Thread 150207105

Blade (1998)

>Ernest Dickerson was considered to direct before Stephen Norrington was hired.

>The studio wanted a campy spoof-like tone before writer David S. Goyer convinced them to make it dark and gritty.

>LL Cool J was approached for Blade before Wesley Snipes was hired. Denzel Washington and Laurence Fishburne were also considered. Snipes would originally star in a Black Panther movie

>Jet Li, Mark Wahlberg, Skeet Ulrich and Bruce Payne were considered for Deacon Frost before Stephen Dorff was cast.

>Patrick McGoohan and Jon Voight were considered for Abraham Whistler before Kris Kristofferson was cast.

>The movie was heavily reshot and reedited after disastrous test-screenings, and the original ending where Frost transforms into a blood monster was scrapped due to the poor CGI and replaced with a final swordfight between Blade and Frost.

>An alternative ending where Blade encounters Morbius to set up a sequel was shot but scrapped.

X-Men (2000)

>James Cameron, Kathryn Bigelow, Richard Donner, Tim Burton, Danny Boyle, David Fincher, Joel Schumacher, John McTiernan, Robert Rodriguez, Irvin Kershner and Stephen Hopkins were approached to direct before Bryan Singer was hired.

>Early drafts featured Magneto hunting Wolverine because he needs Adamantium to complete his mutation machine rather than hunting Rogue in order to use her to sacrifice her to activate the machine.

>Early drafts featured Beast, Pyro and Blob. Beast and Blob were cut for being too expensive, while Pyro only made a cameo.

>Russell Crowe, Keanu Reeves, Edward Norton, Kiefer Sutherland, Aaron Eckhart, Viggo Mortensen and Gary Sinise were considered for Wolverine before Dougray Scott was cast. He later dropped out and was replaced by Hugh Jackman.

>Vince Vaughn, Thomas Jane, Eric Mabius and D.B. Sweeney were considered for Cyclops before James Caviezel was cast. He later dropped out and was replaced by James Marsden.

>Charlize Theron, Julianne Moore, Maria Bello, Peta Wilson and Lucy Lawless were considered for Jean Grey before Famke Janssen was cast.

>Angela Bassett and Jada Pinkett-Smith were considered for Storm before Halle Berry was cast.

>Natalie Portman, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rachel Leigh Cook, Christina Ricci and Katherine Isabelle were considered for Rogue before Anna Paquin was cast.

>Terence Stamp, Jeremy Irons and Christopher Lee were considered for Magneto before Ian McKellen was cast.

>Jeri Ryan auditioned for Mystique before Rebecca Romjin was cast.

>Triple H auditioned for Sabretooth before Tyler Mane was cast.

>Michael Jackson campaigned for Professor Xavier, Shaquille O’Neal wanted to play Bishop, and Mariah Carey wanted to play Storm.

>Production was very troubled, with several budget cuts, script rewrites e release delays. The studio had no faith in the movie and even cut several scenes to reduce the running time and allow for more showings per day in order to regroup their expected losses.

>>150207105 (OP)
Didn't you do this thread last year?

Blade II (2002)

>Stephen Norrington declined to return to direct and was replaced by Guillermo Del Toro.

>Morbius would originally be the villain, but was changed into Jared Nomak as there were plans for Morbius to get his own movie.

>Early drafts featured Blade leading a group of vampire hunters that also included Hannibal King and Frank Drake.

>Tim Curry was approached to play vampire elder Eli Damaskinos before Thomas Kretschmann was cast.

>Asia Argento, Kristanna Loken, Elena Anaya, Rhona Mitra and Lauren German auditioned for vampire princess Nyssa Damaskinos before Leonor Varela was cast.

Blade II (2002)

>Stephen Norrington declined to return to direct and was replaced by Guillermo Del Toro.

>Morbius would originally be the villain, but was changed into Jared Nomak as there were plans for Morbius to get his own movie.

>Early drafts featured Blade leading a group of vampire hunters that also included Hannibal King and Frank Drake.

>Tim Curry was approached to play vampire elder Eli Damaskinos before Thomas Kretschmann was cast.

>Asia Argento, Kristanna Loken, Elena Anaya, Rhona Mitra and Lauren German auditioned for vampire princess Nyssa Damaskinos before Leonor Varela was cast.

Spider-Man (2002)

>James Cameron, Chris Columbus, Roland Emmerich, Tony Scott, Jan de Bont, Ang Lee, David Fincher, M. Night Shyamalan and Tim Burton were approached to direct before Sam Raimi was hired.

>Freddie Prinze Jr. was Sony's top choice to play Peter, but Raimi was against it. Wes Bentley, Heath Ledger, Chris Klein, Scott Speedman, Jay Rodan and James Franco auditioned before Tobey Maguire was cast. Franco was later cast as Harry Osborn.

