Comic-book adaptation (un-) casting news: no Evan Rachel Wood as Mary Jane, no John Krasinski as Captain America

By Jason Heller | March 10, 2010 | 4:34pm

Aux Features Newswire

Variety reports that Evan Rachel Wood has dropped out of Spider-Man, Turn Off The Dark, the ambitious Broadway musical that's been in the works for ages now. Wood had signed on to play Mary Jane Watson opposite Reeve Carney's Peter Parker (with Alan Cumming as The Green Goblin), but her management released a statement yesterday saying Wood was backing out of the project due to "a scheduling conflict." This throws the already beleaguered show into yet another tailspin; thanks to a ballooning budget—$50 million is the latest estimated price tag for the effects-heavy, Bono-and-The-Edge-scored production—Turn Off The Dark is now being considered for a late-summer preview and a Halloween opening.

Over in Hollywood, the producers of Marvel Studios' have made some headway (kinda) in casting the lead for its upcoming The First Avenger: Captain America. According to Deadline, only two of the seven actors who originally auditioned for the role—Cloverfield's Mike Vogel and Tron: Legacy's Garrett Hedlund—are still in the running. Also being considered is Chris "The Human Torch" Evans, one of the few redeeming elements of Marvel's big-screen Fantastic Four franchise. Sadly, this means that The Office's beloved, hangdog John Krasinski won't be wielding the red-white-and-blue shield; he was one of the original tryouts who didn't make the cut.