In the world of comic books and their movie adaptations, no names come close to the behemoth production houses of Marvel and DC. The studio houses of the respective comic giants have held onto their cinematic universes and solo movies for decades now. In this aspect, Spider-Man from the former and Batman from the latter stands out as not only two of the most widely recognized superheroes around the world but also the characters with the most flicks to their name.
In this saga, two actors, namely John Leguizamo and Jim Carrey, carry their own distinct and disappointing tales of playing villains for such adaptations. While Marvel literally snatched the role out of the former’s hands, the latter’s outing as one of the most famed villains of DC turned out to be one of the worst iterations in comic book history. Interestingly, the Columbian actor still has an active interest in righting the wrongs as well as reclaiming a role for himself.
John Leguizamo wants to take on a divisive Jim Carrey outing
Famed as the voice for Ice Age’s Sid the Sloth and Luigi in Super Mario Bros., the 63-year-old actor boasts a ton of awards and achievements to his name. After losing out on his chance to break into the superhero genre with the role of Vulture for Marvel Studios from Tom Holland’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, the actor has now shifted his gaze to DC. In talks with Business Insider, John Leguizamo opened up on his interest in playing the Riddler.
On being asked by the host about his chances of returning to Marvel or a franchise of similar stature, the actor replied, “I would if I was offered The Riddler or some part like that.” Interestingly, Jim Carrey once played that part in the 1995 film, Batman Forever, where his flamboyant and colorful appearance in a bright green suit covered in question marks, drew massive ire of the fans. Additionally, the film’s light-hearted tone also called for the actor to act in a manner completely opposite to comic accuracy, further angering fans.
Regardless, Leguizamo’s wish comes at the right time. DC Studios recently underwent a change of hands with James Gunn and Peter Safran in charge. Furthermore, with the last live-action outing of The Riddler by Paul Sano in 2022’s The Batman sat amazingly well with the fans and proved that the role only needs a better creative outlook, which the new DC chiefs certainly appear to have.
Marvel Studios nearly brought a lawsuit on themselves with the Vulture controversy
In the same interview, John Leguizamo revealed that, although he had not yet signed a contract with Marvel Studios, the talks and negotiations had already reached a very advanced stage. However, when Michael Keaton agreed to play the role of the Vulture, the studio called on the former actor and asked him to step down from the role. Recalling that he “felt dissed and diminished,” the acclaimed actor finally decided not “to be a part of it” but not cordially.
“I hadn’t signed a contract, but we had agreed. I think those are sueable terms.”
Leguizamo finally decided not to sue the studio on the advice of his grandmother. However, he did have a considerable enough ground to drop a lawsuit at the billion-dollar-worth studio. On its end, he also added that as a consolation, Marvel offered him the role of “some tiny scientist in the movie” to which he declined. In the end, Keaton did settle on playing the role and reprised it in Sony’s Morbius.
