10 Recent Movie Castings That Had No Right To Be This Good
Turns out Ryan Gosling was more than Kenough.
Part of the cinematic experience is the build-up to a film, and while for the most part as many details as possible are kept under wraps for as long as possible, casting news is typically something that can be discussed and dissected long before its release.
There are the no-brainers, like Margot Robbie as Barbie, and the ones that may not have been thought about but throw up a huge amount of intrigue and excitement from the moment they are announced, such as Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne. The other side of that particular coin is those decisions that seem to make little to no sense at all. Potential audiences can have pre-conceived ideas of both actors and characters, or even the type of person a certain director will typically work with, and big surprises can be thrown into the ring when such notions are ignored.
Often, yes, the initial reaction is right, and the casting decision remains a puzzle even after the movie has come and gone. However, there are those decisions that seemed destined to fail, only to ultimately blow any and all expectations out of the water. As such, these casting decisions paid off in a way that few, if any, could have seen coming.
10. Miles Caton As Sammie - Sinners
There are certain directors in the world today who can seemingly do no wrong, which is no small feat. Even many of the greats have had missteps in their careers, but right now, it seems as though Ryan Coogler is simply superhuman.
From taking on the potential pitfall spin-off that was Creed, to bringing the global phenomenon Black Panther to life, Coogler turned in 2025 to the world of horror, and as with everything the man touches, it was pure gold.
The cast was stellar, featuring the likes of Delroy Lindo, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, and Michael B. Jordan, many of whom, in particular the latter, turned in career-best performances. In theory, an actor making their big screen debut should have been way out of their depth, but this couldn't have been further from the truth for Miles Caton.
The newcomer portrayed Sammie, cousin of the Smokestack twins, and one of the key protagonists of the story, seemingly completely at home as part of the impressive cast list while doing so. Not many could have pulled that off right out of the starting blocks, and there should be big things ahead for the young actor.