Tom Hanks Wants To Join The Marvel Cinematic Universe?
Tom Hanks recently told a popular podcast that Marvel Studios has not approached him, but he is eager to appear in the MCU.
Marvel Studios has a reputation for turning new talent into superstars and signing Hollywood legends for supporting roles. As the studio expands the Multiverse Saga, there are dozens of characters that need actors with serious clout to bring them to life on screen. While a large volume of young stars has been relentlessly auditioning for highly coveted roles, more seasoned actors have also been discussing the possibility of joining the franchise. Now, the lure of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has circled back to Tom Hanks, who previously said the studio hadn’t offered him a part in the mega-franchise.
The question came up again, while Tom Hanks was promoting his upcoming work in Disney’s live-action Pinocchio movie. During an interview with Josh Horowitz and the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, the Forrest Gump star was asked about joining the MCU. Although he reaffirmed that Marvel Studios has never approached him for a role, he said he would be open to it. He also expanded on the topic with an anecdotal comparison between the superhero genre and the Westerns of legendary director John Ford, which dominated the movie scene during their run.
“You can maybe say that the John Ford universe of Westerns is not that different than the Marvel Universe of motion pictures,” Tom Hanks said. “If it’s a bodacious John Ford Western, would you do it?” The actor concluded his comparison by saying, if presented with the opportunity, one just might. The 66-year-old also mentioned that he hasn’t seen every MCU movie, but has never walked away from admiring the work and the performances. Now that he’s joined forces with Disney for Pinocchio, a meeting with Kevin Feige could take place at some point to see if there’s a role for him.
Interestingly, there have been several calls for Tom Hanks to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe over the years. One of the most popular suggestions was for him to play Uncle Ben in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy. But the possibility was ruled out when the writers decided to skip over the character entirely. However, going forward, the veteran actor could play someone like Professor X or become the voice of Galactus. Thanks to the studio’s massive slate, there is no shortage of projects. It’s just a matter of seeing whether Marvel can convince him to join.
Meanwhile, the Oscar winner recently lent talents to the Disney+ musical fantasy feature, Pinocchio. Directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script he co-wrote with Chris Weitz, the movie is produced by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the 1883 Italian book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, the story is also a live-action adaptation of the 1940 animated film of the same name. Along with Tom Hanks, the movie also stars Cynthia Erivo and Luke Evans, with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Keegan-Michael Key, and Lorraine Bracco in voice roles.
Pinocchio was released on September 8th by Disney+. But unfortunately, the beloved classic received mostly negative reviews from critics. The Tom Hanks vehicle currently holds a dismal approval rating of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes and a better audience score of 60%.
