There are many actors who briefly flirted with joining the Marvel universe and ultimately missed out on the opportunity – but few of them have had two chances to become an Avenger and lost out on both. So far as we know, that honour is unique to Joaquin Phoenix.
The actor was initially pegged as the first choice to replace The Incredible Hulk‘s Edward Norton as Bruce Banner for The Avengers, before Mark Ruffalo got the gig. Then, Phoenix was approached to play the lead in Doctor Strange. He reportedly almost got that one, too, but he ultimately passed when faced with the prospect of signing on for several follow-up movies.
You might expect him to have mixed feelings about these missed opportunities, then, but it doesn’t sound like Phoenix has any regrets about his dalliance with the Marvel universe. When talking with Little White Lies about the subject, the actor admitted that he appreciates the revenue Marvel Studios has generated for the film industry but feels that things ultimately worked out for the best.
“I think they make some great, fun movies. There’s nothing wrong… I’m not a f***ing, like, cinephile. I’m not a snob and I’m totally fine with… I enjoy those movies sometimes, and I think they keep the f***ing industry going in some ways, so I don’t have a problem with it at all. I think that everybody was, is… I’m trying to figure out how to say this most diplomatically, okay… I think everybody was really happy with how things turned out. All parties were satisfied.”
If rumours are to be believed, part of the reason Joaquin Phoenix stands by his decision not to work with Marvel might be because he’s signed on to play one of the most iconic DC characters instead. All signs are currently pointing to the Gladiator star portraying the lead in the upcoming Joker standalone movie. As produced by Martin Scorsese, it promises to be more of a gritty crime drama than comic book film, so this could explain Phoenix’s interest in it, if indeed there’s any truth to the reports.
Todd Phillips’ Joker is on course to begin production in May, so confirmed casting news must be on the way soon. But will it reveal that Joaquin Phoenix is finally making a superhero movie appearance? We can only hope.
