A couple of years ago, we heard that one of this generation’s most popular action heroes, Jason Statham, was in talks to play Bullseye in Marvel's Daredevil Season 2. That rumor may have been debunked, but now there's no doubt that he was once approached about a role in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.
While promoting Spider-Man: Homecoming, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige disclosed to Den of Geek that the English actor had entered negotiations for an undisclosed role in one of their movies. However, he’d been forced to pass on it due to a scheduling conflict. Feige explained:
We talked with him (Statham) about doing a role in one of our movies. We're fans, too. It didn't end up working out; his schedule didn't work out. But I was in another meeting a few days later, and my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but I answered it. And it was Jason Statham"¦And he was saying, “Sorry it didn't work out. Maybe next time.” He couldn't have been nicer!
Feige didn't mention which character or movie they discussed with Statham, but it's surprising that Statham even considered joining the Marvel family. In 2013, the actor, who’s best known for his roles in the Fast and Furious, Expendables, and Transporter franchises, told Digital Spy that he would never play a superhero, because “the cape wouldn't fit”.
Furthermore, Statham claimed in a 2015 interview that he had “no ambition” to star in a Marvel movie. He went on to criticize the movies for their excessive use of stunt doubles and CGI effects:
I could take my grandma and put her in a cape, and they’ll put her on a green screen, and they’ll have stunt doubles come in and do all the action. Anybody can do it.
The 49-year-old actor must have had a change of heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have told Feige, “Maybe next time.”
