Journalists can get information on casting rumors through the talent agencies representing various actors (Henry Cavill, for instance, was represented by Seven Bucks Production co-founder Dany Garcia until 2022). While this may seem like a sure way to get accurate information, that’s apparently not always the case. As DC Films co-chair and CEO James Gunn told Michael Rosenbaum on the actor’s podcast, most of the casting rumors about “Superman: Legacy” were false — an obviously irritating aspect of the process stemming from agents trying to boost their clients.
“[Journalists] find out some things from [talent agencies], but here’s the problem: They find out some things from agencies that might be true, [and] they find out other things from agencies which are agencies pushing their clients,” Gunn said. Rosenbaum and Gunn implied this tactic was far from exclusive to agents, with directors and even the actors lying about their involvement in certain projects for headlines.
There’s also the boring yet understandable fact that something could get lost in translation. Jeff Sneider, a fairly reliable scooper, alleged on his “Hot Mic” podcast that “The Boys” and “Oppenheimer” actor Jack Quaid would play the Human Torch in Marvel Studios’ “Fantastic Four.” When Quaid took to Twitter to refute this claim, Sneider quickly apologized via Above the Line, admitting that he had inferred the news from a source who shared the role would be played by “JQ.” He clarified that he now understood the actor was “Stranger Things” star Joseph Quinn. As always, it’s best to take any casting rumors with a hefty grain of salt, as nothing is truly set in stone until contracts are signed and filming begins.
