10 More Movie Roles Obviously Designed For Other Actors
4. Zooey Deschanel As The Wasp - The Avengers
This is a rare case of a character written for a certain actor that didn’t necessarily pan out because the character was actually shelved. But, because of the nature of adaptation and the constantly evolving state of Marvel, the role did eventually show up in the hands of another actor.
According to 2021’s The Story of Marvel Studios: The Making of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Joss Whedon’s early scripts for the first Avengers film were a tad different. Concerns about Scarlett Johansson's ability to commit to the project led Whedon to write a new female lead.
Whedon, in his words, “fell in love” with writing the Wasp, who became the focal point of the story and got all of the funniest lines. Producer Jeremy Latcham had to pull Whedon away from the idea, so that Avengers could focus more on the ensemble that had been set up by previous outings, but revealed that Whedon’s writing had Zooey Deschanel in mind.
At the time, Deschanel had had favourable performances as quirky and comedic characters in Yes Man, Elf and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The character of the Wasp made her way into the MCU six years later in Ant-Man and The Wasp. With a new writing and directing team, Whedon’s vision of Deschanel as the character never came to be, with Evangeline Lily taking upon the mantle instead.