When Latino Review's Elmayimbe revealed on Twitter that there was a host of diverse young talent being looked at by Fox and Warner Bros. for some potential roles in future superhero flicks I decided to do some digging, and this is what I found out: Apparently Fox and WB have realized that Marvel have yet to capitalize on the fact that a large percentage of moviegoers are Minority’s (African American, Latino, Asian) and plan to get a leg up on them in that regard. The studios have been looking at lots of unknown - or not very well known - actors to fill some of the roles in their slate of upcoming comic book movies. Which roles? We can't reveal specifically , but obviously there's speculation based on which properties the studios own but haven't adapted yet.
Here are just a few of the names being looked at - we'll have more for you very soon!
Todd Lasance - An Australian actor best known for his performance in tv's Home And Away (sound familiar?), he is considered one of the most popular Australian exports yet to break out globally. He can be seen next on Spartacus: War of The Damned as Julius Caesar.
Shalim Ortiz - A Puerto Rican singer/actor who has been highlighted as the next Latin star. He has appeared in multiple award wining independent films like Bad Ass, Silver Case, and television shows such as Heroes, and Magic City.
Omar Sy - French film actor who gave an amazing performance in The Intouchables, the second biggest box office hit in France. Word is Marvel missed out on an opportunity to cast him (apparently he read for Guardians Of The Galaxy), so Twentieth Century Fox picked him up for X-Men: Days Of Future Past.
Shad Gaspard – 6’5” former WWE Pro wrestler. Since leaving wrestling he has become an accomplished Shakespearean theater actor performing as Hamlet, Henry V, and more. As well as appearing on TV shows such as Law & Order, The Game, & The Exes.
Godfrey Gao - Taiwanese model and actor who has appeared in several TV dramas and films. In 2012, it was announced that he will play Magnus Bane in the film adap of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones.
Joe Taslim - An Indonesian model, actor, and former fighter, Taslim is best known for his performance in the 2011 action thriller The Raid as Sgt. Jaka. Apparently another actor Marvel let slip through their fingers as they procrastinated on a deal, and days later he was snapped up for Fast Six.
There you have it guys. Expect to hear some or all of the names on that list again over the coming months as big things are on the horizon. Casting agencies and studios are putting these guys out there and there is big buzz about them. International sales of films in Latino, Asian and European countries are up more than ever and WB and Fox are looking to strike while the iron is hot and infuse more minority characters into their CBMs. Like I said, we don't know specifics on characters and movies, but I'm working on it!