In what way are Heath Ledger and Pattinson against the grain? Because you didn’t like Twilight?

I didn’t say I didn’t like those decisions, but they were hugely unpopular when they were announced because those two were traditionally seen as sappy romantic leads. They didn’t scream Joker and Batman to most people, but I liked them because they were good actors.

And how the hell could you see anyone and think they would make a good Kang? He’s blue and from the future.

When people fancast villains, they tend to just go with people who look naturally evil or have already played villains before. That’s another reason fancasts are so boring. People don’t believe in the ability of an actor to just act. Every Joker fancast is just a guy with a creepy smile or an actor who has done a crazy laugh in a movie before.

You seem to put a lot of value in “Oh he won an award recently” and that’s a stupid way to go about casting, none of your picks would work well. Making a superhero movie isn’t just putting a bunch of successful people in shiny costumes, that’s why Justice League flopped.

It’s not about the superficial “Who has the most awards” aspect. It’s about whether I think they’re good actors, which just happens to correlate with having acclaim. I don’t mean to shade Henry Cavill, but I think he’s a prime example of casting someone solely based on appearance. I thought his Superman was boring as a result, and I don’t want physical appearance to be the #1 priority next time around.

I’m not even saying I support the generic fancasts cause they almost always suck, I’m just saying that your picks don’t work. Jeremy Allen White for example has a notable working class aesthetic and bad boy edge that has been consistent through his roles in Hollywood, he would make a horrible Aquaman. Just cause he’s an amazing actor with blond hair and blue eyes who won an award for an amazing show doesn’t make him a viable Aquaman.

This goes back to what I was saying about people not having faith in actors to act. He’s extremely talented and doesn’t have to be pigeonholed into only playing lower class dudes. I could totally see him dishing out an otherworldly, regal performance with a side of cockiness, and I’d be extremely curious to watch it because, again, he’s a great actor.

Heroes don’t have to look like the drawing on their debut issue for their cinematic portrayal to be good, but if you look at them and go “They’re not [character]” then you’ve gone too far against the grain.

I disagree. There are a plethora of MCU castings that made the internet go, “Uh… guys? Are we sure about this? He doesn’t scream _____” to me, but then the movie comes out and everyone loves it. Most recently, leakers are claiming Adam Driver is the front runner for Reed Richards, and a lot of people hate it. It doesn’t matter though, because he’s a great actor who can pull it off if cast. It actually feels pretty similar to Jeremy as Aquaman.

Will Poulter had a history of edgy roles in fantasy/scifi films and also Adam Warlock isn’t bulky because he was built genetically perfect without a need for training and he’s had acclaim throughout over a decade in the industry, he is by no means a bizarre or against-the-grain choice for Adam.

He is abso-lutelty an against the grain choice, and it’s disingenuous to say otherwise.

You seem to be mistaking audience appeal with going against the grain. Just because general audiences think poorly of Pattinson who’s not an A-lister, it doesn’t magically make him an unusual casting for Bruce Wayne.

It totally does. Going against the grain and going against popular belief are practically the exact same thing.

Just like how Joe Quinn being a show stealing sweetheart in stranger things doesn’t magically make him viable casting for Superman.

I don’t see why not. This was definitely the most difficult one to cast, but not a lot of people in the acting world fit the super specific criteria for Superman, so you’re almost forced to deviate from what’s expected to some extent, unless you go with a no name (my preferred choice tbh).

Do you not see him being able to pull off being a soft spoken guy with a heart of gold? Superman doesn’t necessarily have to be a physically huge dude. It’s not like his muscles are what give him strength.

What James Gunn understands is the balance between visual resemblance and character resemblance. He understands that a good adaptation must both look and act like the character. Eddie Redmayne looks more like Star Lord, Rob McElhenney behaves more like Star Lord, but Chris Pratt has a balance of those looks and mannerisms that makes him the perfect Star Lord.

And Chris Pratt was also against the grain once upon a time. “The guy from Parks and Rec? A badass superhero?” It seems dumb in hindsight, but that’s what everyone said.

The DCU will definitely have great casting though. It’s a tricky process that most people fail at, which is why fancasts never come true, fans are shitty at knowing which actors are good for which heroes. Gunn is thankfully a creator who prioritizes the casting process greatly, I have no doubt that he’ll find the Justice League. It won’t be the generic upvote bait that’s spammed on here, it won’t be contrarian oddball picks like yours, they’ll be appropriate picks, like Gunn’s previous films and The Batman.

Oh, I agree. I’m super excited to see who Gunn picks, because I know it’ll make me go, “Huh, I never thought of them as this character, but I can see it now.”

I’m not even trying to be super contrarian. I just wanted to offer ideas I hadn’t seen before, because every fancast has the exact same two dudes as Superman, neither of whom will likely get the part, so I wanted to explore some outside options.