouldn’t be the same.

How many people think Ben Affleck or Gal Gadot are the best as Batman or Wonder Woman? How would we not have had Jason Momoa being a fucking king as Aquaman? I do think that despite some potential castings sounding cool, I don’t know how to imagine a world without the actors that play DC’s most spectacular heroes and heroines. I feel like some people can overlook how amazing some of these actors can be in these parts.

Alan's Final Thoughts:
(Ye. My final thoughts are that, while there are many interesting alternate choices, I'm glad that we got the people we got. The DCEU has a consistently good cast, with only Eisenberg needing replacing with Cranston, and Leto either doing a change in direction or replace him with Eminem.)

But still… Crisis on Two Earths movie with Luke Evans and Matt Bomer anyone?