As you may recall, around the time it was first reported that Michael Keaton was in contention to play the villain in Spider-Man: Homecoming, the Batman Returns star was said to be unsure about signing on for the role.
Sony Pictures reportedly looked at other actors, but Keaton ultimately decided that he wanted the part, and the rest his history.
Now, it's come to light that none other than John Leguizamo (Super Mario Bros., The Menu, John Wick) was just about to seal the deal to portray Adrian Toomes when Keaton changed his mind.
"I was supposed to be the Vulture," Leguizamo revealed to ComicBook.com while discussing his villainous role in Violent Knight. "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."
He was offered another role, but decided to pass. "They offered me something tiny," Leguizamo added. "I went, 'Nuh uh.'"
Leguizamo doesn't specify if the studio offered him a different part in Homecoming or a separate project altogether, but there's a chance he was given the opportunity to play one of Vulture's henchmen.
It's a shame he missed out, but we'd say most fans were pretty happy with Keaton's take on the classic Spidey villain. The character showed up in Morbius' much-maligned post-credits scene, but we have no idea if we'll ever see him again.
About The Author:
Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.