Stars Who Have Mysterious Roles In Upcoming Projects
It's rare for a big-budget production to be able to keep major surprise casts under wraps, but when it's done well, it can make for fantastic shocks and plot twists. Building anticipation is a major key to a successful box office turnout, and nothing keeps audiences on their toes quite like going into the movie with no idea who a famous actor is playing. Sometimes, it's a completely out-of-right-field cameo, such as Brad Pitt in Deadpool 2, while other times it may be a surprise reveal, such as Credence Barebone's true lineage in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald. Regardless, it's always fun to be genuinely surprised.
With a lot of highly anticipated movies hitting theaters, there are a great deal of big-name actors and actresses playing unnamed characters. From major comic book movie sequels to freshly adapted origin stories, here are some stars who have mysterious roles in upcoming films and TV series.
Save the last Dance
The cast of the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters is chock full of big names like Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, and Stranger Things' Millie Bobby Brown. Perhaps the most curious cast member is Charles Dance, whose specific role in the film is unidentified, but enjoyably hypothesized.
Nerdbot posits that Dance is perhaps playing an older version of Tom Hiddleston's character, James Conrad, from 2017's Kong: Skull Island, the second installment in Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse. At 2018's San Diego Comic Con, King of the Monsters director Michael Dougherty confirmed a potentially important detail, saying, "We do bring back a character from Kong: Skull Island." Seeing that Dance's character is the only one still unnamed, all signs point to him being the culprit.
Although it can be assumed that he would be a protagonist if he was, in fact, playing an older James Conrad, Dance, who portrayed Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones, is no stranger to playing the bad guy. CBR reports that he could potentially be playing the film's main villain, perhaps attempting to capture and sell the gigantic beasts on the black market. Only time will tell what exactly Dance will be doing with Mothra, Rodan, Ghidorah, and Godzilla.
Who's the redhead?
Katherine Langford, whose acting career really caught fire after her portrayal of Hannah Baker in Netflix's 13 Reasons Why, has a particularly perplexing role in the upcoming Avengers: Endgame. Unlike almost all of the other actors and actresses attached to the highly anticipated sequel, Langford is not only one of the only newbies on set, but also playing a character that's still unnamed.
Naturally, this fact is not lost on the MCU's devoted army of fans. The Motion Picture Association of America provides a few potential theories as to whom Langford is playing, including the daughter of Tony Stark and Pepper Potts, or maybe Black Widow's long-lost sister.
Although her precise identity is still hidden, one thing is certain: her hair color. On her Instagram, the Love, Simon alum posted a picture showcasing her new red hair, captioned "She (red)y". Given that both Pepper Potts and Black Widow appear to be natural redheads, perhaps she really is related to one of them; however, it seems foolish to put so much stock in hair color. Fortunately, fans won't have to wait too much longer to learn which Marvel character Langford is playing.
Unnamed Chastain
Dark Phoenix, premiering in early June 2019, marks the beginning of the end of the X-Men universe as fans know it, with Disney's multi-billion dollar acquisition of 21st Century Fox now complete. While Dark Phoenix returns a good bunch of mutants from the previous movies, such as Jennifer Lawrence's Mystique, Sophie Turner's Jean Grey, and James McAvoy's Professor X, it's actually Jessica Chastain's mystery role that has fans most intrigued.
Chastain's ominous appearance in the Dark Phoenix trailers has sparked various predictions within the comic book community. Initially, it made sense that she could be playing Lilandra Neramani, a Shi'ar princess who played a large role in the original Dark Phoenix comics arc, but Chastain shot down that rumor on Instagram. Could she be a Skrull, one of the infamous shape-shifting aliens of Marvel lore? What about Cassandra Nova, Professor X's "evil twin"? At this point, it would be foolish to consider anything off the table, but it does appear as though her role will be villainous in nature. Other than that, who knows?
PIKA-ORA
In the upcoming Pokémon Detective Pikachu, gracing theaters on May 10, Ryan Reynolds voices a Pikachu who's trying to find Harry Goodman, an ace detective who's gone missing. Most major plot details are still under wraps, as well as the roles being played by several cast members. Suki Waterhouse, Rob Delaney, and Bill Nighy are all playing roles that are still unrevealed on the movie's IMDb page, but perhaps the most thought-provoking secret is who pop star Rita Ora will be playing.
Ora has a relatively small acting resume, previously nabbing the supporting role of Mia Grey in all the Fifty Shades of Grey series, but she has yet to play a significant part in a blockbuster project. Keeping this line of thinking, it can be assumed that she'll be playing another supporting role. Perhaps Ora, whose voice is very recognizable, is voicing a different talking Pokémon — or could she actually be playing one of the film's main antagonists? You have to admit Rita Ora would look quite convincing in a Team Rocket costume. All she needs is a sidekick Meowth!
Who the heck is Hii?
2018 was a great year for Remy Hii. The Australian actor, whose career was jump-started after his performance as Prince Jingim in Netflix's Marco Polo, landed a part in ABC's Harrow, and then went on to get the highly desired role of Alistair Cheng in the box office smash Crazy Rich Asians. Then Hii capped it all off by scoring a secret part in Marvel's upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home. Although still unrevealed, Hii's part has sparked a wide array of fan theories and predictions.