>Kate Hudson was Sony's top choice to play MJ, but declined. Alicia Witt, Mena Suvari, Elisha Cuthbert and Eliza Dushku auditioned before Kirsten Dunst was cast.

>Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, Robert De Niro and Billy Bob Thornton were approached for Norman Osborn before Willem Dafoe was cast.

>Tommy Lee Jones and R. Lee Ermey were considered for J. Jonah Jameson before J.K. Simmons was cast.

>Hugh Jackman was approached to cameo as Wolverine, but scheduling conflicts prevented it from happening.

>Early cuts featured Spider-Man foiling a bank robbery by webbing the robbers' helicopter between the Twin Towers. The scene was used as the movie's first trailer, but deleted due to 9/11.

>Early cuts featured Spider-Man stopping a runaway subway train. The scene was deleted due to budget, but referenced by Robbie Robertson later in the film and repurposed for the sequel.

Daredevil (2003)

>Chris Columbus would originally write and direct, but dropped out due to creative differences and was replaced by Mark Steven Johnson.

>Columbus’s script featured Daredevil being framed for the murder of magnate Hugo Natchios, the father of his girlfriend Elektra Natchios, by the Kingpin and his enforcer Bullseye. The Kingpin then kidnaps and brainwashes Elektra into becoming his ninja assassin and learns Daredevil's secret identity, systematically ruining his life. Daredevil is presumed dead, but resurfaces a year later, after a lengthy recovery, to rescue Elektra and take down the Kingpin, who is running for mayor of New York City.

>Johnson discarded Columbus’ draft in favor of his own. He wanted to make a lower-budget, R-rated thriller, but after SPIDER-MAN became a box office hit, Fox ordered reshoots to add flashier CGI-heavy action scenes and tone down the movie's content to get a PG-13 rating.

>Early cuts featured a subplot about Dante Jackson, a man falsely accused of murder whom Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson represent, and who proves vital to take down the Kingpin.

>Vin Diesel, Matt Damon, Edward Norton, Guy Pearce and Colin Farrell were considered for Daredevil before Ben Affleck was cast. Diesel was also considered for Bullseye, while Farrell was ultimately cast.

>Jessica Alba, Natalie Portman, Katie Holmes, Lucy Liu, Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Natassia Malthe, Neve Campbell, Jolene Blalock, Mia Maestro and Rhona Mitra were considered for Elektra before Jennifer Garner was cast.

>Donal Logue was approached for Foggy Nelson before Jon Favreau was cast.

>Brett Cullen was approached for Jack Murdock before David Keith was cast.

>There were plans for a sequel based on the “Born Again” storyline which were scrapped when the movie underperformed at the box office.

X2: X-Men United (2003)

>William Stryker would originally intend to exterminate mutants with the Legacy Virus and deploy a prototype Sentinel to fight the X-Men at Alkali Lake.

>In early drafts, Stryker's brainwashed enforcers are Sabretooth, Toad and Archangel, who would have razor-sharp Adamantium wings. Wolverine would fight Sabretooth, Nightcrawler and Storm would fight Toad, and Cyclops and Jean Grey would fight Archangel during the raid on Alkali Lake.

>In early drafts, Stryker's assistant Anne Reynolds would be a human loyal to his cause. When Sabretooth, Toad and Archangel were removed, Reynolds was changed into Deathstrike to include a mutant villain and someone for Wolverine to fight.

>In early drafts, Jubilee would be the leader of the young mutants captured by Stryker, protecting them from the soldiers and reassuring them that the X-Men would come to save them.

>In early drafts, Dark Cerebro would cause mutants across the globe to lose control of their powers, leading to appearances from Gambit, Beast and Marrow, among others.

>The romance between Storm and Nightcrawler was added after Halle Berry demanded a larger role following her Oscar win.

>Anthony Hopkins was approached for William Stryker before Brian Cox was cast.

>Lucy Liu was approached for Deathstrike before Kelly Hu was cast.

>Steve Buscemi was approached for Nightcrawler before Alan Cumming was cast. Neil Patrick Harris and Ethan Embry auditioned.

Hulk (2003)

>Joe Johnston and Jonathan Hensleight were considered to direct before Ang Lee was hired.

>The script went through multiple rewrites and numerous villains including the Leader, the Abomination, the Absorbing Man, Zzzax and the Insect-Men – Three death row inmates who are exposed to gamma-irradiated insect DNA and become mutant monsters. Gregory Sporleder was even briefly cast as Marcus Novak, the leader of the Insect-Men.

