A massive sci-fi flop that almost starred a young Glenn Powell

Glenn Powell has mastered the art of portraying a charming lead role. “Anybody But You” 2023 — a rom-com tentatively based on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing — became an unexpected megahit that helped catapult the careers of Powell and his co-star Sidney Sweeney. Since then Powell wrote and starred in Richard Linklater’s Hit Man where the actor showcased his magnetic star power in spectacularly entertaining vignettes. In the latest Twisters, the sequel to the 90s blockbuster Twister, Powell also played a charismatic lead, in this case meteorologist and storm chaser Tyler Owens (cheekily nicknamed Tornado Wrangler).

Even when Powell isn’t donning the title role’s costume, he’s memorable as in “Top Gun: Maverick”, in which he played a skilled but arrogant catopponent of Miles Teller’s “Rooster”. A cursory look at the filmography of the actor makes it clear that he earned the superstardom through hard work. Indeed, the younger Powell often came very, very close to starring in blockbusters that have since burned into the popular consciousness. For example, Powell auditioned for the role of Josh Hartnett in Oppenheimer and GQthe actor believes that he badly messed up the audition for Captain America. Of course, even though these missed opportunities contributed to his struggles as an artist over the years, Powell eventually managed to establish himself as a leading man.

Interestingly, however, Powell also did not star in the 2011 sci-fi thriller, which became one of the highest-grossing box office hits failures of all time. Is this movie in question? John Favreau “Cowboys and Aliens”.

The Cowboys and Aliens role that Powell missed out on was as Percy Dolarhyde, a troublemaking drunk who is sent to trial alongside amnesiac outlaw Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) in Favreau’s sci-fi western. Powell took inspiration from Ben Foster’s portrayal of ruthless cowboy Charlie Prince in the 2007 remake of 3:10 to Yuma for his audition, although the role ultimately went to Paul Dano. During the aforementioned GQ interview, Powell elaborated on how he missed out on Cowboys and Aliens, explaining:

“I auditioned for Cowboys and Aliens to play Harrison Ford’s son (Percy). I thought I was supposed to be Ben Foster. Then I came to the audition the next day and was looking at the sign-up sheet. The guy in front of me is Ben Foster (laughs).”

The commercial failure of “Cowboys and Aliens” was unexpected. Despite grossing a respectable $13 million on its opening day, the film finished second in its opening weekend behind The Smurfs (which was Sony Pictures Animation’s top-grossing film at the time, until it was overtaken by Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” in 2023). Although pundits were optimistic about the film’s overall performance ahead of time, Cowboys and Aliens collected a modest $174.8 million at the global box office against a hefty $163 million budget. It also didn’t do well with critics, as the comic book adaptation’s eccentric take on genre-bending drew mixed reactions, with its lead performances being hailed as its only merit.

Fauro’s idea about the reaction of the citizens of the late 19th century technologically advanced aliens is undoubtedly intriguing as it reworks the basic conflicts often featured in westerns. Perhaps a more restrained approach to this juvenile blockbuster would have allowed its unusual premise to shine, elevating the film’s blandness into something sweeter and more memorable.