Emily Blunt Missed Out On The MCU Because Of A Jack Black Comedy Flop
Jonathan Swift published his popular fantasy-cum-political-satire "Gulliver's Travels" — a.k.a. "Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. In Four Parts. By Lemuel Gulliver, First a Surgeon, and then a Captain of Several Ships" — in 1726. Gulliver, in traveling to faraway and bizarre lands, finds several countries and kingdoms whose entire societies are focused on trivial matters, often to the point of ruination. In Lilliput, the citizens are six-inch-tall royals, and the country has split into factions over which side of the egg is more appropriate for cracking. Gulliver also visits the giant country of Brobdingnag, the floating island of Laputa, and several other fantastical places. To this day, Swift's novel is a provocative and pointed read, poking fun at governmental idiocy in general, and foolish obsessives in particular.
Rob Letterman's 2010 film adaptation of "Gulliver's Travels" is ... not provocative. In fact, it's downright dumb. The 2010 film is set in the modern day, and Gulliver is a low-rent slob played by Jack Black, whisked off to faraway countries where he gets to be sloppy and selfish. The movie is a mere comedic adventure story, just without the humor and without the adventure. It takes place mostly in Lilliput and Brobdingnag, and it features a giant robot battle. The most poetic moment is when Jack recites the lyrics to Edwin Starr's "War." It wasn't well received.
Emily Blunt appeared in "Gulliver's Travels" as Mary, the Princess of Lilliput, a central figure in the Lilliputian political intrigue. As revealed by the new book "MCU: The Reign of Marvel Studios" by Joanna Robinson, Dave Gonzales, and Gavin Edwards, Blunt had to make this film instead of auditioning to play Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
She said explicitly which gig she would have rather had.
Blunt Widow
The Black Widow was introduced in Jon Favreau's 2010 film "Iron Man 2." Black Widow was a secret Russian spy dressed in a black catsuit and equipped with small weapons and acrobatic fighting skills. The role ultimately went to Scarlett Johansson who played the part in nine feature films.
According to "MCU," Favreau was eager to work with Emily Blunt, favoring her in the role. She had recently appeared in the hit 2006 comedy "The Devil Wears Prada" as a catty secretary, and starred as the title character in the 2009 romance "The Young Victoria." Blunt was well-established, poised for superstardom. The MCU was nothing but potential energy at that time, and many predicted (correctly) that the series would be massively successful. Blunt wanted in.
It seems, however, that "Devil" and "Travels" were part of a three-picture contract that Blunt had already signed with 20th Century Fox, and she was stuck. However much she might have wanted to play a high-profile superheroine role, she needed to play the Princess of Lilliput first. "Travels" was filmed in March 2009. "Iron Man 2" in April. Damn conflicts.
Lest one think Blunt ever felt she was "above" superhero material, she wanted to clarify that wasn't the case, saying:
"It's not beneath me. It's not. I loved Iron Man, and I wanted to work with Robert Downey Jr. [...] I was contracted to do 'Gulliver's Travels' — I didn't want to do 'Gulliver's Travels.' It was a bit of a heartbreaker for me because I take such pride in the decisions that I make."
Blunt would play an action hero in "Edge of Tomorrow." She will likely get her first Oscar nomination for "Oppenheimer." She's done well enough.