Mark Ruffalo’s Crime 101 Role Was Almost Played by Another MCU Star

Before Mark Ruffalo stepped into Crime 101, another major star had been in line for the role. An A-lister actor was originally attached to appear alongside Chris Hemsworth in the high-stakes crime thriller. However, plans shifted during development, opening the door for Ruffalo to take his place in the Amazon MGM production.

Pedro Pascal was the first choice for Crime 101

Pedro Pascal was originally attached to star alongside Chris Hemsworth in Crime 101, based on Don Winslow’s 2021 novella. Pascal exited the project due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Mark Ruffalo, reuniting him with Hemsworth for the first time outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Deadline confirmed the casting change ahead of production.

Amazon MGM Studios acquired Crime 101 after beating Netflix in a bidding war, reportedly worth $90 million. According to Puck, Amazon secured the project after studio chief Courtenay Valenti offered a theatrical release. Bart Layton directed and co-wrote the screenplay with contributions from Peter Straughan. The film premiered in London on January 28, 2026, and Amazon released it theatrically in the U.S. on February 13, 2026.

Hemsworth starred as jewel thief Mike Davis, with Ruffalo portraying the detective tracking him. The plot follows Davis’ string of heists along the 101 freeway, which law enforcement believes are cartel-connected. Detective Lubesnick suspects otherwise and aims to intercept Davis before his final job. The official synopsis calls it “a great crime story in the vein of Heat.”

The supporting cast includes Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte, Halle Berry, and others. The film was produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Derrin Schlesinger, Dimitri Doganis, Bart Layton, Shane Salerno, Chris Hemsworth, and Ben Grayson. Joely Fether served as executive producer.

Principal photography began in Los Angeles in October 2024. Erik Wilson served as cinematographer, Blanck Mass composed the score, and Jacob Secher Schulsinger and Julian Hart handled editing. Distributed by Amazon MGM in North America and Sony Pictures internationally, the film runs 140 minutes and received an 88% score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 66 on Metacritic.

Source: Comingsoon.net