Not many know that the American actor joaquin phoenix was very close to being Doctor Strange in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the Joker actor rejected Marvel for a curious reason: he didn’t want to take on the role on a long-term, multi-movie deal.
Before Benedict Cumberbatch landed the role of Doctor Strange, Marvel Studios was in talks with joaquin phoenix. In a recent interview, the Joker actor spoke about the negotiations and said that he was all right on his part.
“I believe that Marvel makes great and funny movies. There’s nothing wrong, I’m not a fucking movie buff. I am not a snob and I am totally in favor of this cinema. Sometimes I enjoy those movies. I think they keep the damn industry going, somehow. So I have no problem with that. Everyone is very happy with how things finally turned out. All parties are satisfied,” he said. phoenix.
In an interview with The Direct, the former production attorney for Marvel StudiosPaul Sarker recounted how Marvel reacted when some actors rejected the proposal to join the MCU.
“It’s weird that this is on my radar, because normally we lawyers only get involved when there’s a pretty close deal, you know? Just like the studio, the agent, the manager and the star have all read the script. They’re familiar with it. role, they agreed to the financial terms, they agreed to the shooting schedule… We just documented that deal. So if someone is interested but ultimately declines because they don’t like the story or it doesn’t fit their schedule, it doesn’t make it to my desk.” Sarker explained.
Paul Sarker then listed the actors and actresses who almost got cast as the heroes of Marvel Studios. In the list included joaquin phoenix What Doctor StrangeEmily Blunt as Black Widow and Tom Cruise as Iron Man.
“Sarah Finn directs the casting of Marvel Studios, you can know that by reading on the internet. Emily Blunt was supposed to be Black Widow, but Scarlett Johansson was cast instead. I think Tom Cruise was also supposed to be Iron Man, but he asked for too much money. So they chose Robert Downey Jr. Looking back, it seems like it was the right choice. And I think there were a lot of actors who were trying out for Thor, including Tom Hiddleston. They chose Chris Hemsworth and I also think he was the right choice,” Sarker added.
Paul Sarker later clarified that the situation with joaquin phoenix It was exceptional, since there was an almost closed deal but it did not materialize. the lawyer of Marvel Studios he explained that this failed deal caused studio president Kevin Feige to back away from long-term multi-film deals so as not to force anyone to play a certain role for a long time.
“To be completely honest, the joaquin phoenix it was exceptional because there was a deal and I remember that it was quite advanced. We were hoping to close it, but it didn’t. That happens from time to time. To close the loop, things like that could be the reason why Kevin Feige said that we don’t want to do these very long term deals, because we prefer to see how it works or if it works at all. We don’t want a star to feel forced to play the same role for a long time.”
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They reveal the reason why Joaquin Phoenix rejected Marvel and the character he was going to play