>Lee wanted the movie to have no villain other than the U.S. military, but the studio demanded a physical opponent for the Hulk. Based on previous drafts, Lee initially considered turning corrupt military officer Glenn Talbot into the Abomination, before ultimately deciding to make Bruce’s abusive father David Banner into the Absorbing Man.

>Tom Cruise was approached for Bruce Banner, but declined. Johnny Depp, Edward Norton, Billy Crudup, David Duchovny and Jeff Goldblum tested before Eric Bana was cast.

>>150207114
>Lucy Lawless Jean Grey
>Christina Ricci Rogue
>Christopher Lee Magneto
holy kino
>Triple H auditioned for Sabretooth before Tyler Mane was cast.
holy KWAB

The Punisher (2004)

>Director Jonathan Hensleight had to relocate the setting from New York City to Tampa, Florida, due to budget cuts, as Tampa was a much cheaper location.

>Early drafts featured Microchip as a former FBI cyber-security specialist Frank Castle recruits to help him, and Jigsaw as mobster Howard Saint’s enforcer who is disfigured by Castle during the final confrontation, but survives and swears revenge.

>Early cuts featured a prologue about Castle’s traumatic experiences in the Gulf War.

>Early cuts featured a subplot about Castle's partner Jimmy Weeks, who betrays him to Saint due to gambling debts. Castle later confronts a guilt-stricken Weeks and drives him to suicide.

>Thomas Jane was Hensleight's first choice for the role, but initially declined as he didn't believe he was right for the role.

Spider-Man 2 (2004)

>Early drafts featured Black Cat as a thief who becomes involved with Peter while MJ is engaged to John Jameson and attempts to tempt him away from his responsabilities.

>Early drafts featured Dr. Curt Connors developing a serum based on reptile DNA to restore his lost arm and becoming the Lizard in a post-credits scene.

>In early drafts, Otto Octavius is a handsome young scientist and the creator of the spider that bit Peter. He becomes becomes involved with Mary Jane, but spirals into insanity after becoming addicted to endorphins that are released into his system when he uses his mechanical arms, which end up fused to his spine in a fight with Spider-Man. He then becomes obsessed with capturing Spider-Man and using his spinal fluid to cure himself.

>In early drafts, Peter is given a microchip by Octavius which supresses his powers, and uses it after Harry Osborn places a bounty on his head and turns the city against him. Peter is ultimately forced to carve the microchip out of his arm with a knife in order to regain his powers and stop Doctor Octopus.

>Tobey Maguire was nearly replaced by Jake Gyllenhall after injuring his back filming SEABISCUIT and clashing with Sony over delaying production to accomodate his recovery.

>Vincent D'Onofrio, Chris Cooper, Ed Harris, Christopher Walken and Robert de Niro were approached for Doctor Octopus before Alfred Molina was cast.

>Early cuts reference Stark Industries as the creator of Octavius' mechanical arms.

Blade Trinity (2004)

>Guillermo Del Toro couldn't return to direct due to scheduling conflicts. Stephen Norrington was approached, but declined, so Goyer was hired against Snipes’ wishes.

>The original script featured Blade being captured by the vampires and placed in suspended animation, escaping 10 years later to discover that vampires have conquered the world, and joining the human resistance standing against them. The studio rejected this draft as it made further sequels impossible.

>Snipes objected to the inclusion of the Nightstalkers, claiming Blade didn’t need sidekicks and their addition was a racist attempt by Goyer to shift focus away from Blade. Snipes' uncooperativeness and refusal to shoot his scenes ironically forced Goyer to expand the Nightstalkers’ role.

>Blade would originally have sex with Abigail Whistler, as Snipes complained Blade didn't get to have sex with the love interests from the previous movies, but his poor treatment of Jessical Biel led her to refuse filming the scene, and Goyer to scrap it.

>An alternative ending where Blade survives the Daystar virus, but succumbs to his thirst for blood and attacks an innocent woman, and a post-credits scene setting up a Nightstalkers spinoff where they fight werewolves were shot but scrapped.

Elektra (2005)

>In 1990, Oliver Stone planned to direct an adaptation of the "Elektra Assassin" storyline starring Gabrielle Reece, but the project was scrapped due to creative differences between Stone and the studio.

>The first cut of the movie was R-rated and recut to get a PG-13 rating.

>Early cuts featured a cameo appearance from Ben Affleck as Matt Murdock.

>After negative test-screenings, the marketing unsuccessfully attempted to mislead audiences into believing the movie was part of the X-Men film series.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

>Wolverine and Mystique would originally work together to rescue endangered mutants, leading to Charles Xavier recruiting Wolverine to train the young X-Men.

>Professor X would originally become the fouth Horseman after being corrupted by Apocalypse, but the concept was abandoned after Pyslocke was added.

