We finally have a trailer for Wakanda Forever

boing
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Well we also have the point that Marvel has not generally recast roles when actors leave.

Notable exceptions like Hulk, where the first film wasn’t successful. And whatever the hell went down with Terrance Howard.

We got a new Captain America, not a new actor for Steve Rogers. We’re getting a different Iron Man related character, not a new Tony Stark. They didn’t recast black Widow. They introduced Yelena.

There are clear “on deck” characters to transition to for others (thinking of Hawkguy, and now Hulkand Thor).

There was a lot of speculation and discussion about how Marvel would handle actors like Chris Evans hitting the end of their contracts and moving on. Or what would go down if anyone eventually aged out.

They’re pretty clearly, and explicitly not recasting Bond style. They’re handing off titles, or putting related and equivalent characters in those spots.

So a recast here. Again may have been the better move creatively, and given the special circumstances. But it doesn’t fit with their overall approach to the MCU.

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Who never shows his face and, as you say, utters the same three words all the time. Not exactly doing the “have the A-lister front and center for the international audience” thing. It’s like a perverse parody of it, at best. He wasn’t cast as Quill. That role went to “who? oh yeah, the ‘chubby’ sitcom dude.” (Though even casting Diesel at all was part of a shift of strategy that’s become more pronounced as they went on. Casting Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek and Harry Styles in The Eternals being the end result. Though this could also indicate less confidence in the strength of those characters and the current phase of the MCU in general.) But no, they’re not cheaping out on the actors - just the amounts they’ve been spending to keep even previously unknown actors available for a decade of sequels and cross-overs indicates that, but what they weren’t doing was spending big bucks to get A-list actors in the lead roles.

I’ve read that they were talking to Daniel Craig to play Thor(!) I don’t know at what point they flipped their ideas about that, but it seems to have happened well before Iron Man actually came out. Casting unknowns was, according to the conventional wisdom, a risk, but it was a strategy they committed to before they knew it would pay off - people at Marvel have since talked about how they decided the characters were key selling points rather than the actors. (Hulk, as a Universal distribution, being pre-MCU and not fitting into the strategy.) My point was that it makes their rather extreme adherence to continuity of actors since then so weird. They obviously have their reasons, but they’ve clearly now abandoned the idea that the characters are of primary importance.

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image

Guess we’ll just have to disagree on the basic facts on that one.

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Samuel L. Jackson wasn’t exactly a lead in Iron Man, was he?

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Well… this thread is “fun.”

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Forgotten?

I intentionally avoided it, thank you very much. Lol

I’m kidding, but only kind of. I knew it was only going to supplemental material at best and wouldn’t factor into the main plot. Plus, it took like three seasons to get “good.”

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For one RDJ was on a career upswing when cast, people tend to forget that. He had been regularly working, and earning rave reviews for films for a while.

The Singing Detective, 4 years before Iron Man is typically considered his big come back. Between that and Iron Man you had A Scanner Darkly, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Good Night and Good Luck, Zodiac.

Those are just the ones that had people buzzing about him.

For another.

Cumberbatch. Guy was certified A list, and highly in demand when cast. Was already involved in multiple blockbusters.

Marvel caught some people early on while their careers were on an upswing. But the whole “Marvel doesn’t hire names” was never particularly true, and whatever “Marvel does it cheap” ship sailed when their box offices crossed a billion.

From what I understand the 10 year contracts ended mostly due to push back from the actors. Their existing casts went hard on renegotiation, Unions got pissed, and even less established actors were resistant to signing on to start. Regardless of terms.

That sort of thing largely flew because people weren’t yet aware how successful and long running these films would be. Not because BAFTA winner Scarlett Johansson was cheap at that point.

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that was all covered above.

what had gone unmentioned were the recent shows and movies that were explicitly about multiple versions of the same characters. in loki and spiderman’s case actually even played by different actors

the mcu was uniquely positioned in this very moment to introduce a new actor for t’challa. some namor villain that bridged the worlds and the two t’challas that get stuck on opposite sides or whatever

maybe the other version wasn’t even a prince or from a royal family, maybe not even a black panther, but his unique and ineffable self rises to the occasion. just like all the peter parkers did

point being they had in-world options to address this. and realizing that now, i do think it was a lost opportunity given the reasons dnealy mentioned.

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A bit what I’m pushing back on is that you need to be uniquely positioned to an replace actor.

To whatever extent that this was considered an issue in received Hollywood wisdom. Marvel has already just straight replaced people without explanation in continuity. It happens all the time.

But more over. Where replacing major actors will be, and in a couple of cases already has been, an issue.

Marvel has already taken clear steps to and in 3 cases so far. Not done it that way.

To the extent that we’ve seen alt versions of characters played by different actors. None of them really seem to be part of the clear set of characters being set up to step in and up as actors leave.

The really big case, Loki, we still have the same actor playing a different version. And the other version played by some one else. Doesn’t seem to be getting setup as a replacement, even as she seems to be permanent.

Point being. Before Boseman passed, Marvel had already gone with and begun planning for other characters to take a title or place when an actor leaves.

What they’re doing is pretty consistent with pre-existing plans and approach.

To the extent that they could recast anyway. They wouldn’t need a complex, continuity based way to explain it.

I don’t think a multiverse story about why T’Chala looks different is particularly good story telling.

MOM also made a big point about Incursions, and people and objects over staying their welcome in a different universe triggering that universe’s destruction.

But otherwise that’s not even off the table, even though they’re not going that route in this particular film.

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im not positioned at all, but as soon as i am i’ll take it under advisement

right. and they could have which was my point. it’s surely guaranteed they will eventually

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