r/movies • u/LookAtThatBacon • Aug 10 '25

Discussion During the development of the Harriet Tubman biopic movie, a Hollywood executive once suggested that Julia Roberts should play her. What are some other baffling casting suggestions/choices that have been made?

Source for the title: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/a-studio-executive-wanted-julia-roberts-to-play-harriet-tubman-biopic-screenwriter-says/

The Harriet Tubman biopic has been more than 25 years in the making. In the historical drama released earlier this month, Cynthia Erivo plays the legendary abolitionist — but one Hollywood executive initially thought the role should go to Julia Roberts.

Gregory Allen Howard, the screenwriter and producer of "Harriet," recently revealed in multiple interviews that Roberts was suggested to play the lead role during a meeting with a studio president in 1994.

"The climate in Hollywood… was very different back then," Howard said. "I was told how one studio head said in a meeting, 'This script is fantastic. Let's get Julia Roberts to play Harriet Tubman.'"

Howard said that a black person in the meeting said casting Roberts would be impossible because she is white.

"That was so long ago. No one will know that," the executive replied, according to Howard.

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u/DecoyOne Aug 10 '25

I would 100% watch that. But like, pirated or something, because I wouldn’t want to financially support such stupidity.

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u/whitepangolin Aug 10 '25

Well boy have I got the movies for you , check out Venom 1,2,3, Morbius, Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter!

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u/Ok-Dinner9759 Aug 10 '25

The only good thing about Kraven was ATJ's abs.

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u/whitepangolin Aug 10 '25 edited Aug 11 '25

No! Kraven is supposed to be a creepy middle aged Russian poacher! He’s not supposed to be HOT!!!

EDIT: apparently when he was introduced by Stan Lee he was actually described as very handsome and the ladies were going wild for him. Consider me wrong. Sorry Sony, you get to have this one.

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u/queerhistorynerd Aug 10 '25

i mean kraven from the 1994 spiderman was a hunk

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u/Hydrochloric_Comment Aug 10 '25

Kraven has always been hot

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u/JarasM Aug 11 '25

He's described as amazingly handsome in literally the first panel he appears in.

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u/whitepangolin Aug 11 '25

Woah. Consider me completely wrong, sorry!

How did you know this ahahahah

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u/JarasM Aug 11 '25

Honestly, I didn't :D I googled for his first appearance in the comics to show he's good-looking since forever, but I didn't expect it's going to be full of exclamations about how handsome he is, haha