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These days, starring in a superhero movie is an incredibly lucrative endeavor. For some, the steady paycheck is a huge draw. Others use the money and connections they make through superhero work to fund passion projects. Then, of course, there is the thrill of being in a superhero movie. Hard to beat, right?
Well, the superhero movie life isn’t for everyone. Some pretty well-known actors have turned down roles in superhero movies. Some have cited scheduling conflicts as the reason behind turning down an opportunity, while others just weren’t interested in committing to franchises or were worried about the risk of being typecast in the future. Each actor on this list had his or her own reason for saying no, but one thing is clear. They all went on to have spectacular careers even without a superhero connection.
10
Russell Crowe
Hugh Jackman has been playing the iconic X-Men character, Wolverine, for years now. He started in the 2000 X-Men movie and has reprised the role multiple times over the past 24 years, most recently in Deadpool & Wolverine. These days, it’s hard to imagine anyone else in the role — but it almost didn’t happen.
Hugh Jackman Has Russell Crowe to Thank
In a 2018 interview on The Howard Stern Show, Jackman revealed that the role was offered to Russell Crowe before he was considered for the part. Director Bryan Singer had offered the part to Russel Crowe, who was about to have huge success with the movie Gladiator. Crowe passed on the movie and recommended Jackman for the role instead. Jackman was filming the musical Oklahoma! for television at the time and Wolverine was a game-changing role for him.
9
Angela Bassett
Crowe wasn’t the only actor to pass on X-Men. Angela Bassett was originally offered the role of Storm. By this time, Bassett had been acting in television and film since the 1980s. She starred in movies such as Malcolm X, Contact, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Screenwriter David Hayter tells The Hollywood Reporter that Bassett was their “first choice” to play Storm, though the role eventually go to Halle Berry. Hayter says that Bassett’s agents wanted the actress to be paid more, but this was in the days before superhero movies were huge moneymakers and so there wasn’t enough in the budget to increase her salary.
Joining the MCU for Wakanda
While Bassett didn’t join the X-Men franchise, she eventually joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In 2018, Bassett starred in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther adaptation alongside Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, and Lupita Nyong’o. Bassett plays Queen Ramonda in Black Panther, who is Queen Mother of Wakanda and mother to Boseman’s T’Challa. She returned for the sequel to reprise the role.
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8
Jon Hamm
Jon Hamm is a self-professed “comic book nerd” and has been selective about superhero movies. In a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Mad Men star explained that though he was offered the 2011 Green Lantern movie, he knew that was one he “definitely didn’t want to do.” The film went forward without Hamm. Ryan Reynolds starred in the title role, but the film didn’t fare well.
Hamm Hasn’t Ruled Superheroes Movies Out
While Hamm said “no” to Green Lantern, he’s not opposed to someday joining the MCU. “I’ve pitched myself for a couple parts of the Marvel universe,” notes the actor. “I don’t want to say what exactly, but it was a part of a comic book that I really liked.” Hamm has yet to disclose which comic he is interested in adapting for the screen.
7
Sandra Bullock
This one is a bit of a mystery. Bird Box star Sandra Bullock has gone on record multiple times admitting that she was offered a role in a superhero movie, but turned it down. However, she won’t say which movie. During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2021, Bullock explained that her son told her not to take the role, and she listened to his advice.
Speculation Continues
Bullock noted that the movie in question was not associated with Marvel or DC, but she believes she made the right decision. Bullock saw this film when it came out and was glad she hadn’t accepted the part. Internet sleuths suspect that she turned down this mystery role sometime around 2016, but have yet to figure out which superhero movie she’s alluding to in interviews.
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6
Jude Law
Plenty of actors have played Superman over the years, and Jude Law was almost one of them. In a 2024 interview with The Playlist’s The Discourse podcast, Law admitted that he almost starred in a Superman movie directed by Brett Ratner 20 years ago. They even had him come in and try on the suit, hoping it would win him over. It didn’t work.