>Taron Egerton was offered the role of Cyclops, but declined. Jamie Blackley, Charlie Rowe, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Hardy auditioned before Tye Sheridan was cast. Hardy was later cast as Archangel.

>Chloe Moretz, Hailee Steinfeld and Elle Fanning auditioned for Jean Grey before Sophie Turner was cast.

>Amber Stevens and Zendaya auditioned for Storm before Alexandra Shipp was cast.

>Tom Hardy and Idris Elba were approached for Apocalypse before Oscar Isaac was cast.

>Although the Weapon X segment were always part of the movie, Wolverine's breakout was added in reshoots.

>The Quicksilver rescue segment was planned out with Michael Jackson's "Beat It" in mind, but Fox couldn't secure the rights to include the song in the movie and replaced it with Eurythmics's "Sweet Dreams".

Fantastic Four (2005)

>Chris Columbus, Steven Soderbergh, Peyton Reed, Peter Segal, Raja Gosnell and Sean Astin were considered to direct before Tim Story was hired.

>George Clooney, Brendan Fraser, Patrick Wilson and Hugh Jackman were considered for Reed Richards before Ioan Gruffuf was cast.

>Scarlett Johansson, Rachel McAdams, Elizabeth Banks, Kate Bosworth, Elisha Cutberth, Julia Stiles and Ali Larter were considered for Sue Storm before Jessica Alba was cast.

>Paul Walker, Heath Ledger, Hayden Christensen and Shane West were considered for Johnny Storm before Chris Evans was cast.

>Bruce Willis, John C. Reilly, James Gandolfini, Nathan Fillion and David Boreanaz were considered for Ben Grimm before Michael Chiklis was cast. Chiklis persuaded the studio to create the Thing through makeup and prosthetics rather than CGI.

>Nicolas Cage, Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Gerard Butler, and Goran Višnjić were considered for Victor Von Doom before Julian McMahon was cast. McMahon wanted to have an European accent, but studio rejected the idea.

X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)

>Bryan Singer dropped out to direct SUPERMAN RETURNS and was replaced by Matthew Vaughn, who later dropped out as well. Alex Proyas and Joss Whedon were considered before Brett Ratner was hired.

>Singer’s script featured the X-Men attempting to save the Phoenix, who has been brainwashed by the Brotherhood of Mutants into destroying humanity. The mutant cure was added in rewrites at the behest of producer Tom Rothman.

>The original script featured Gambit as a thief who works for Magneto but joins the X-Men after falling in love with Rogue, and Emma Frost as Charles Xavier's old lover who helps Magneto control the Phoenix. Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver were eyed for the roles.

>Juggernaut would originally be Charles Xavier's estranged brother who joins Magneto to get revenge on Xavier.

>Mystique would originally betray Magneto to the government as part of Magneto's plan to lead the military into a trap.

>Alcatraz Island would originally be a mutant prison that Magneto raids to recruit his army. The military intervene, causing Jean to destroy San Francisco. Magneto and his army then attack Washington, D.C. to kill the President and battle the X-Men in front of the White House.

>Alan Cummings was approached to return as Nightcrawler, but declined due to the character's minimal role.

>Maggie Grace was cast as Kitty Pryde, but dropped out. Eliza Dushku and Summer Glau tested before Ellen Page was cast.

>Mike Vogel was cast as Angel, but dropped out. Nick Stahl and Ryan Phillipe tested before Ben Foster was cast.

>Fox rushed the movie into production to beat SUPERMAN RETURNS, leading to scheduling conflicts with several actors including James Marsden, Rebecca Romjin and Anna Paquin, whose characters had to be written off.

>The movie's troubled production convinced Fox to end the mainline X-MEN movies to focus on spinoffs.

>>150207105 (OP)
>and the original ending where Frost transforms into a blood monster was scrapped due to the poor CGI and replaced with a final swordfight between Blade and Frost.

Ghost Rider (2007)

>Jonathan Hensleight and Stephen Norrington were approached to direct before Mark Steven Johnson was hired.

>The original script by David S. Goyer featured Johnny Blaze protecting the daughter of Mephisto from her father and his enforcer Scarecrow. Johnson discarded Columbus’ draft in favor of his own, and Goyer’s draft was later repurposed for the sequel, GHOST RIDER: SPIRIT OF VENGEANCE.

>Johnny Depp and Eric Bana were considered for Johnny Blaze before Nicolas Cage was hired. Cage reworked the character from a washed-up depressed alcoholic into a celebrity stuntman who tries to lead a clean and spiritualized life to atone for selling his soul.

>Jon Voight was approached for Mephisto before Peter Fonda was cast.