Some believe Hii could be playing Hydro-Man, potentially one of the villains assembled by Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio to take on Tom Holland's Spidey. Others like him for the role of Namor the Sub-Mariner, who has long been rumored to appear in the MCU post-Endgame. However, perhaps the theory that holds the most water is that Hii is playing Amadeus Cho. In the comics, Cho is an incredibly intelligent Korean-American who's linked to several characters, including Spider-Man. In the comics, Cho eventually became the "Totally Awesome Hulk" — with Mark Ruffalo's six-picture contract nearing its end, the MCU could have an opening for another big green rage monster sometime soon.
New Mutants' new villain
In 2018, Fox's New Mutants sounded like a fun, fresh spinoff of their X-Men universe. Unfortunately for the studio and the various cast members, mounting production issues and copious reshoots caused the movie's release date to be pushed back an entire year. Currently scheduled for an August debut, New Mutants stars Game of Thrones' Maisie Williams as Wolfsbane, Split's Anya Taylor-Joy as Magik, and Stranger Things' Charlie Heaton as Cannonball. However, not everyone in the cast is an up-and-comer, as Antonio Banderas will be playing an unidentified part as the main villain.
Apparently, Banderas will be taking over for Jon Hamm, who was set to appear in the film as the villainous Mr. Sinister. Although no one is 100 percent sure as to who he'll actually be playing, Comicbook.com has put together a thorough list of potential roles, including John Sublime, Belasco, and Bastion. Here's hoping that the film can get its ducks in a row, because fans aren't the only ones getting tired of waiting.
Targaryen, Lannisters, and Starks... oh my
When HBO announced a Game of Thrones prequel, fans everywhere rejoiced in the fact that the show's eighth season would not be their final journey to Westeros. Then, when the network announced that Naomi Watts was the first star to sign on, online pundits had a field day guessing who she could possibly be playing. Although it's been confirmed that the spinoff will take place before the events depicted in Game of Thrones, all that's known about Watts' mysterious character is that she is "a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret."
The smart money is on the theory that Watts will be playing a distant relative to one of the various main characters on Thrones, such as Emilia Clarke's Daenerys Targaryen or possibly even Lena Headey's Cersei Lannister. That being said, the Thrones' universe is so diverse, don't be shocked if Watts' character is someone completely new.
Sharp-dressed (mystery) man
In Game of Thrones, Pedro Pascal played fan favorite Oberyn Martell, who ultimately meets a bloody demise at the hands of the Mountain. In the upcoming Wonder Woman 1984, tentatively slated for a June 2020 release date, Pascal will again turn fans' heads, but it's still unannounced as to who he'll be playing. Variety was first to break the news, announcing that he would be playing a "key role" along with Kristen Wiig, who is signed on as the villainous Cheetah.
The only piece of evidence to go on is a picture posted by director Patty Jenkins, depicting Pascal wearing an '80s business suit in the back seat of a car. Naturally, the internet went wild with fan theories speculating which comic book counterpart Pascal could be bringing to life. Collider proposes that he's playing Maxwell Lord, a businessman who often opposes the Justice League. While that seems to be the most popular hypothesis, fans will have to wait to find out for sure.
Gambit's leading lady
At this point, it might seem as though Channing Tatum's long-anticipated Gambit might never come to fruition. Rumblings of a potential solo outing featuring Marvel's Cajun card-tosser started making waves way in 2015, but nothing firm really solidified until 2017, when it was reported that Lizzy Caplan was in talks to star opposite Tatum as the film's female lead. Although her role is still under wraps, fans of the potential project were excited to have such a phenomenal talent attached. She'd make a perfect Bella Donna Boudreaux, or possibly even a recast Rogue, previously played by Anna Paquin in the X-Men films.
Unfortunately for all involved, it would appear as though the Disney-Fox merger has marked the project with an even larger question mark. Speaking with Digital Spy, Caplan noted that everything about the potential movie is up in the air, but that she was still excited about being a part of it. "The idea of it, and the script, and the direction that Channing was taking it in was so exciting, and so good, and I was very ready to make that movie," she offered. "So hopefully it still happens. I guess we'll just have to see."
Felicity... in space!
Although Keri Russell has played supporting roles in large movies such as Mission: Impossible III and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, she's more recognized for her work on prominent television series, such as FX's The Americans and her breakout role on Felicity. It should go without saying that her mystery role in the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX is potentially the biggest break in her already successful career.
Due to leaked information, many fans believe that Russell will be playing a character named Zorii. Although not much is known about who Zorii is or what she might have to do with the plot, some have speculated that she will be a bounty hunter or relative of Daisy Ridley's Rey. Given that Russell and Ridley share an undeniable likeness, it's very possible that Zorii could end up being Rey's mother.
Quicksilver learns that manners maketh man
With the continued success of the Kingsman movies, it should come as no surprise that the studio intends to continue cranking out sequels. What is a surprise, however, is that Taron Egerton, who played main character Eggsy in both of the franchise's prior films, will not be returning for the next movie in the series, Kingsman: The Great Game. Instead, the film will feature Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, Gemma Arterton, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, all playing currently unrevealed roles. Given his extensive experience in action movies, including Avengers: Age of Ultron, Kick-Ass, and 2014's Godzilla, it's Taylor-Johnson's mystery role that has fans most interested.
According to Entertainment Weekly, The Great Game, which is tentatively scheduled for a February 2020 release, will be a prequel that follows the organization of Kingsman agents in the '90s. Wouldn't it be cool to see Taylor-Johnson portray a younger version of Collin Firth's Harry Hart, or maybe even Mark Strong's Merlin?