20 Fan-Favorite Casting Picks Studios Ignored (Then Regretted)

Fans do not just cheer from the sidelines. They spend years making edits, organizing petitions, and sharing wish lists for who should play what. Sometimes the crowd favorite even lines up with the character’s history or a performer’s proven track record in a similar role. Studios do not always listen, and the choice can ripple through reviews, box office, and even future reboots.

This list looks at twenty widely discussed fan picks that were passed over while a different direction was chosen. In many cases the studio later pivoted, recast, or watched a project stall or struggle as the fan choice gained more momentum elsewhere. Here is the paper trail behind each one.

Nathan Fillion

For years, fans championed Nathan Fillion as Hal Jordan after his turns as a cocky hero with heart. He went on to voice Hal in multiple DC animated projects tied to Justice League stories, which reinforced the idea that his timing and voice matched the character readers knew on the page.

When the live action film ‘Green Lantern’ arrived, the lead went to a different star and the movie drew criticism for tone and effects. Fillion’s steady association with the animated version kept the fan case alive and helped define what many viewers expected from a big screen Hal.

Donald Glover

A grass-roots push in the early 2010s put Donald Glover in the Spider-conversation with hashtags, fan art, and think pieces. The campaign did not land him the red suit, but it helped spotlight Miles Morales across comics and animation, and it led to Glover voicing a version of Miles on television.

On the live action side, he later appeared as Aaron Davis in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’, a nod that connected his campaign to the canon. The timeline shows how a fan wave can influence character direction even when the original casting wish goes another way.

John Krasinski

Fans spent years sharing edits of John Krasinski as Reed Richards, pointing to a mix of brains and deadpan humor they felt fit the role. The earlier Fox films went in different directions for Reed and struggled to win over critics and audiences.

Krasinski’s brief arrival as Reed in ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ served as a payoff to the long running fancast. It also underscored how persistent fan choices can eventually shape on screen realities even after multiple false starts for a property.

Anthony Ingruber

After Anthony Ingruber played a younger version of a Harrison Ford character in ‘The Age of Adaline’, fans zeroed in on him for young Han Solo. Side by side clips circulated widely and built a case that he could capture the cadence and physical beats closely tied to the role.

Lucasfilm chose a different lead for ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’. The film’s performance lagged behind other franchise entries, and Ingruber’s audition style videos kept trending in fan circles as an example of a missed match with audience expectations.

Keanu Reeves

Long before the streaming era, Keanu Reeves was attached to a proposed ‘Cowboy Bebop’ film and fans embraced the idea that his laconic presence matched Spike Spiegel. The project never moved forward, but the fancast stuck around for years.

When Netflix released a live action ‘Cowboy Bebop’ with a different lead, viewers compared the result with the long standing Reeves concept and the series ended after one season. The contrast kept the original fan choice in circulation as a what-if case study.

Alan Ritchson

Readers of the Jack Reacher novels pushed for an actor who matched the character’s towering size and physical presence. Alan Ritchson fit that profile and had action credentials that fans cited repeatedly in threads and polls.

The film era went another way, and debates about accuracy followed. When television brought ‘Reacher’ to streaming with Ritchson, the alignment with the books became a selling point and the show quickly secured continued seasons, validating the scale and style that fans had asked for from the start.

Rinko Kikuchi

Ahead of ‘Ghost in the Shell’, a large segment of the audience called for a Japanese or Japanese American lead, with Rinko Kikuchi often cited because of her work in genre films and international productions. Supporters argued that her resume showed she could anchor a cyberpunk world credibly.

The studio cast a different star and faced sustained backlash about authenticity and context. Box office returns and media coverage kept circling the conversation that had centered Kikuchi and other Japanese actresses, marking a clear disconnect between fan advocacy and the final decision.

Mads Mikkelsen

Before a modern ‘Fantastic Four’ try, many fans put Mads Mikkelsen at the top of their lists for Doctor Doom. They pointed to his precise, icy presence in previous roles and the way he communicated menace with minimal affect.

A different actor took on Doom in a reboot that struggled to connect. Mikkelsen later entered the Marvel sphere in another role, which only highlighted how close the fancast had been to the studio’s orbit without landing the specific character fans kept pushing.

Bryan Cranston

After a celebrated run as a master strategist on television, Bryan Cranston became a popular choice for Lex Luthor in fan polls. Viewers argued that his command of dialogue and quiet intimidation fit a grounded version of the character.

The studio cast another actor for ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ and reception to that portrayal was sharply divided. Cranston later shared that he never received an offer for the part, which reinforced the gap between the fan conversation and the route the production team took.