Spider-Man 3 (2007)

>Sony demanded that Gwen Stacy and Venom appear in the movie.

>The movie originally featured Vulture as Sandman's cellmate who wants revenge against Spider-Man for arresting him. Sandman would break him out of prison to help him kill Spider-Man. Ben Kingsley was eyed for the role.

>In early drafts, the symbiote would arrive on Earth in a space shuttle piloted by John Jameson, which would malfunction and nearly crash-land on Manhattan before Spider-Man intervenes, which is why Spider-Man is later given the key to the city.

>In early drafts Gwen Stacy would've been captured by Venom and Sandman, while MJ would be the one to convince Harry to help Peter.

>In early cuts, the symbiote would drain Brock's life force due to prolongued exposure, reducing him to a charred skeleton, and attempt to bond with Peter again before Peter destroys it.

>In early cuts, Sandman would give up fighting upon learning his daughter is in terminal condition and can no longer be cured. Spider-Man would then forgive him and allow him to go and spend her last days by her side.

>Elisha Cuthbert and Scarlett Johansson were approached for Gwen Stacy before Bryce Dallas Howard was cast.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007)

>Galactus would originally be a swarm of biotechnological warships controlled by a hive-mind that communicated with the Fantastic Four through telepathy, but this was scrapped for being too expensive and Galactus was changed into a cloud of cosmic rays with a humanoid form at its core.

>Djimon Hounsou tested for the Silver Surfer before Doug Jones was cast, and producers planned to cast him as the Black Panther in the third movie before it was scrapped.

>Laurence Fishburne would originally voice Galactus, but after the character was retooled, he was recast as the voice of the Silver Surfer.

>Andre Braugher would originally play Nick Fury, but Marvel embargoed the character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and Braugher’s character retooled into General Hager.

Punisher: War Zone (2008)

>Jonathan Hensleight declined to return due to creative conflicts. Lexi Alexander was hired, and the movie was changed from a sequel to a reboot.

>The original script by Hensleight featured Frank Castle relocating to New York City and disfiguring mobster Billy Russo during a shootout. Russo becomes Jigsaw and takes advantage of Castle’s war on crime to unite New York’s criminal organizations under his command, while Castle sets to take him down.

>Thomas Jane declined to return after Hensleight’s departure and was replaced by Ray Stevenson.

>Paddy Considine was considered for Jigsaw before Dominic West was cast. Freddie Prinze Jr. lobbied for the role, but the studio turned him down.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009)

>Zack Snyder and Len Wiseman were considered to direct before Gavin Hood was hired. He clashed with producers and almost quit the project several times.

>The movie would written as an R-rated standalone thriller and later retooled into a PG-13 blockbuster, adding Cyclops, Storm, Gambit and Deadpool to set up potential spinoffs.

>Early drafts feature Wolverine as a child living in poverty in the 1950’s. After accidentally killing a group of bullies, he runs away to join the military and meets Stryker, becoming his enforcer in a series of black ops missions in Vietnam before growing disillusioned and going AWOL to lead a peaceful life with his girlfriend Kayla Silverfox.

>Early drafts feature Weapon XI as an army of clones of Sabretooth enhanced with Wolverine's healing factor so they can survive the Adamantium bonding procedure. Wolverine kills Sabretooth, but one of the clones escapes and becomes the feral Sabretooth featured in 2000’s X-MEN.

>Deadpool and Weapon XI were originally separate character merged into one despite Ryan Reynolds’s objectives due to Deadpool’s popularity. Scott Adkins was originally cast as Weapon XI and was ultimately credited as Reynolds’s stunt double.

>Gerard Butler was approached to play Sabretooth, but declined. Liev Schreiber was originally cast as Stryker, but Jackman pushed for him to play Sabretooth. Michael C. Hall was approached for Stryker before Danny Huston was cast.

>Michelle Monaghan was cast as Silverfox, but dropped out. Maggie Q was considered before Lynn Collins was cast.

>Chris Hemsworth tested for Gambit before Taylor Kitsch was cast.

>David Harbour tested for Blob before Kevin Durand was cast.

X-Men: First Class (2011)

>Bryan Singer was considered to direct before Matthew Vaughn was hired.

>The original script features Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm and Beast being recruited by Charles Xavier to fight the Friends of Humanity in the 1980's. Rewrites changed the project into a reboot set in the 1960's, and further rewrites changed it back into a prequel.

>Early drafts featured a love triangle between Xavier, Magneto and Moira McTaggert, and Sunspot as a member of the Hellfire Club.

>Amber Heard tested for Mystique before Jennifer Lawrence was cast.

>Rosamund Pike tested for Moira McTaggert before Rose Byrne was cast.

