Can you imagine anyone but Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury? Certainly not. But before him, it was George Clooney who was considered for this famous role. But for one particular reason, he decided not to say yes to it.
George Clooney Was Considered To Play Nick Fury Before Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury in The Avengers (2012). Image Credit: Marvel
Nick Fury is definitely one of the most important characters in Marvel. He is one of the founders of SHIELD and appeared in 13 different MCU projects and Samuel L. Jackson has done a great job portraying this central role. But, it could have been the other way as before him it was supposed to cast George Clooney for the part.
But it did not happen as Clooney turned the role down when he sat down to research the Nick Fury Comics, per a Business Insider report.
The book Marvel: The Untold Story by Sean Howe even claims that Clooney was interested in the role but when he started reading the comics series Fury by Garth Ennis, he came up with some issues.
The character as described in the comic in one particular scene choked an enemy with the man’s own intestines. And, Clooney thus raised queries about playing such a role on the big screen and eventually decided that that role was not meant for him.
Nick Fury almost joined the Fantastic Four franchise following Clooney’s decision. However, the studio reworked the character and then Samuel L. Jackson took the role and made it his own. To resemble his on-screen incarnation, Marvel Comics even introduced an entirely new Nick Fury.
What is that One Role George Clooney Probably Won’t Play Again?
George Clooney in Batman & Robin (1997). Image Credit: Warner Bros.
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, George Clooney said that he will never returning to play Batman again. His chance of playing this role again is slim to none.
“I do not think there’s enough drugs in the world for me to go back,” Clooney said.
“I thought there was such a clamor for me to come back as Batman, as you know. There was a clamor. Clooney sarcastically added, “I actually said, ‘Where are my rubber nipples?’ And they were like, ‘Can we do it without the rubber nipples?’ I was like, ‘Well, it’s not really my Batman, is it?’”
The Oscar winner starred as the iconic superhero for the first time in the 1997 sequel Batman & Robin. Back in 2021 in an interview with Variety, Clooney joked that the film was so bad he refused to even let his wife watch it, “There are certain films I just go, ‘I want my wife to have some respect for me.’” The actor returned to make a cameo last year in The Flash.
