‘Violent Night’ Actor John Leguizamo Says He Was “Used As a Pawn” By Sony And Marvel To Entice Michael Keaton Into Playing The Vulture In ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
JB Augustine
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John Leguizamo’s most well-known outing in a comic book adaptation is as Violator’s Clown form in Spawn, based on Todd McFarlane’s eponymously named comic book series. That film is 25 years old and it had been a while since the actor played a mainstream villain, but he almost got another chance in 2016.
The actor revealed he was up for the role of The Vulture in Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man: Homecoming.
The Clown (John Leguizamo) talks to Al Simmons (Michael Jai White) in an alley in Spawn (1997) via New Line Cinema
“I was supposed to be the Vulture,” Leguizamo said in an exclusive with ComicBook. “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.”
They did get back to him but only offered him a small role which the former comedian rejected. “They offered me something tiny,” he added. “I went, ‘Nuh-uh.'”
He would address the story further on Instagram. Sharing a screenshot of a related article, Leguizamo captioned that he “was used as a pawn” in Marvel’s negotiations with Keaton.
John Leguizamo confirms Marvel used him as a pawn via Instagram
“It’s true but I was used as a pawn to close Keaton but I should have said ‘no’ because we had agreed to terms! And I had a leg to sue but I ain’t litigious,” he wrote. This revelation makes Leguizamo the third most noteworthy actor to lose the role of Adrian Toomes.
Ben Kingsley was reportedly considered by the producers of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, before The Vulture was replaced by Venom, and John Malkovich was briefly cast in the role of Toomes for the cancelled Spider-Man 4.
Batman (Michael Keaton) utters his classic ‘I am Batman’ line in The Flash (2023) via Warner Bros. Pictures
But Michael Keaton, the star of a movie called Birdman, had an ironic stroke of luck. Not only did he land the role but he would reprise Toomes in Morbius to seemingly set up that Sinister Six movie Sony is so desperate to turn into a reality.
We don’t know what will happen with that but Keaton appears as Batman again in The Flash while Leguizamo’s action-comedy Violent Night is on Peacock.
John Leguizamo as Luigi Mario in Super Mario Bros. (1993) via Hollywood Pictures
Would you have liked to see John Leguizamo as The Vulture or in Spider-Man: Homecoming at all? Sound off down below.