Channing Tatum Has Replaced Chris Evans In New Science Fiction Film
Chris Evans was meant to star alongside another MCU alumni in a brand-new science fiction film, but it has been announced that Channing Tatum has replaced Evans.
The world of film is full of what-if stories when it comes to casting, actors considered for projects who were later re-cast or dropped out in favor of someone else, leaving audiences wondering, what if Sylvester Stallone had starred in Beverley Hills Cop? Now, Deadline reports that Channing Tatum has replaced Chris Evans in a new science fiction film. Could this be another what-if moment in the history of Hollywood casting, and why has Evans stepped aside?
The answer in Chris Evans’ case is simply scheduling conflicts. The man made famous for his role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Captain America is highly sought after in present-day Hollywood. Fresh off of his new Pixar movie Lightyear, Evans has the Netflix release The Gray Man on the way this month and his upcoming projects Pain Hustlers and Big Red One mean he is stepping aside in place of Channing Tatum on Apple’s big-budget space extravaganza Project Artemis. Project Artemis also has a new director, in the form of Greg Berlanti, who has directed the likes of Love, Simon and is an executive producer on several high-profile television series, such as The Flash on CW and Riverdale.
The what-if Hollywood scenario applies to directors just as much as actors, for instance, what if Danny Boyle had directed Daniel Craig’s James Bond swansong No Time to Die, or what if Jason Bateman had directed Project Artemis? That’s right, it is Bateman who Greg Berlanti is replacing in the Apple science-fiction film that now stars Channing Tatum alongside the spectacular Scarlett Johansson. Bateman left the project approximately a month ago, citing creative differences for his exit, but apparently, it was a smooth break-up between Bateman and Apple in this instance.
Apple is clearly putting a lot of faith in Channing Tatum as the studio put up $100 million to acquire the rights to Project Artemis back in early Spring this year. Production has yet to begin on the film and very little is known about the plot at this point, apart from musings that it could hone in on the space race that took place in the 1960s. For Channing Tatum, it is another project added to his slate that has steadily been piling up in recent times. Tatum is fresh off of two early 2022 releases, Dog and The Lost City, a glorious rom-com that sees Tatum starring alongside Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe. Tatum also has another movie in the Magic Mike saga on the way along with an adaptation of his children’s book Sparkella. His new co-star Scarlett Johansson has the likes of Wes Anderson’s next film Asteroid City on her list of upcoming projects.
We all know that Chris Evans is a man made for blockbusters, and a science-fiction epic sounds like something he’d fit into nicely. Should Channing Tatum make a huge success of Project Artemis, will audiences and Evans alike be wondering what if the Knives Out star had shuffled his schedules around a little bit better to make room for the Greg Berlanti-directed film?
