Last year, John Leguizamo (Summer of Sam, John Wick) revealed that he was in talks with Marvel Studios to play the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Though Michael Keaton ultimately signed on to play the character, the Batman actor was reportedly hesitant to commit at first, and Marvel had Leguizamo lined up in case negotiations fell through.
Apparently, Leguizamo was told that the role was his prior to Keaton agreeing to play the part.
“I was supposed to be the Vulture,” Leguizamo said at the time. “We had negotiated and I was about to play him, and they said that Michael Keaton wanted it back and they asked me if I would give it up. I said, ‘Well, okay I guess.’ They said, ‘No, we’ll work with you again, we’re gonna…’ That’s what happened there.”
In a new interview with Business Insider, Leguizamo goes into a little more detail on what went down, and he believes he was well within his rights to sue the studio since they had agreed on terms.
“I hadn’t signed a contract, but we had agreed. I think those are suable terms.”
“The head of the studio called me up and said, ‘This is terrible. I feel horrible, and would you give it up?’ And I did," he continued. "I felt like, if you didn’t want me, I don’t want to be there either, you know what I mean? My grandma was like, ‘If they don’t want you at a party, don’t go.’ So I was like, you don’t want me at the party. I don’t want to be there. I felt dissed and diminished, so I didn’t really want to be a part of it.”
This experience didn't turn Leguizamo off superhero movies altogether, as he reveals that he would still be interested in a substantial role in another franchise.
“I would if I was offered The Riddler or some part like that. I would go back to other franchises. I mean, if you make it up to me. But then they offered me some tiny scientist in the movie. I was like, ‘No thank you. Thank you, but no.'”
We haven't seen Adrian Toomes since that infamous Morbius post-credits scene, and looking at the current shape of Sony's SSU, the chances of Keaton reprising the role seem pretty slim.
What do you make of Leguizamo's comments? Do you think he'd have made a good Vulture? Drop us a comment down below.