Before becoming Marvel’s beloved Captain America, Chris Evans was just another young actor trying to find his breakthrough. But not every project on his resume was destined for success.
In fact, one of Evans’ earliest roles messed up so badly that no one even got to see it, and we probably never will.
Chris Evans’ Lost TV Show That Never Saw The Light Of The Day
In 2002, Chris Evans landed a role in ‘Eastwick’, a television show pilot based on John Updike’s acclaimed novel ‘The Witches of Eastwick’. The name might seem familiar, thanks to George Miller’s 1987 film adaptation.
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Even though ‘Eastwick’ tried to recreate the magic of the original, it was always a difficult task. The pilot reimagined the story with Jason O’Mara stepping into Nicholson’s iconic role as Daryn Van Horne. He was joined by Marcia Cross, Kelly Rutherford, and Lori Loughlin. In the show, Evans played a high school student whose story remains a mystery.
Unfortunately, audiences never got the chance to judge the series for themselves as its network, Fox, ultimately passed on it and shelved the pilot. More than two decades later, the project has virtually disappeared from public view.
The only surviving evidence we have is some promotional stills. In most of them, we see the future Captain America holding a football in full high-school jock attire.
‘Eastwick’ Couldn’t Escape Its Doomed Future, But Chris Evans Did
Interestingly, Fox’s failed pilot wasn’t the end of ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ adaptation. In 2009, ABC launched another version of ‘Eastwick’, starring Jamie Ray Newman, Lindsay Price, and Rebecca Romijn. This time, the adaptation was received slightly better. Though it went on air, the series lasted only 13 episodes before being canceled.
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Fortunately, Chris Evans didn’t go through the same fate. Just three years after ‘Eastwick’ disappeared, Evans landed the role that transformed his career, Johnny Storm in 2005’s ‘Fantastic Four’. Nearly two decades later, he even reprised his character in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ (2024).
However, the biggest role of his career came in 2011, when he first suited up as Captain America and took his place amongst Hollywood’s leading men. Though ‘Eastwick’ remains a missing piece in his career, Evans has built a career graph that’s only going up and up.
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