The Fast & Furious franchise is one of the biggest and most popular in the entire world, and it has been dominating at the box office since the 2000s. While it has had some bumps in the road, the franchise continues to plow over its competition with each new release. Infusion of talent like Dwayne Johnson has been a huge help, but the franchise has also missed out on some huge names like Eminem.
Years back, Denzel Washington was approached to appear in the franchise, and the character that he was offered may come as quite a surprise to fans of the movies. Needless to say, it was supposed to be a large role.
Let’s see which role Denzel Washington wound up turning down!
He Was Offered The Role Of Mr. Nobody
Huge movie franchises all know that getting big names into the cast is a great way to get large audiences packing the theaters in a hurry, and we have seen plenty of talented folks make their way into the biggest franchises on the planet. So, it should not be too surprising to see that the Fast & Furious franchise went after Denzel Washington to play the character Mr. Nobody in the films.
Washington was approached to play the character, who actually made his debut in the film Furious 7. This was supposed to be a huge part that would culminate in the character making an appearance in the following film, and the team behind the movie was hopeful that a legitimate A-list star like Denzel Washington would come on board and make some big things happen.
At this stage in his career, Denzel Washington has nothing left to prove, as he had seen and done everything that a major actor could ever hope for. Washington has been in massive hit films like Training Day, Malcolm X, and Philadelphia, and he has even taken home two Academy Awards, according to IMDb.
Had he agreed to take part in the film Furious 7, he would have given a ton of credibility and star power to the film, and the franchise would have made even more money with him on board.
Of course, this meant that the actor had to agree to take part in the first place.
He Wasn’t Interested
For the most part, any performer would be all over the chance to hop into a major franchise and land a large role, but this is not always the case. We have seen instances where a star decides to pass on a franchise film, and this was the case with Denzel Washington when offered the part of Mr. Nobody.
Washington wasn’t interested in taking part in the film, and a look through his filmography will show that he has never been into making major franchise flicks. This does not mean that he never will, but overall, he tends to stay away from stuff like the MCU or the Fast & Furious movies.
This, of course, meant that the studio had to move on and find someone else.
According to Deadline, “The studio is now looking for another big star to join the next film in a small role and then be a big part of the film that follows. Denzel Washington just turned down that opportunity, but they’ll undoubtedly get somebody important by the time The Conjuring helmer James Wan starts shooting the seventh film.”
Clearly, news like this shows just how interested the studio was and how disappointed they must have felt when he decided to pass on the role. Eventually, the right person was able to step up to the plate.
Kurt Russell Gets The Role
Washington made the decision to pass on playing Mr. Nobody, and it meant that Kurt Russell had the chance to get on board the franchise train and head straight into moneyville in no time.
Russell has been a franchise mainstay since landing the role of Mr. Nobody, and so far, he has appeared in two total films in the franchise. You had better believe that he has been cashing in the entire time.
His most recent offering was the film The Fate of the Furious, which saw Russell appear in several parts of the film, including the end. It was a financial success, and fans are hoping that Russell will continue to appear as Mr. Nobody in the franchise.
Denzel Washington would have been an interesting casting decision for Mr. Nobody, but at the end of the day, it seems like Russell was meant for the role.