The Character Pedro Pascal Almost Played In Venom
When "Venom" first hit theaters in 2018, the movie became a hit with fans who had long awaited a worthy adaptation of the lethal protector. The success of "Venom," of course, led to a sequel in 2021, "Venom: Let There Be Carnage" which attempts to build from the first movie and introduce a whole new set of problems for Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) in the form of the dangerous psychopath Carnage (Woody Harrelson). But it all began with the first film, which is beloved by fans for successfully bringing the famous Marvel anti-hero onto the silver screen and providing a unique and, at times, fun perspective on the relationship between Eddie and his symbiote.
"Venom" is also impressive thanks to the actors featured in the series so far, from Hardy to Harrelson to Michelle Williams. With that being said, if casting for the first "Venom" movie had gone a bit different, we could have also seen the appearance of a particular Mandalorian. That's right, at one point, Pedro Pascal almost landed a huge role in "Venom," which would have had the actor face off against the titular symbiote.
Pedro Pascal almost became Carlton Drake
In "Venom," the main antagonist is evil scientist Carlton Drake, played by Riz Ahmed. Drake is mainly responsible for Eddie coming into contact with the symbiote that turns him into Venom. In addition, Drake fuses with another symbiote to become the super-powered Riot. While Ahmed was great as Drake, he wasn't the only actor considered for the role. According to a tweet from then-Variety reporter Justin Kroll back in 2017, when it was announced that Ahmed was in early talks to play "Venom" villain, Pedro Pascal was also in the running to play Carlton Drake.
While Pascal missed out on being a part of the Marvel/Sony onscreen world, he is no stranger to bringing comic book bad guys to life. In "Wonder Woman: 1984," the actor played wish-granting businessman Maxwell Lord. Still, it is fun to imagine how Pascal would have fared in the role of Drake, especially after becoming Riot. Just don't expect the character to make any returns in any sequels. As Ahmed noted to The Hollywood Reporter, the ultimate fate of Drake in "Venom" pretty much wipes out any idea of a future appearance.
"I think I'm done in Venom. It's pretty conclusive. Dude got blown up in a spaceship," Ahmed told the outlet.