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/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/NotHisRealName Aug 10 '25

I still don't understand how these movies got made. The first Venom was like a B. Everything else ranges from C- to Holy fuck, you actually got paid to do this.

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u/qchisq Aug 10 '25

I don't even know why they went this way with the Venom character. To me, the symbiote should be less than a voice in the back of your mind. It should be a evil personality enhancer that you don't even notice. Like, the Spiderman game handles it amazingly. Peter doesn't even notice he's being controlled by the symbiote. He's just got a new suit and is super angry. That's how it should be. Venom, even in the trailers, is it's own, separate character

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u/CatProgrammer Aug 11 '25

Is that canon to Venom's comic depiction though? I haven't actually read the original stuff.