Originally published at: Harrison Ford to replace late William Hurt as MCU's Thunderbolt Ross | Boing Boing
…
4 Likes
In fairness to Marvel, Gen. Ross is more of a functionary in the MCU, whereas T’challa was a singular icon.
I do believe they should have recast, but it’s people making these films and those pesky feelings keep popping up. Coogler didn’t feel like he could do it and properly honor his friend, and it says a lot that Feige didn’t overrule him and supported the decision and all the implications that presents for the future.
This being said, we will probably see another T’challa someday, but for now it’s too soon.
10 Likes
I’m curious if we’re going to see Ross become Red Hulk in the MCU. I have a hard time seeing Harrison Ford doing all the mocap required for that. It just doesn’t seem like something he’d be down for.
6 Likes
Not the word I would choose. I think the filmmakers do have a pretty clear explanation, whether or not people agree that it’s a good or justifiable one.
5 Likes
I think the casting is curious considering how much of a known grump Harrison Ford is. There’s probably other actors that would be more enthusiastic and would be game for doing gigs in the role across multiple Marvel movies. Ford i can see him doing it the one time and that’s it, unless Disney is throwing a massive paycheck at him.
1 Like
It’s not like they’d really need Ford to do the mocap work himself anyway. Vin Diesel didn’t do any most of the physical performance for Groot over the years.
That’s exactly why I think he might be perfect for this particular role. General Ross isn’t a fun-loving fanboy, he’s a grouchy old soldier with little patience for foolishness.
In fact they’d barely need Ford to show up at all. They just need to license his scowl and map it on to a big red monster.
10 Likes
Make it make sense
Sure. If they had recast the character of T’Challa, endless amounts of people would have screamed and whined. They chose not to recast T’Challa, and endless amounts of people are screaming and whining.
Damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
I am on the side of the ones happy they didn’t recast him. Chadwick was iconic in that role. No one could step into those shoes. T’Challa has passed, and it’s time for a different person to take up the mantle of Black Panther. I really dig doing it this way, instead of endlessly rebooting characters with new actors like Sony did with Spider-man.
5 Likes
Yeah I don’t think the decision to not recast him has actually been all that polarizing at all. I don’t know anyone who wanted them to recast the part this soon. Eventually, sure, but not now. Boseman embodied that role too perfectly.
2 Likes
Sam Elliott is still alive, but he’s way too old to play an active-duty general again
… er, but wait, Harrison Ford is OLDER THAN SAM ELLIOTT 
Come on, Disney, nostalgia is not a plan
1 Like
William Hurt wasn’t exactly a spring chicken, although Ford is almost a decade older. There are two actors closer in age to Hurt who I think could play Ross. Jeff Bridges and Mark Harmon.
2 Likes
Bridges would lead to some confusion considering he played Obadiah Stane in Iron Man.
2 Likes
I guess I don’t see the point of recasting at all if the actor is still going to be too old for the role
It doesn’t matter how old the Hulk is, but the Army has a defined retirement age 
1 Like
Still less ridiculous than having a septuagenarian Indiana Jones going on action packed adventures in the 1970s.
6 Likes
Ah, of course, didn’t think of that.
Well, in this case, they’re recasting because the actor died. So I can see wanting to stick to an actor close in age. Since they aren’t rebooting the MCU yet, it wouldn’t make sense for General Ross to go from William Hurt to Brad Pitt (although I think Pitt would make a great General Ross).
Well…that would certainly be the most high profile duplicate acting in the MCU, but not unprecedented. (honestly, I forgot he played Stane)
I don’t think any one has a huge emotional attachment for Thunderbolt Ross in the MCU. Recasting him isn’t a big deal.
Chadwick’s depiction of T’Challa does. I honestly think just slapping a new actor into the role would be fairly shallow… because of the death of the actor.
But, the role of the Black Panther was meant to pass from one person to another. It makes sense that it goes to another actor/character.
BUT - as pointed out in the OP - T’Challa did come back from the dead. So, I think a future film could incorporate this plot-line. Which would then explain why he looks different.
4 Likes
Tony Stark himself made a “Big Lebowski” joke in one of the movies, implying that Jeff Bridges is canonically a Hollywood actor who exists within the MCU.
3 Likes
And yet I’ll still be lining up to see it in the theaters 
I’d like to see Kiefer Sutherland in the role. He was awesome in Monsters va Aliens as Gen. W. R. Monger.
2 Likes
There have been exceptions to the normal mandatory retirement age in which officers have served into their mid-70s but those cases are very rare.
