emily blunt black widow

Emily Blunt was originally cast as Black Widow

Blunt was contractually obliged to appear in the less-than-spectacular Gulliver’s Travels.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe nearly took a very different route with their Black Widow character. Before Scarlett Johansson suited up as the beloved Avenger, Emily Blunt was going to play the role.

Paramount Pictures had the actress as their first choice to play Natasha Romanoff in Iron Man 2. However, contractual obligations to another studio blocked her from starring in the film.

In a recent interview, Emily Blunt explained to Howard Stern why she had to pass up the opportunity to play Black Widow.

“I was contracted to do Gulliver’s Travels. I didn’t want to do Gulliver’s Travels. It was a bit of a heartbreaker for me. I take such pride in the decisions that I make, and they mean so much to me, the films that I do”

Blunt elaborated that an “optional picture deal” with 20th Century Fox blocked her from being able to take the job by Tony Stark’s side.

Emily Blunt was Paramount Pictures’ frontrunner to play Natasha Romanoff, otherwise known as Black Widow.

Black Widow ended up appearing in nine Marvel films and has become one of Scarlett Johansson’s most memorable characters. Her recent prequel film is one of the year’s most successful (and highly bootlegged) movies, grossing over $379-million worldwide.

Romanoff currently appears in animated form on Marvel’s What If…? series, which reimagines several timelines within the MCU. Lake Bell lends her vocal chops for the Disney Plus original. Rumours has it that Blunt may at last play Black Widow in the forthcoming Doctor Strange sequel, which delves into multiverses as well.


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