Kick-Ass director Matthew Vaughn recently revealed that Brad Pitt was originally cast as Big Daddy before Nicolas Cage took on the role.
One of the most compelling films in the super-hero cannon is Kick-Ass, a film that is often over-looked because it doesn’t fit into a cinematic universe. Set in our monotonous world, physics and all, Kick-Ass imagines what would happen if real people decided to put on costumes and become vigilantes. Based on the Mark Millar comic of the same name, the film went on to become a critical success, with Nicolas Cage’s performance as Big Daddy singled out by both critics and fans. It turns out that before Nicolas Cage got the scene-stealing role, Brad Pitt was originally cast the loud-mouthed and violet father figure.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Vaughn revealed that Brad Pitt, in addition to being a producer on Kick-Ass, would also star as Big Daddy. Unfortunately, Quentin Tarantino came calling and snatched Pitt away for Inglorious Basterds. With Pitt out of the picture, comic-book connoisseur Nicolas Cage was called in to fill in the big shoes.
“I knew Nic loved comic books and superheroes, and this script was a love letter to superheroes. The film imagines what it would be like if the ultimate fanboy suddenly decided to play superhero, and some people mistakingly felt we were attacking the genre, but I knew Nic would buy in.”
It definitely would have been brilliant to have seen Brad Pitt portray such a zany, loud-mouthed, but ultimately endearing character in Kick-Ass, but Nicolas Cage certainly gave a career best performance. Cage is a huge Superman fan, and while he never got to play that character, it’s great that he got the chance to play pseudo superhero in the film. Beyond that, Pitt got the chance to take on a superhero role nearly a decade later in Deadpool 2, where he played the short-lived character of Vanisher.
What are your thoughts on Brad Pitt originally cast as Big Daddy? Were you a fan of Nicolas Cage’s performance in Kick-Ass? Comment below and let us know!
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