>Benjamin Walker was originally cast as Beast, but dropped out due to scheduling conflicts. Taylor Lautner auditioned before Nicholas Hoult was cast.

>Alice Eve was originally cast as Emma Frost, but dropped out due to creative differences and was replaced by January Jones.

>Bryan Cranston and Colin Firth were considered for Sebastian Shaw before Kevin Bacon was cast.

>Early cuts were poorly received at test-screenings, leading to mass reshoots directed by Singer to salvage the movie.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012)

>Patrick Lussier & Todd Farmer were approached to direct before Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor were hired.

>Lussier & Farmer’s script featured Johnny Blaze being recruited by a secret society known as "The Cabal" to assist their agent Clara Simonescu to retrieve the skulls of the previous Ghost Riders before evil warlock Zodiak, who seeks to harness their power for himself. Zodiak is aided by Deacon Gray, Blaze’s former best friend who became a revenant after being briefly subjected to the Ghost Rider’s Penance Stare, and now wants revenge.

>Eva Mendes was approached to return Roxanne Simpson, but declined.

>Eva Longoria was considered for Nadya Ketch before Violante Placido was cast.

>Timothy Olyphant was considered for Blackout before Johnny Whitworth was cast.

>Ian McShane was considered for Mephisto before Ciaran Hinds was cast.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

>David Fincher was approached to direct before Marc Webb was hired.

>Early drafts featured larger roles for Peter and Gwen's high school friends including Flash Thompson, Sally Avril, Missy Hallenback and Ariel Keene.

>In early drafts, Peter would find out his father, Richard Parker, coded the venom of the genetically modified spiders to his DNA and that Oscorp engineered both his parents' death and the accident in which he acquired his powers in order to retrieve a sample of his blood to cure Norman Osborn.

>In early drafts, the "Man in Shadows" who visits Connors in jail would be Electro, Oscorp's superhuman enforcer who murdered Peter's parents by causing the electrical malfunction that led to their plane crashing.

>Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Radcliffe, Robert Pattinson, Logan Lerman, Anton Yelchin, Alden Ehrenreich, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Zac Efron, Jim Sturgess, Xavier Samuel, Liam Aiken, Drake Bell, Michael Angarano, Dane DeHaan and and Josh Hutcherson auditioned for Peter Parker before Andrew Garfield was cast.

>Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Mia Wasikowska, Imogen Poots, Teresa Palmer, Brooklyn Decker, Amber Heard, Dianna Agron, Emily Browning, Lily Collins, Emma Roberts, Anna Kendrick, Ophelia Lovibond, Sara Paxton, Georgina Haig, Dominique McElligott, Scout Taylor-Compton auditoned for Gwen Stacy before Emma Stone was cast.

>Michael Fassbender and Christoph Waltz were approached for Curt Connors before Rhys Ifans was cast.

The Wolverine (2013)

>Darren Aronofsky would originally write and direct the movie, but dropped out due to creative differences and was replaced by James Mangold.

>Aronofsky's draft was R-rated and set in 1987, featuring Logan being recruited The Hand to become an enforcer for the Yashida Crime Family in Japan. Logan falls in love with Mariko Yashida, daughter of mobster Shingen Yashida, and must fight for her love. Other characters included Yukio, Logan's bodyguard and lover; Zen, Logan's master in the Hand; Elvis, an American mobster and Shingen's rival; Harada, Shingen's illegitimate son who craves for his father's approval; and Viper, an assassin and Harada's lover.

>Early drafts featured Rogue as Logan's companion, and Ichiro Yashida would be revealed to possess the same powers as her, with Logan being the only one capable of survive being touched by Yashida.

>Jessica Biel was approached for Viper before Svetlana Khodchenkova was cast.

>Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa was approached for Yashida before Hal Yamanouchi was cast.

>There were plans for a sequel about Logan and Yukio going on an adventure in the island of Madripoor, but they were scrapped when X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST was greenlit.

The Wolverine (2013)

>Darren Aronofsky would originally write and direct the movie, but dropped out due to creative differences and was replaced by James Mangold.

>Aronofsky's draft was R-rated and set in 1987, featuring Logan being recruited The Hand to become an enforcer for the Yashida Crime Family in Japan. Logan falls in love with Mariko Yashida, daughter of mobster Shingen Yashida, and must fight for her love. Other characters included Yukio, Logan's bodyguard and lover; Zen, Logan's master in the Hand; Elvis, an American mobster and Shingen's rival; Harada, Shingen's illegitimate son who craves for his father's approval; and Viper, an assassin and Harada's lover.

>Early drafts featured Rogue as Logan's companion, and Ichiro Yashida would be revealed to possess the same powers as her, with Logan being the only one capable of survive being touched by Yashida.

