Before Samuel L. Jackson, Nick Fury was almost played by George Clooney. The actor turned down the offer after doing some comic book research and a part of it scared the hell out of him.
Nick Fury is one of the founders of SHIELD and a very important figure in the Avengers story. The director was so different in the comics, and it is not exactly how he looks like today. Fury was intended to have his own solo movie at the beginning of the 2000s; in fact, George Clooney was tapped to portray the role.
The production was in its early stages, and the script was interesting enough for Clooney to consider the role. In a report from Business Insider, the actor did his own research on the character, and this is where all plans shattered.
Why George Clooney Refused Nick Fury Role
Clooney read the then-recently released issue of Fury by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, and Jimmy Palmiotti. The story was published under Marvel MAX label, which basically means it can go beyond censorship restrictions. In one scene of that gruesome issue, Fury choked someone using a man’s intestines, and this distressed the actor. Right after that, he decided to drop the role.
Had Clooney become the MCU’s Nick Fury, it would have changed everything from its very roots. The start of the MCU journey would have come earlier. However, his casting would also affect a lot of what we have now. When the actor left, Nick Fury almost joined the Fantastic Four franchise.
Marvel decided to let it sit for a while and revised for MCU, and that’s when Samuel L. Jackson took up the mantle. The actor claimed the character as his own, and he became an icon for it. In fact, Marvel Comics redesigned Nick Fury to make him resemble Jackson.
