Marvel’s casting director has revealed interesting details about how the studio found theAvengers. While 2008’sIron Manwas a huge success, it was not until 2012’sThe Avengersthat theMarvel Cinematic Universereally exploded in terms of popularity. Fans loved the interaction between the different heroes on the team, which led to all four of theMCU’s Avengers moviesso far making at least $1 billion at the box office. Now that Marvel is bringing back most of the original Avengers cast for theteam’s next two films, insight into how the actors were chosen has been shared.
Speaking onThe Official Marvel Podcast,Marvel Studios' casting director, Sarah Halley Finn, revealed the secret to casting the MCU’s Avengers. According to her, it all came down to individual stories. Finn says Marvel’s thought process was focused on finding the best possible actor for each hero and building a supporting cast that would complement them, not thinking about crossovers with other heroes. When casting a less experienced actor like Chris Hemsworth was at the time, Marvel would balance that with names like Anthony Hopkins as Odin. In the end, the Avengers' chemistry was “able to happen magically,” leading to some of theMCU’s best movies. Check out the full quote below:
Sarah Halley Finn: “Honestly it’s a little bit hard for me to talk about it from an outside perspective, because I’m so very close to it - but what I really remember when we were casting it is that our focus was very singular. It really was entirely about ‘who is the best person to bring this character to life?’ And then when we’ve got the main character, how do we best surround them, you know?
So when you have somebody that’s newer on the scene like a Chris Hemsworth, can we get an Anthony Hopkins? Could we get - like, how do we then build the ensemble if it’s Chris Pratt and he’s know more for comedy? What if we bring in Zoe, who we know is gonna up the ante for him and then make it challenging?
But you know, with every character I was always casting one movie at a time, so I was never really casting The Avengers, that all was able to happen magically, and I do think it’s a testament to the caliber of actors, to the writing, to the directing, to the vision that Kevin had throughout - and really also probably benefitted from the time we had to live with these characters and get to know them, and the stories that were being told, and the way they all were growing with us. But when they did first come together in The Avengers, the reaction to that film was electrifying, I think for all of us, and honestly humbling.”
What Sarah Halley Finn’s MCU Casting Comments Mean
Sarah Halley Finn’s comments are interesting. They reaffirm the commitment the MCU had to slowly develop its heroes before they came together. While Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige always planned forThe Avengersto happen, the most important thing for Marvel was getting the individual heroes right. After all, if fans did not care for the characters separately, it would be hard for them to really be excited when they came together. Finn’s comments are also insightful in the way that they reveal howMarvel cast projects around its stars' needs.
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So, with Chris Hemsworth, who was a soap opera star, Marvel got Anthony Hopkins as Thor’s father, bringing in a Hollywood legend to challenge Hemsworth. Likewise, in Chris Pratt’s case, the Guardians of the Galaxy star was well-versed in comedy, so Zoë Saldaña was chosen as Gamora, bringing in a proven actress in drama to balance Pratt’s Star-Lord as his love interest. Those choices helped create well-rounded heroes and projects right from the start of the MCU. As such,Finn’s comments help illustrate just how crucial her work is to the franchise’s successif someone still did not realize it.
Our Take On Sarah Halley Finn’s MCU Casting Comments
I think Sarah Halley Finn’s comments are great, showing what Marvel Studios deemed was important when casting the original Avengers and other early MCU heroes. The franchise has thrived because of that careful planning, andrushing the crossover between the MCU’s heroes would not have made it any better, as the old DCEU exemplified through its handling of the Justice League. As such, I’m glad that Finn continues to work at Marvel after all these years, and with most of the originalAvengerscast back in the MCU, the franchise’s next few projects should be very exciting.
The Avengers
Cast
The sixth film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers is an action superhero film that sees the heroes assembled across the franchise face off with a deadly galactic threat. With the arrival of Thor’s brother, Loki, heroes such as Captain America, The Hulk, Iron Man, and Black Widow are brought together to stop him from unleashing an alien race upon earth.
