Kit Harington, who is set to feature in the upcoming MCU movie Eternals, has now revealed he was already offered the chance to join one of the superhero-themed cinematic universes several years prior. Choosing to remain candid, Harington refused to be drawn into any further comments on the project. He did not specify the role or even whether it was MCU or DCEU based.
The actor is best known for his portrayal of Jon Snow in the hit HBO series Game of Thrones. It was during this time Kit Harington was allegedly approached by a studio to fill the aforementioned superhero movie role. Ironically it seems the role of Jon Snow was also the reason he declined the offer, feeling it wasn’t a good fit for him at the time.
Speaking to Total Film, Harington revealed: “You know, the comic-book and superhero world has called once before – I won’t mention what it was, but yeah, there was one other – I didn’t like the role and the part and the time to do it, so I turned it down. It was a while ago, as well – just because it didn’t feel like the right thing at the right time. And I think I was right to. My head was very in the Jon Snow world then.”
Fans can only speculate on what might have been but the interview does at least give a few clues, most specifically a time frame. The incident presumably took place several seasons into Game of Thrones, enough that Harington was a household name but far enough from the show’s controversial ending that it would provide a schedule conflict since he revealed it would have affected his Jon Snow headspace. There were only so many superhero films being cast around that time so fans can narrow the net to a few plausible possibilities.
Based on Harington’s cast type, if it was a heroic role, that would leave either Doctor Strange or Ant-Man in the MCU and Shazam in the DCEU that potentially fit the bill. As a villain, the options are probably even slimmer with Ocean Master from Aquaman and Kaecilius again from Doctor Strange being the most likely options. As an outside bet, he could also have been approached to play Eddie Brock in Sony’s Venom. We’ll probably never know for sure but the 34-year-old will finally be making his superhero debut in the upcoming Eternals.
Harington also weighed in on the upcoming movie adding: “This one felt right to me. I liked that the character they were offering was not necessarily an Eternal. He was human. I felt that I could do something with that, that he came with all these human faults. So it was the character that drew me to it, as well as it being the MCU, and how exciting. But he’s not an Eternal – that’s the main takeaway! I’ve got no idea whether my character goes on or not, I had read up on who he could be or might be. So there’s the possibility for a longer trajectory. And hopefully, I think this is the tip of the iceberg for my character. I hope. But I just don’t know, you know? I’m as in the dark as anyone else.”
Kit Harington’s character Dane Whitman is best known to DC fans for taking up the mantle of Black Knight. Whether or not Eternals will go that way remains to be seen but writer/director Chloe Zhao has promised the movie will have major ramifications on the larger MCU. Zhao is also a very hot property right now coming off the back of two Academy Awards for her most recent film Nomadland so the movie should have no shortage of hype. Eternals is set to arrive in cinemas on Nov. 5. This news originated at Games Radar.