James McAvoy is an incredibly famous actor, and fans know him from his comic book role of Dr. Charles Xavier in the MCU X-Men franchise. The actor has done a wide array of roles in his career, and he is known for perfectly portraying the characters in front of the camera. However, before portraying his iconic role in the MCU, the actor played a role in another comic book adaptation of Wanted.

The 2008 film was a massive success as it collected $341 million at the Box Office while it had a budget of only $75 million. However, the film was stacked when it came to casting, which featured Angelina Jolie and a not-so-popular James McAvoy. The Glass actor stated that he freaked out when he thought he would be playing the role of Eminem in Wanted.

James McAvoy Freaked Out To Portray Eminem in Wanted

The 2008 film was based on the comic book series of the same name by Mark Millar, and J. G. Jones. However, the creators of the film decided to have creative freedom, as they decided to deviate a little from the source material. In an interview with Comics Continuum, the actor shared that when he read the original work, he freaked out because the actor’s character in the comic book was illustrated to look similar to Eminem.

James McAvoy as Wesley Gibson in Wanted

“I read the script and then before I flew out to the screen test, I was sent the graphic novel as well. Which totally freaked me out because I opened in and on page one went, ‘What? Eminem? Are you having a laugh? Am I going to be playing that?’ I just couldn’t quite understand. And I thought, well, I’m not going to be going in doing an impression of Eminem.”

James McAvoy got over the fear, and in an old interview with Superhero Hype, the Atomic Blonde actor stated how he adapted the role and made it his character.

A still from Wanted

“It’s difficult because the character has been based so obviously, at least visually on Eminem, I feel like I need to get away from that, because I feel that’s something I’ll never achieve. I feel that I’d like to take the essence of what [Mark Millar’s] done and fill it. What else a live action thing does, as opposed to a comic, is that there’s some things that really work well in the translation and some things that don’t.”

James McAvoy did an outstanding job in the movie as he showcased both humor and intensity in his role. And the viewers loved the actor’s development of the character, that is from an aimless cop to a skilled assassin. Critics believe his performance played a critical role in the success of the film.

The Cast and Plot of Wanted

While the budget of the 2008 comic book adaptation had a budget of $75 million, it was stacked when it came to having a stellar cast, as we could see: James McAvoy in the role of Wesley Gibson, Angelina Jolie in the role of Fox, Morgan Freeman in the role of Mr. Sloan, Terence Stamp in the role of Pekwarsky, Chris Pratt in the role of Barry, Common in the role of Earl Spellman/ The Gunsmith, and many more.

James McAvoy in Wanted

The plot of the film centered around Wesley Gibson, who is an aimless police officer who is frustrated with his job and constantly has panic attacks. However, his life changed when he met Fox, who told him that his father was an expert assassin. Gibson is then trained under the guidance of Mr. Sloan, the leader of the society. Wesley Gibson hones his skill with Sloan’s guidance and sets out on a mission to avenge his father’s death and take down a member of the Cross.

Wanted can be streamed on Netflix.

Source: Superhero Hype