5 Movie Castings That Got Us Hyped & 5 That Killed the Hype

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:00]It's good to see me, isn't it? Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the casting decisions that had us ready to open our wallets or roll our eyes. This was just a sudden invention.

[00:00:16]It wasn't real.

[00:00:18]>> [music] >> Number five, killed. Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Ahoy ahoy, I did not know you were here. Man on the marquee. Can't believe my father named the company after himself. He was the Lex in LexCorp. How you doing? When the DCEU's Batman, Wonder Woman, and Lex Luthor were revealed to the public, reactions were swift and merciless. Most were not happy. Batman vs. Superman ultimately surprised critics with the relative effectiveness of Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot. I see through that baby in the woods act.

[00:00:52]You don't know me.

[00:00:54]But I've known a few like you.

[00:00:59]I don't think you've ever known a woman like me. Eisenberg's turn as Luthor, however, was spared that redemption arc.

[00:01:05]What's your wish list?

[00:01:10]Uh access to the wreck of the crashed Kryptonian ship.

[00:01:16]Done.

[00:01:17]His unhinged interpretation was negatively likened to Heath Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight. Such excess and revisionism contributed to the movie falling way below box office projections. Lack of faith that its stars could pull things off may have also been the reason people stayed away.

[00:01:33]Welcome.

[00:01:34]Analysis reveals ship operating at 37% efficiency.

[00:01:40]Would you >> [music] >> like to assume command?

[00:01:43]Yes, I would.

[00:01:45]Yes, I would.

[00:01:47]Number five, created. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games. I VOLUNTEER. I VOLUNTEER.

[00:01:56]I VOLUNTEER AS TRIBUTE.

[00:01:58]IN 2012, Hollywood was really hitting the YA literature market hard. This could be a mixed bag, especially where casting was concerned. Thank you for your consideration.

[00:02:10]Future Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence drew a particularly mixed response. Few doubted her skill, but fans of The Hunger Games were quick to point out that she did not have Katniss's olive complexion as described in Suzanne Collins's books. But, the rising star's casting brought more attention to the already highly anticipated film. Come Edison.

[00:02:30]You're not calling anyone. Yeah, you need it. You can't walk. Edison, you're not going to risk your life for me. I'm not going to let you. You would do it for me.

[00:02:38]Wouldn't you?

[00:02:41]Why are you doing this?

[00:02:49]Despite misgivings, the charismatic and moving Lawrence was the right choice for the role. I couldn't imagine life [music] without him.

[00:03:03]And what about you, Peter?

[00:03:05]I mean, you just saved my life. We saved each other. Number four, killed. Ben Platt as Evan Hansen, Dear Evan Hansen.

[00:03:20]Most of the time, when a Broadway musical makes it to Hollywood, movie stars are cast over the original performers. So, Dear Evan Hansen casting Tony winner Ben Platt in the film version of the show that made him a huge star was met with confusion.

[00:03:34]>> [music] >> My sister's hot.

[00:03:42]>> What the hell? How could the 27-year-old actor be convincing as a teenager in close-ups? The fact that Platt's father, mega-producer Marc Platt, produced both the Broadway version and the movie led to allegations of nepotism.

[00:04:06]Audiences found that a lot of things didn't translate well to the screen. It was a perfect storm of bad publicity that made the weaknesses in this film adaptation feel even weaker. There's nothing wrong with needing help, honey.

[00:04:17]>> Stop. I know that there is, and I know that I'm a burden. I'm the worst thing that ever happened to you, and I just I just ruined your life, okay? No. You are the best thing. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Number four, created. Ariana Grande as Glinda, Wicked. Are people born wicked?

[00:04:35]Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them? Casting movie musicals can be tricky business. Do you hire someone who has the theater chops, or do you hire someone who has experience generating an audience?

[00:04:54]>> [music] >> Ariana Grande has both, with a higher vocal range that made her an ideal choice for the role of Glinda in Wicked.

[00:05:16]But, Grande herself understood fans' skepticism. If anything, she was inspired to counter the naysayers by rejecting studio efforts to rework the classic soundtrack to her modern pop style. The combination of Grande's dedication and her undeniable megastar status earned the trust of Wicked and added to the movie's mystique. The movie went on to make over $700 million, and Grande was widely awarded for her work.

[00:05:45]>> [music and singing] [singing] [music] >> Number three, killed. Zoe Saldana as Nina Simone, Nina. When I first started singing, which as you know, I I didn't want to do, but I had to so that I can make money.

[00:06:08]Back then, I only sang about love because I didn't have it as a child. As she was one of the most talented, haunted, and misunderstood women in popular music, a biopic about Nina Simone should sell itself.

[00:06:27]>> [music] >> However, Zoe Saldana's casting was a major stumbling block. Simone's own daughter was a vehement opponent of the casting. As early as 2012, articles about the makeup techniques to darken her skin and widen her nose were getting the movie heaps of attention. Put a spell on you.

[00:06:52]>> [cheering] >> Cuz you're mine.

[00:07:02]You better stop [music] the things you do. It was just the wrong kind of attention. Nina would not be released until 2016. If the long gap between filming and release didn't kill its chances to find its audience, Saldana's misguided casting surely did. Stop this crap.

[00:07:19]I told you get me a stage, I will do the rest. Number three, created. Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, Spencer. I think that's my father's coat he's wearing.

[00:07:30]We used to live just over that hill.

[00:07:33]Father used to give the farmers old clothes. Even for those who had followed Kristen Stewart's career after Bella Swan, the announcement that she was taking on the role of Diana, Princess of Wales, was a great big huh? Stewart wasn't just an American, she was also known for roles that were more grounded and realistic than what we might assume from a fictionalized story about the British royal family. See, they're pulling my wings and my legs off.

