8 Dream TV Castings That Came True

Shadow and Bone is a dark fantasy series that its fans had a very specific dark fantasy about: the casting of Darkling. Focusing on a Russian orphan who discovers she has supernatural abilities, she finds herself up against the Shadow Summoner General Aleksander Kirigan.

Based on a novel of the same name and its ensuing sequels, Netflix picked up the property for streaming in 2019. When looking to cast the enigmatic Kirigan, Ben Barnes knew he was right for the role. At the end of his conversation with the casting director, he showed them a Tumblr post from literally years before the show had been picked up, that showed fan-edits of him as The Darkling.

Barnes had shown his range with appearances in Westworld and The Punisher, but his breakout performances were on the big screen, in Prince Caspian, and the 2009 adaptation of Dorian Gray. He certainly caught the eye of many, and Tumblr fans of Shadow and Bone were adamant about Barnes as The Darkling should it ever get picked up for television.

In fact, unknown to Barnes, the casting director had seen that same fan-edit previously. And, before long, everything came together in a way that caused a great many Tumblr users’ dreams to become a reality.