John Leguizamo, the celebrated actor, comedian, and writer, has recently revealed his disappointment after being offered a tiny consolation prize of a role by Marvel Studios. Leguizamo, who had negotiated for the role of The Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming, had to give up the role when Michael Keaton expressed interest in it. He was later offered a smaller role, which he declined.
Leguizamo shared his story on social media along with an article about the matter. He also expressed his initial intention to sue the studio but then backed off, citing the reason that he is not litigious.
John Leguizamo’s Missed Marvel Opportunity: How Michael Keaton Landed the Role of The Vulture
The Vulture, the classic Spider-Man villain, was portrayed by Michael Keaton in the 2017 film Spider-Man: Homecoming. However, John Leguizamo had come very close to landing the role himself. In an interview with ComicBook, Leguizamo said he was supposed to play The Vulture before Keaton stepped in.
“I was supposed to be the Vulture. We had negotiated and I was about to play him, and they said that Michael Keaton wanted it back and they asked me if I would give it up. I said, ‘Well, okay I guess.’ They said, ‘No, we’ll work with you again, we’re gonna…’ That’s what happened there.”
Also Read: Robert Downey Jr Had a 3 Word Response When Marvel Wanted to Cast Tom Holland as Spider-Man
Leguizamo then revealed that he was offered a small role after giving up the part, which he declined.
“They offered me something tiny. I went, ‘Nuh-uh.’”
By rejecting the smaller role offered by Marvel Studios, Leguizamo demonstrated that he values himself as an actor and won’t settle for less than he deserves.
John Leguizamo Calls Out Marvel’s Use of Him as a Pawn in Negotiations with Michael Keaton
John Leguizamo took to Instagram to further discuss the story. He shared a screenshot of a related article and added a caption that stated he was used as a pawn in Marvel’s negotiations with Keaton.
“It’s true but I was used as a pawn to close Keaton but I should have said ‘no’ because we had agreed to terms! And I had a leg to sue but I ain’t litigious,”
He added that he should have said no as he had already agreed to the terms. Leguizamo’s remarks indicate that he felt disrespected by Marvel Studios and that the studio did not value him as an actor.
Michael Keaton, who starred in Birdman, had an ironic twist of fate. Not only did he secure the role of The Vulture, but he also reprised the character in Morbius, potentially setting up the Sinister Six film that Sony is eager to make a reality.
It remains to be seen what will happen with that project, but Keaton is set to appear as Batman once again in The Flash. Meanwhile, Leguizamo’s action-comedy film, Violent Night, is available on Peacock.
We can only imagine what Leguizamo’s casting as The Vulture would have been like, given his acting range and ability to switch between drama and comedy. Leguizamo is best known for his roles in films like Carlito’s Way, Romeo + Juliet, and John Wick.
At this point, we’ll just say someone owes John Leguizamo a superhero movie and set a reminder until it happens.
Spider-Man: Homecoming is streaming on Disney+
Source: Bounding to Comics
