Thunderbolts* star Lewis Pullman may be garnering praise for his performance as Sentry in the movie, but turns out he auditioned to play a very different Marvel character a decade ago: Peter Parker’s best friend, Ned.
“Lewis Pullman actually auditioned for me for the role of Ned Leeds in Spider-Man 10 years ago,” Marvel casting director Sarah Finn revealed to IGN.
Jacob Batalon ended up playing Ned alongside Tom Holland’s Peter Parker in 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, as well as its sequels Far From Home and No Way Home. There’s no confirmation yet as to whether he’ll return for the upcoming Spider-Man 4, officially titled Spider-Man: Brand New Day, as the movie is set to be a “fresh start” for Spidey.
As for Pullman, he plays Bob, an amnesiac with a powerful superpowered alter-ego (with a dangerous dark side) in Thunderbolts*. Along with the rest of the Thunderbolts (AKA the New Avengers), he’s returning to the MCU for Avengers: Doomsday, and he’s “so excited” for what the future might hold for his character.
“I had to kind of prepare myself for the possibility that this might just be a kind of one-and-done situation,” he told GamesRadar+. “It’s kind of like breaking open a whole new room, and being like, oh my god, [my] house is actually bigger, and now I get to figure out what I do with that space.”
Thunderbolts* is out now. For more on the movie, check out our spoiler-free verdict in our Thunderbolts* review, or get the lowdown on the Thunderbolts* post-credits scenes with our guide.