>Jessica Biel was approached for Viper before Svetlana Khodchenkova was cast.

>Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa was approached for Yashida before Hal Yamanouchi was cast.

>There were plans for a sequel about Logan and Yukio going on an adventure in the island of Madripoor, but they were scrapped when X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST was greenlit.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

>Sony combined pitches for THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 featuring Electro and THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 featuring the Green Goblin into one movie.

>Sony planned to feature the Sinister Six in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 3 and Venom in THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 4 and then launch spinoffs for both. SINISTER SIX would be directed by Steven DeKnight and VENOM would be directed by Gary Ross.

>Early drafts featured Max Dillon as a young scientist who wants revenge against Oscorp for stealing his designs and develops an obsessive crush on Gwen Stacy, but this was abandoned in favor of making Electro older so a more prominent actor could be cast.

>Early drafts featured J. Jonah Jameson as the editor-in-chief of the Daily Bugle who believes Spider-Man is a menace, particularly after Spider-Man and Electro damage his print while fighting in Times Square. Sam Elliot and John Slattery were approached for the role before the character was cut.

>Early cuts featured Mary-Jane Watson as Peter's neighbor, a tomboyish waitress who lives with her abusive father, admires Spider-Man and bonds with Peter. Shailene Woodley played her, but all of her scenes were cut.

>In early cuts, Peter would've actually given his blood to Harry, but this was changed as it made Peter indirectly responsible for the creation of the Green Goblin.

>In early cuts, Richard Parker would have survived the plane crash and reunite with Peter after Gwen's death.

>In early cuts, Norman Osborn's head would have been preserved in suspended animation after his apparent death while OsCorp cloned a healthy body for him.

>In early cuts, OsCorp would have the Venom symbiote originally developed by Richard and Norman as a potential cure for cancer.

>Alden Ehrenreich, Brady Corbet, Eddie Redmayne, Sam Claflin, Douglas Booth and Boyd Holbrook auditioned for Harry Osborn before Dane DeHaan was cast

>Damian Lewis and Mads Mikkelsen were approached for Electro before Jamie Foxx was cast.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

>Matthew Vaughn would originally direct, but dropped out and was replaced by Bryan Singer. He wanted to save "Days of Future Past" for the third movie.

>Vaughn's original pitch was set in 1963 and featured the X-Men racing against time to prevent the Magneto and the Brotherhood of Mutants from assassinating President John F. Kennedy for supressing mutants' roles in preventing the Cuban missile crisis. Polaris would have been the newest member of the X-Men and develop a romance with Havok.

>In early drafts, Jubilee is one of mutant refugees in the post-apocalyptic future.

>In early drafts, Banshee was member of the mutant squad in Vietnam.

>In early drafts, Wolverine, Xavier and Beast would recruit Xavier's former student Juggernaut to help them break Magneto out of the Pentagon. He was later replaced by Quicksilver. Josh Helman was originally cast as Juggernaut and later recast as Stryker.

>Early drafts included a post-credits scene where a meteor crash-lands outside Magneto's hideout in Mexico and Apocalypse emerges from the crater and possesses Magneto.

>An entire subplot about rescuing Rogue from the X-Mansion overrun by Sentinels so she can replace Kitty as Wolverine's tether to the future was cut and later reintegrated to the movie in the domestic release.

Fantastic Four (2015)

>James McTeigue and David Yates were approached to direct before Josh Trank was hired.

>The original script by Jeremy Slater featured Reed, Sue, Johnny, Ben and Victor encountering Galactus in the Negative Zone and acquiring their powers from him. Upon returning, Victor conquers Latveria, and the others are sent to stop him to prevent World War III.

>Anton Yelchin, Jack O'Connell, Kit Harington and Richard Madden auditioned for Reed Richards before Miles Teller was cast.

>Allison Williams, Emmy Rossun, Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie auditioned for Sue Storm before Kate Mara was cast at the studio's behest. Trank was displeased and bullied Mara on set.

>Josh Gad and Christian Cooke were considered for Ben Grimm before Jamie Bell was cast.

>Jack Huston, Sam Riley, Domhnall Gleeson and Eddie Redmayne auditioned for Victor Von Doom before Toby Kebbell was cast. The character would originally have been renamed “Victor Doomashev.”

>Production was troubled, with constant rewrites and frequent clashes between Trank and the producers, cast and crew. Trank’s rough cut was poorly received and he was locked out of the editing process as writer/producer Simon Kinberg ghost-directed reshoots and re-edited the film alongside producer Matthew Vaughn. Trank’s erratic behavior, coupled with the movie becoming a box office flop, ruined Trank’s reputation and career.

