It’s well known that, until the very end, the Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming could have been John Leguizamo. In fact, the actor was convinced the role was his until Michael Keaton finally decided to return to the role. And although at first, in interviews, he seemed to take it well (“Well, okay, I guess”, he recalls saying), now his tone has changed. Rightly so.
Spider-WTF
As he put it, “I was offered the Vulture, and then the head of the studio called me, ‘Oh, John, this is really terrible.’ We had already negotiated and accepted the terms. I hadn’t signed a contract, but I had agreed to the terms, we were well into negotiations. And she told me ‘We want the role back, Michael Keaton wants it back.’ And I’m thinking ‘What the hell is this?’”. That’s how you go from being part of a mega-franchise to being last in line. Oh, John.
Shortly afterward he rationalized it and still couldn’t believe it: “I’d never heard of anything that crazy. I could have sued, but my representatives are cowards. It could backfire on me. I mean, I don’t usually get into lawsuits, anyway. It’s not who I am. I’d rather make a move and create my own things”. That, mind you, hasn’t dampened his desire to become a superhero… Or, rather, a supervillain.
“I’d come back if they offered me the Riddler or a similar role. I’d come back to other franchises, if they made it worth my while. But then they offered me the role of a scientist in the movie and I said ‘No, thank you. Thank you, but no’”. Well then, let DC go ahead and pick up the phone, because Leguizamo wants to put on tights no matter what.
