Nicholas Hoult on losing roles in The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick & Mission: Impossible 7

Since breaking onto the scene with About a Boy, Nicholas Hoult has had standout roles in X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Favourite, The Menu, and more, but every actor has that big role that got away… sometimes more than one. While speaking with The Guardian, Nicholas Hoult revealed some of the major movies he tried out for, including The Batman, Top Gun: Maverick, and Mission: Impossible 7.

“I screen-tested for Batman and didn’t get it. Screen-tested for Top Gun, didn’t get it,” Nicholas Hoult said. “Then I got the call from Tom Cruise: ‘Hey, how about Mission Impossible?’ OK. Got it. Then I had to drop out because I was already attached to do some more of The Great.” The role Nicholas Hoult was set to play in Mission: Impossible 7 was said to be one of the main villains, so having to drop out must have been painful. Hoult was later replaced by Esai Morales.

As for The Batman, Nicholas Hoult was in the running for the lead role alongside Robert Pattinson. He met with director Matt Reeves and had a screen test in costume, but Pattinson was ultimately cast. It’s not clear which role he was up for in Top Gun: Maverick.

Nicholas Hoult can currently be seen starring alongside Nicolas Cage in Renfield, and his next project will also be a vampire movie. He’s currently shooting Robert Eggers’ Nosteratu, which he has said could be a “really special” movie. “Rob has wanted to make Nosferatu since he was eight years old and he did a play of it as well when he was in high school, so it’s been a passion project of his for a long time,” Hoult said. “Honestly, I wasn’t looking to go back into the vampire world again, but his style and tone are just so completely the opposite of (Renfield), and I’m such a fan of his work that I’m excited to be in his world and watching him and learning from him. I think the film could be really special, so I’m excited for people to see it.“

Renfield is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out a review from our own David Arroyo right here.