Kevin Feige and the Marvel creative team faced challenges in the early days of the MCU, particularly with the casting process. Although they successfully cast Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, and Chris Hemsworth in their respective roles, the same success did not extend to all their villain roles. Interestingly, Feige initially hesitated to cast one actor in the villain role in The Incredible Hulk.
The Abomination is most remembered for its layered portrayal by actor Tim Roth. At the time, Roth was dominating the independent film scene but was not yet a household name in mainstream Hollywood. Feige wanted a big-name actor in the role of Jeff Bridges in Iron Man.
Kevin Feige Initially Objected The Casting Of Tim Roth In The Incredible Hulk
MCU fans still find it hard to include The Incredible Hulk as a canon in the universe. While the film did a decent job of bringing audiences to a superhero movie, behind-the-scenes drama marred its production. The primary issue revolved around creative differences between Kevin Feige, director Louis Letterier, and actor Edward Norton.
One such disagreement arose during the casting of the supervillain in the film, Emil Blonsky, aka the Abomination. Letterier advocated for Tim Roth as the director wanted to cast a character actor in the role. Roth had already proven his talents in Quentin Tarantino films like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.
However, Feige was not on board with this plan. According to MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios, the Marvel Head was eyeing a well-known actor for the role and even considered the late Ray Stevenson in the role. Stevenson’s intimidating presence convinced Feige more than Roth’s performances in indie films.
However, Stevenson became unavailable as he had committed to playing Frank Castle in the 2008 film Punisher: War Zone. Feige eventually agreed to the Lie to Me actor’s casting, despite being concerned about his ability to draw in a crowd. Roth surprised Feige, who ultimately thanked Letterier for convincing him to cast this unconventional villain.
The Hateful Eight actor reprised his role in subsequent MCU projects, including Shang-Chi: The Legend of the Ten Rings and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.
Quentin Tarantino Fought To Cast Tim Roth Over Johnny Depp
Kevin Feige is not the first studio head to doubt the casting of Tim Roth in a role. Roth delivered an incredible performance in Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs and became the director’s favorite for another role in his film Pulp Fiction. However, TriStar Pictures, who initially considered funding the film, wanted Johnny Depp to play the role of Pumpkin.
Tarantino, who had already fixed his backup actor for the role, did not agree to this casting. He asked the then-chairman of TriStar Mike Medavoy if the Depp casting would add much to the box office. Medavoy arrogantly replied, “It won’t add a dime but it would make me feel better.” (via Variety)
Tarantino stood his ground on casting Tim Roth, and TriStar eventually dropped the project. When Miramax picked up the project, the Django Unchained director was able to cast his first choice. The Incredible Hulk is now available for streaming on Disney+, while Pulp Fiction is now available on Max.
