It was recently revealed by Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige that Anthony Mackie was always the first choice to play Sam Wilson/The Falcon, and he was offered the role in the MCU without an audition. Now, an upcoming Marvel star is revealing that she, too, was cast with no audition for a Disney+ role.
Dominique Thorne, who will play prodigy Riri Williams in Marvel’s upcoming Ironheart series, spoke to Empire recently about the casting process. She recalled the shock she felt and the ease that came with landing the role, and noted the fact that she hadn't been asked for an audition either.
I was at home in Delaware and I got a call asking if I would like to play this role. It was the best phone call I could have ever received… I was so shocked, in fact, that there was a considerable lag in the conversation! I was waiting for them to say, like, ‘Oh, we’ll send you the sides’, or, ‘Get your tape over to us.’ But there was none of that. It was just like, ‘Would you like to do this?’ It was probably the most unique experience I’ve ever had because there was no audition at all.
Ironheart was first announced at Disney’s Investor Day back in December and centers around genius inventor Riri Williams (Thorne's role), who creates the most advanced suit of armor since Iron Man himself, Tony Stark. Dominique Thorne’s reaction to the call should come as no surprise, as she has said before that her entire household loves Marvel.
Though not much is known about the upcoming series or the role the Iron Man successor will play in the MCU, Dominique Thorne getting offered the role so quickly can only mean that she is the best one for the job and will skillfully play this character, who was introduced only six years ago. It's cool that both she and Anthony Mackie hold such a special distinction in the MCU. Perhaps the two superheroes will even connect on-screen somehow in the future.
Ironheart doesn't have a release date as of yet, but Marvel is still keeping fans fed with plenty of Disney+ content. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier premieres on the streaming service this Friday, March 19, while Loki is set to premiere on June 11. If all goes well, Marvel’s cinematic slate for 2021 could hold up to four movies, including Black Widow in May, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings in July, Eternals in November and the recently announced Spider-Man: No Way Home on Christmas. Needless to say, the MCU is only going to be growing over the next few years.
Dominique Thorne and Riri Williams seem like a match made in Heaven, and we can’t wait to see what she does with this iconic superheroine. With any luck, she'll be able to break through and become yet another fan-favorite MCU hero.
