Whether you know Jon Hamm best from him playing Don Draper in Mad Men or other projects like Baby Driver, Top Gun: Maverick, The Morning Show or Fargo, the man knows his way around various genres. One that he has yet yo contribute to, however, is the world of superheroes, though you certainly won’t have any trouble finding people fan casting him for upcoming Marvel movies and upcoming DC movies. That said, Hamm has now revealed a DC role he had no interest in doing, though I’m hoping he’s still game to join the forthcoming DC Universe franchise being spearheaded by James Gunn and Peter Safran.
In an extensive interview with THR, Hamm mentioned that he continues to have “conversations” with “the guys that run Marvel and DC,” and also clarified that those past talks weren’t anything along the lines of these executives wanting him to play Iron Man (though he did end up voicing that very character in the animated series M.O.D.O.K.). He then said the following when interviewer Lacey Rose asked for confirmation that he’d passed on 2011’s Green Lantern:
That was one I definitely didn’t want to do.
Jon Hamm didn’t elaborate on why he turned down Green Lantern, but considering how the movie ended up being a critical and commercial disappointment, missing out on that superhero movie worked out for him. Even Ryan Reynolds, who ended up playing lead protagonist Hal Jordan, has poked fun at Green Lantern numerous times over the years. Maybe Hamm just got a sense that this DC movie wasn’t for him, or maybe he simply wasn’t interested in playing Hal.
The Good Omens alum went on to say that he’s “pitched” himself for “a couple parts of the Marvel universe,” and that it was “a part of a comic book” that he really liked. Now, would I be disappointed if Jon Hamm turned up in an MCU project? Absolutely not. After all, there was a time when he was in talks to appear as Mister Sinister in The New Mutants. It would be amazing if he could score that same role in the MCU, but there are also plenty of other characters for who he’d be a good fit.
That said, the DC Universe’s Chapter One slate, titled “Gods and Monsters,” has already managed to recruit some notable names, with the Superman cast alone including folks like Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, Nicholas Hoult and Wendell Pierce to appear alongside David Corenswet’s version of the Man of Steel. Surely there’s a big role that Hamm could play in this franchise, right? For instance, The Brave and the Bold will presumably feature an older Batman fighting crime with his son Damian, so maybe he could finally get the chance to don the cape and cowl. Or, if Hamm isn’t against the idea of playing Hal Jordan, perhaps he could be cast in the Lanterns TV series that will be available to stream with a Max subscription like the other DCU shows.
For now, there’s nothing concrete that’s been lined up for Jon Hamm, but because these talks with Marvel and DC keep going and he’s so passionate about comic book media, it feels like it’s a matter of when rather than if he’s cast in one of these franchises. I’m personally leaning towards DC, but again, any opportunity to see Hamm leave his stamp on the superhero genre would be welcome.