A Movie That Never Materialized
While Law was tempted, he ultimately turned down the part and the movie never got made. David Corenswet is the latest actor to play Superman, starring in James Gunn’s 2025 movie. Before that, Superman was played by Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
5
Amanda Seyfried
Did you know Amanda Seyfried was almost in Guardians of the Galaxy? The Mamma Mia! star was offered the role of Gamora, but turned it down, and the part ultimately went to Zoe Saldaña. Instead of joining the MCU, Seyfried accepted a role in MacFarlane’s western comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West.
Afraid the Movie Would Flop
Seyfried wasn’t thrilled about the idea of moving to London for production or having to be painted green for the role. She liked director James Gunn when she met him, but wasn’t sure the movie would succeed. “I thought that because this was about a talking tree and a talking raccoon, that it was going to be Marvel’s first bomb,” Seyfried explains on Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. Of course, Guardians of the Galaxy went on to be a huge success, but at the time Seyfried wasn’t comfortable taking the risk.
4
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was no stranger to superhero movies when he was offered the part of Peter Quill (aka Star-Lord) in Guardians of the Galaxy. In 2012, the former child star played a key role in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. According to Indiewire, Gordon-Levitt was up for the role of Peter Quill after Joel Edgerton, Jim Sturgess, and Eddie Redmayne had all passed on it.
Opting for a Graphic Novel Sequel Instead
Instead of joining the MCU, Gordon-Levitt decided to play Johnny in Robert Rodriguez’s 2014 Sin City sequel. Parks and Recreation star Chris Pratt ultimately won the role of Peter Quill, which supercharged the actor’s film career. It is also reported that Gordon-Levitt was up for the title role in Ant-Man but lost out to Paul Rudd.
3
Leonardo DiCaprio
Imagine turning down a superhero movie not once, but twice. That’s exactly what Leonardo DiCaprio did. In 1995, DiCaprio was eyed for the role of Robin in Tim Burton’s Batman Forever. Instead, DiCaprio opted to star in The Basketball Diaries, which really showcased his talents as an actor and won him an award at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
How Tobey Maguire Became Spider-Man
A superhero role came knocking for DiCaprio again in the early 2000s. The accomplished actor, who had starred in Titanic a few years earlier, was writer and director James Cameron’s choice to play Peter Parker in a Spider-Man adaptation. DiCaprio declined the part, recommending friend and fellow actor Tobey Maguire as an alternative. Maguire went on to star in the highly successful 2002 Spider-Man movie directed by Sam Raimi.
2
Emily Blunt
Emily Blunt is another A-List actor who turned down two superhero movies. In a 2021 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Blunt explained that she was in talks to play Natasha Romanoff (known as Black Widow) in Iron Man 2 — a role that would be expanded upon as the MCU grew. Unfortunately, Blunt was already contracted to star in Gulliver’s Travels. She wanted to play Black Widow instead, but her hands were tied. The role went to Scarlett Johansson.
Multiple Scheduling Conflicts
The next year, Blunt was later offered the part of Peggy Carter in Captain America: The First Avenger. Unfortunately, she had a scheduling conflict there as well. “It just wasn’t the right time,” Blunt tells Vulture. Peggy Carter was ultimately played by Hayley Atwell, who appeared as the character in several movies and television shows.
1
Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett is best known today for indie films, the Gothic television series Penny Dreadful, and bold character choices in movies like M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap. Back in the day, however, he was an early 2000s heart-throb eyed for multiple superhero projects. While it’s often been said that he turned down three superhero movies, Hartnett insists that he only turned down one superhero role.
How Many Did He Really Turn Down?
Hartnett was in talks to play Spider-Man at one point and in talks to play Batman in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins in 2005, but he didn’t turn down formal offers. “I’d only turned down Superman as a straight-up offer,” he clarifies. This would have been the same Superman movie that Jude Law turned down. Hartnett admits that he was considered for a number of superhero movies during this time, but didn’t commit to any of them. “I’m a little bit outside of the box and had the leverage to do that,” he adds, “and that’s the direction I chose.”
“}]] The superhero movie life isn’t for everyone. Read More