Grant Gustin

As the CW’s Barry Allen, Grant Gustin built a loyal following with a multi season arc that introduced the character to a broad network audience. Fans asked the studio to keep continuity by promoting him to the film timeline so the performance would carry over.

The film side introduced a separate Flash, and the cinematic rollout faced delays and controversy. The television version continued to draw steady viewership through its run, which kept the argument for a unified face of the character in the spotlight.

Brendan Fraser

When Universal revived ‘The Mummy’, long time viewers hoped Brendan Fraser would lead another round of adventure with the tone that made the earlier films crowd pleasers. The reboot set out to launch a new interconnected slate instead and chose a different star.

The new take failed to kick off the planned universe, and the studio halted further entries in that format. The outcome kept the original fan request in circulation as people revisited why the prior approach resonated and why the new one struggled to gain traction.

Steve Downes

Gamers spent years asking that Steve Downes, the iconic voice of Master Chief in the games, carry the role into live action. They cited his vocal identity as essential to the character and flagged that a voice performance could be preserved even with a new physical actor under the armor.

The television adaptation used a different approach for the helmeted hero and made several choices that diverged from core game presentation. The decision fueled ongoing debate about adaptation fidelity and left the Downes idea as an easy reference point for what many players had expected to hear.

Dante Basco

As the original voice of Zuko in ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’, Dante Basco became a sentimental favorite when talk of live action first surfaced. Fans loved the idea of the character’s animated spirit carrying into a real world version through the same performer.

The first live action film went a different way, and the project drew criticism for multiple creative choices and casting direction. Basco remained a fixture at fan events and in related media, which kept his name tied to discussions about what the translation to live action could have looked like.

Naveen Andrews

When ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ teased the return of Khan Noonien Singh, fans put forward South Asian actors like Naveen Andrews to reflect the character’s origins. The argument focused on both representation and the narrative lineage of Khan within the franchise.

The final film revealed a different path and reworked the character with a new identity. The choice prompted waves of commentary that revisited the earlier fancasts and highlighted how specific community suggestions had been set aside.

Karl Urban

Before ‘Terminator Genisys’ arrived, action fans floated Karl Urban as a fit for Kyle Reese based on his work in science fiction and gritty thrillers. The pitch leaned on his ability to play weary determination without losing physical credibility.

The movie introduced another actor and the film underperformed and paused momentum for a new trilogy. Urban continued stacking roles that matched the qualities fans had pointed to, which kept his name active whenever Reese came up in speculative recasting threads.

Tom Welling

During the build up to ‘Superman Returns’, a large crossover of television viewers wanted Tom Welling to make the jump from ‘Smallville’ to the big screen. The case was simple. He had already built years of audience identification with Clark Kent.

The film introduced a different lead and the single entry did not launch a long running series. Welling later returned to the cape in multiverse television events, which felt like a nod to the persistent fan campaign that had never quite faded.

Sebastian Stan

As technology advanced, Lucasfilm used digital de-aging to bring Luke Skywalker back in recent series. A vocal segment of viewers had a simpler answer and put Sebastian Stan forward, noting the resemblance and a body of work that showed he could handle stoic resolve.

The productions stuck with digital tools and a different pipeline for performance. Each appearance revived the Stan conversation as an alternate that required fewer technical steps while maintaining continuity through an actor’s face and presence.

Angelina Jolie

In the early 2000s, Angelina Jolie was at the center of countless fan lists for Selina Kyle after action roles that proved she could mix elegance with danger. The studio went in a different direction and released ‘Catwoman’ with a new character named Patience Phillips, separate from Gotham canon.

The film struggled to find an audience and did not spin off further entries. Over time, those original Jolie-as-Selina posts resurfaced whenever conversations turned to what might have kept the character aligned with established lore.

Jason Momoa

When ‘The Crow’ bounced through development cycles, Jason Momoa became a leading fan favorite after test images and reports suggested a dark, physical reinterpretation of Eric Draven that still honored the character’s grief and romance. The project did not go forward with him and later took another route.

The eventual new version arrived with a different star and stirred heavy debate about tone and design choices. The long trail of Momoa concept material remained easy to find, which kept his name tied to the version many people expected to see.

Charles Martinet

As plans formed for the animated ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’, fans pressed for Charles Martinet to continue as the voice of Mario after decades in the games. The pitch rested on brand identity and the simple fact that the sound of the character felt inseparable from Martinet.

The film used a different lead voice and became a major hit, yet the conversation about casting lingered and resurfaced with every update about the character’s future. The long running connection between Martinet and Mario remains a touchstone for discussions about animated franchise voices moving from console to cinema.

Share which fan pick you still think would have changed a movie or show in the comments.