Jason Momoa Reveals He Met With the Russo Brothers to Play an MCU Villain, Calls It ‘One of the Best Meetings I’ve Ever Had’
Zack Sharf
Jason Momoa is gearing up to lead his first movie in the DC Extended Universe with the December release of “Aquaman,” but it turns out he had more than one chance to join the rival Marvel Cinematic Universe. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor revealed he met with Joe and Anthony Russo to play a villain in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, referring to the meeting a “one of the best” he’s ever had in the business.
“I met the Russo brothers, who are amazing,” Momoa revealed. “It was one of the best meetings I’ve ever had. I was going to do something with them, which unfortunately didn’t work out.”
The meeting with the Russo brothers isn’t the only Marvel role Momoa went after. The actor has spoken about auditioning for a role in “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which many have assumed was Drax the Destroyer. Momoa did not disclose what character he met with the Russo brothers to play, nor did he mention the film. The Russo brothers have directed “Captain America: The Winter Solider,” “Captain America: Civil War,” and “Avengers: Infinity War.”
“It was going to be a villain, I think. People always want to hire me to play a villain, you know?” Momoa said about meeting the Russo brothers. “I did an audition for ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ which was super cool. I got to audition with [Chris Pratt], who’s just a legend and a gentleman. That didn’t work out.”
Momoa said the only other comic book role he went after was an audition for Batman for Zack Snyder. “I almost didn’t go because I was like, “This is bulls–t. I’m not a white guy,'” he said. “I ain’t playing Batman. Even if I do, I don’t even want to. It’s like an American playing James Bond, you know? I almost didn’t do it.”
“I thought for sure I was going to be playing [DC Comics villain] Lobo or something,” he continued. “The only people I knew they were casting for were Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman — who the hell am I going to play? So in the meeting, I just played it as if Batman had died in an alley and some thug picked up his suit and put it on. I just played him as a smart ass, jaded and sarcastic. And that’s when Zack was like, ‘I have an idea…'”
Snyder would ultimately cast Momoa as Aquaman, setting the actor up for a supporting role in “Justice League” and his own standalone movie, to be directed by James Wan. “Aquaman” opens nationwide December 21. Head over to Entertainment Weekly to read Momoa’s full interview.