[00:07:57]One by one.

[00:07:58]Making notes on how I react.

[00:08:02]Cuz she really does make a fuss, this one, doesn't she?

[00:08:06]>> [sighs] >> Not like Anne Boleyn.

[00:08:08]>> [clears throat] >> Who offered her head to the tweezers with such grace. Whatever questions or concerns people had, they were silenced once Spencer came out. Stewart's Oscar-nominated performance was a triumph. People who worked for and loved the real Diana called Stewart's the most accurate portrayal they had ever seen. I missed your soufflé.

[00:08:30]It would have only been wasted on me anyway.

[00:08:33]Number two, killed. Jared Leto as the Joker, Suicide Squad. You don't want no beef. You don't want no beef.

[00:08:40]>> You don't like me? Fine, don't waste my time then. That's your lady.

[00:08:45]Look, are you enjoying yourself?

[00:08:49]No. [groaning] Ah, that's your lady, Joker. That's right.

[00:08:53]>> Yeah. It wasn't just the casting announcement that had fans on edge. The run-up to the release of Suicide Squad was rife with clickbaity stories about the bizarre lengths Jared Leto was going to to disturb his co-stars. Headlines about him gifting co-stars Margot Robbie and Viola Davis disgusting items as a sort of in-character prank were constant. This looks neat.

[00:09:15]While the movie did very well at the box office, all the hubbub about Leto's Joker was overshadowed by his relatively small role and the film's many other problems. Nonetheless, the unhinged villain's depiction as a gangster and Leto's strange take on that were met with massive backlash. This bird is baked.

[00:09:35]Okay, honey.

[00:09:37]It's me and you. Let's do it.

[00:09:47]>> [groaning] >> Despite, or perhaps because he was over-marketed, Mr. J's limited screen time further sullied Suicide Squad's status. Let's go home.

[00:09:59]Number two, created. Daniel Craig as James Bond, Casino Royale. Well, I understand double-0's have a very short life expectancy.

[00:10:08]So, your mistake will be short-lived.

[00:10:10]After the 2002 release of Die Another Day, Pierce Brosnan hung up his 007 jersey and the search for a new James Bond began. When Daniel Craig was announced, it inspired an internet movement to boycott his first outing as Bond and have him removed from the role.

[00:10:25]Now, I would have normally gone with only child, but um you see, by the way you ignored the quip about your parents, I'm going to have to go with orphan.

[00:10:34]Their biggest complaint? James Bond could never be blonde. Some more level-headed critics were also less than impressed with the choice, suggesting he didn't have the same charisma as his more debonair predecessors. I'm going to need the other 5 million to buy back in.

[00:10:49]I can't do that, James.

[00:10:52]Look, I made a mistake.

[00:10:55]I was impatient. Maybe I was arrogant, but I can beat him. Nevertheless, Casino Royale was a success and Craig's Bond plumbed new emotional depths for the character in the acclaimed series that followed. Like you said, you do what I do for too long and there won't be any soul left to salvage.

[00:11:14]I'm leaving with what little I have left.

[00:11:16]Number one, killed. Scarlett Johansson as Motoko Kusanagi, Ghost in the Shell.

[00:11:22]The people behind this live-action adaptation of a beloved Japanese anime franchise were obviously looking for a way to translate its success to the English-speaking world.

[00:11:36]I will find him and I will kill him.

[00:11:39]It's what I am built for. Unfortunately, their solution was to cast Scarlett Johansson as protagonist Mira Killian.

[00:11:46]The decision to cast a white actress in the role was met with a resounding thud, followed by outrage. Doubly unfortunate was that many people's first exposure to the story might have been because of this controversy. Where's Kuze? Why does he want to kill Ulle? I don't know anything.

[00:12:04]Enough!

[00:12:05]Enough!

[00:12:09]We need him alive.

[00:12:11]What's worse was the twist that Killian was an android carrying the consciousness of Motoko Kusanagi, who was Japanese. The backlash and the many other factors behind Ghost in the Shell's poor reviews factored into a major box office disappointment. You remind me of her.

[00:12:27]>> [laughter] >> I'm sorry.

[00:12:34]How do I remind you of her?

[00:12:38]The way you look at me.

[00:12:43]Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos. You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them. If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Number one, created.

[00:13:01]Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight. Look, listen.

[00:13:06]I know why you choose to have your little >> [clears throat] >> group therapy sessions in broad daylight.

[00:13:13]I know why you're afraid to go out at night.

[00:13:18]The Batman. Hindsight is 20/20. When Heath Ledger was announced as the new Joker in Christopher Nolan's critical and financial smash, The Dark Knight, fans were not happy. He was considered too young and frankly, too pretty. Given Ledger's resume up to that point, there was a widespread belief among Batman fans that he was the wrong choice. We know how that turned out, don't we? Me watching him take the knife to her, laughing while [music] he does it.

[00:13:46]He turns to me and he says, "Why so serious?"

[00:13:52]Ultimately, it seems like the controversy surrounding the casting decision only added to the pre-release hype. Ledger's take on the Joker has gone down as one of the greatest acting performances of our time. His posthumous Oscar win rounded out the definitive example of apparent miscasting turning out to be the perfect pick. What did you do?

[00:14:12]I took Gotham's white knight and I brought him down to our level.

[00:14:19]It wasn't hard. See, madness, [music] as you know, is like gravity.

[00:14:25]All it takes is a little push.

[00:14:29]>> [laughter] >> What are some other casting announcements that inspired hype or hate? Tell us in the comments below.