Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a veritable who’s-who of amazing, successful actors. You can’t throw a pebble without hitting the stars of Avengers: Endgame, Legion, Birds of Prey, Star Trek: Picard, and so many others. But there’s an equally impressive list of actors who didn’t make it onto the roster, and one of them includes the future Batman.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, director Edgar Wright and casting director Jennifer Euston shared their memories of scouting talent for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, a movie that rivals Freaks and Geeks for its sheer number of future stars. It turns out there were a lot of huge names who tried to get their big break in Scott Pilgrim, only to not make the cut. They include The Falcon and Winter Soldier’s Sebastian Stan, The Hunt’s Betty Gilpin, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo star Rooney Mara.
But one of the most interesting ones was Robert Pattinson, fresh off filming the first Twilight movie. He read for the part of Lucas Lee, which went to Captain America himself, Chris Evans. According to Wright, Pattinson took on a slightly more dramatic interpretation of the Hollywood actor and skateboarder who had dated Ramona Flowers. He also had some choice words about Twilight, which hadn’t been released yet but would go on to become a powerhouse franchise (that Pattinson has repeatedly talked shit about).
“I remember it vividly,” Wright said. “He did a much more intense read of it as well. Obviously, Robert is an incredible actor and someone who I’d love to work with now. But it was a very different take from what Chris did.”
“I remember we were asking him about Twilight, and he was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know. I just saw it. It’s ok, I guess. I don’t know,’” Jones added.
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is celebrating its 10th anniversary. While it wasn’t a smash hit upon release, it’s since gone on to develop a cult-like status — not just because it’s a standout comic book film, but because literally everybody is in this movie.