Deadpool (2016)

>Early drafts featured Dr. Emrys Killbrew as the mad scientist who runs the Workshop and flees the country after Deadpool swears revenge against him.

>Early drafts featured Patch as the bar owner, while Weasel is a weapons dealer and Wade's handler.

>Early drafts featured Cannonball as Colossus's apprentice in the X-Men. He was replaced by Negasonic Teenage Warhead.

>Early drafts featured Garrison Kane, Wyre and Sluggo as Ajax's enforcers. They were replaced by Angel Dust.

>Early drafts featured a massive gunfight during the final battle, but the budget couldn't afford it. The idea was referenced when Deadpool forgets his bag of guns in the cab.

>Olivia Munn was approached to play Vanessa Carslyle before Morena Baccarin was cast.

>Daniel Cudmore was approached to play Colossus before Andre Tricoteau and Stefan Kapcic were cast.

X-Men: Apocalypse (2016)

>Wolverine and Mystique would originally work together to rescue endangered mutants, leading to Charles Xavier recruiting Wolverine to train the young X-Men.

>Professor X would originally become the fouth Horseman after being corrupted by Apocalypse, but the concept was abandoned after Pyslocke was added.

>Taron Egerton was offered the role of Cyclops, but declined. Jamie Blackley, Charlie Rowe, Timothee Chalamet and Ben Hardy auditioned before Tye Sheridan was cast. Hardy was later cast as Archangel.

>Chloe Moretz, Hailee Steinfeld and Elle Fanning auditioned for Jean Grey before Sophie Turner was cast.

>Amber Stevens and Zendaya auditioned for Storm before Alexandra Shipp was cast.

>Tom Hardy and Idris Elba were approached for Apocalypse before Oscar Isaac was cast.

>Although the Weapon X segment were always part of the movie, Wolverine's breakout was added in reshoots.

>The Quicksilver rescue segment was planned out with Michael Jackson's "Beat It" in mind, but Fox couldn't secure the rights to include the song in the movie and replaced it with Eurythmics's "Sweet Dreams".

Logan (2017)

>Liev Schreiber's Sabretooth would originally appear as the owner of an underground casino in Oklahoma City, who Logan would seek protection for Laura.

>Ellen Page's Kitty Pryde would originally appear as the leader of an underground railroad for mutants where Logan and Xavier aspire to take Laura to protect her from Weapon X.

>Mister Sinister would originally be the mastermind behind Laura's creation and the virus that wiped out mutants.

>Early cuts feature the death of the X-Men during Xavier's breakdown, but director James Mangold felt that the circumstances of the incident were better left to the imagination.

Deadpool 2 (2018)

>Original director Tim Miller dropped out due to creative conflicts and was replaced by David Leitch.

>Miller's draft featured Deadpool fighting Mister X, Vanessa becoming Copycat, Deadpool and Vanessa having a son, and appearances from Josh Trank’s Fantastic Four.

>Early drafts featured a larger role for Black Tom Cassidy and his cronies Wyre and Sluggo, who would attempt to recruit Fire First to their gang, and the Icebox prisoners' inhibitor collars malfunctioning, leading to a superpowered riot erupting around Deadpool and Cable.

>The original mid-credits gag featured Deadpool interviewing more outlandish X-Force candidates, but the idea was scrapped in favor of the time travel gag.

>Deadpool saving Peter was added in reshoots due to Peter's unexpected popularity with test-audiences.

>Kyle Chandler was Miller’s original choice for Cable. Brad Pitt was approached, but had scheduling conflicts. Liam Neeson, Michael Shannon and David Harbour were also considered before Josh Brolin was cast.

>Aubrey Plaza, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Sienna Miller, Mackenzie Davis, Lizzy Caplan, Kelly Rohrbach, Stephanie Sigman, Sofia Boutella, Ruby Rose, Sylvia Hoeks, Eve Hawson, Kerry Washington and Janelle Monáe auditioned for Domino before Zazie Beetz was cast.

>pre-MCU
>Posts stuff after 2008

Cool story, bro.

>>150207114
>Lucy Lawless
>Angela Bassett
>Christopher Lee
>Jeri Ryan
this could've been a lot more peak than what we got

damn

>>150207205
I think the studio was right about having an actual villain, though I don't get merging Talbot with Abomination and not just using Blonsky as Abomination

>>150207105 (OP)
Did he earn his Ernest?

>>150207469
>>Early drafts feature Weapon XI as an army of clones of Sabretooth enhanced with Wolverine's healing factor so they can survive the Adamantium bonding procedure. Wolverine kills Sabretooth, but one of the clones escapes and becomes the feral Sabretooth featured in 2000’s X-MEN.
That would make more sense in the context of original X-MEN movie.