Over the years, there have been a number of actors who had a brush with the MCU, but never ended up getting a role. This includes includes Jurassic World Dominion newcomer DeWanda Wise. The She’s Gotta Have It actress was originally going to play Carol Danver’s bestie Maria Rambeau, but due to scheduling conflicts, the actress was replaced by Lashana Lynch. Years later, Wise is sharing her thoughts on having to pass on the role.
Back in 2018, DeWanda Wise dropped out of the Captain Marvel cast due to conflicts with Spike Lee’s Netflix series She’s Gotta Have It. When recently asked about leaving the role, Wise said this to Gizmodo:
Well, I always correct people. I did not choose to leave. Like, I would never make that choice for myself, that sounds ridiculous. You know, you sign a contract for a TV show and it’s in first position, and that’s just a responsible…you have audience members who are like, ‘I would’ve taken a lawsuit.’ Good for you. I don’t wanna be sued! Not trying to be sued by Spike Lee and Netflix. So, you know, at the time it was very disappointing, and also difficult in that context, you know. A lot of actors, we see what you say. Like, we see when you’re being like, ‘Oh, you’re so stupid’ or whatever it is.
DeWanda Wise was contractually obligated to She’s Gotta Have It and in turn, she could not fulfill the duties of playing Maria Rambeau alongside Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel. The actress continued:
And it’s a real practice to not get defensive when people are speaking about you like that online. But with this, obviously, clearly, if it’s not clear by now, Maria was a pilot, and to your point, what you just said earlier, I don’t repeat performances. So if I had played in Captain Marvel, if I’d already played a pilot, and then Colin called me for this and he’s like ‘Guess what? She’s a pilot,’ I would’ve been like ‘I’m so sorry, I don’t believe in capitalism. You’re gonna have to find someone else.’ You know? So, I just think everything happens in the timing that it’s meant to happen and I’m very thankful to be here now.
Despite losing out on Captain Marvel, Wise’s career somewhat came full circle with Jurassic World Dominion because she’s playing a pilot in the upcoming 2022 movie. And as she shared, if she had already played Maria and been asked about Dominion, she would be repeating herself as an actress, which she doesn’t like to do. It all worked out in time!
Maria Rambeau was also revealed in WandaVision to have died between the events of The Snap and The Blip. Rambeau is an important character in Marvel, but she really ushers in the storyline of Teyonah Parris' Monica Rambeau, who will reprise her role in the upcoming The Marvels. After playing Maria, Lynch did have the chance to cameo in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness as a Maria from another universe who became Captain Marvel. The actress also starred in No Time To Die with Daniel Craig.
In Jurassic World Dominion, DeWanda Wise plays Kayla Watts, a pilot who crosses paths with Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard’s Owen and Claire, and later gets to be part of the combining of the Jurassic World and Jurassic Park trilogies. DeWise got to be part of history seeing the original Jurassic Park trio consisting of Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill and Laura Dern. That’s arguably better than Captain Marvel, isn’t it?
You can check out DeWanda Wise’s badass role in Jurassic World Dominion on June 10. The Captain Marvel sequel doesn’t head to theaters until summer 2023, but we’ll keep you posted with all the movie news on these franchises as they come here on CinemaBlend.
