James Mangold considered contacting Joaquin Phoenix to play Johnny Cash in 'A Complete Unknown'

"The thought occurred to me," Mangold told BI about the possible casting. "But then I realized he'd be 20-30 years too old to be playing the part."

"Okay, but then what am I servicing? This kind of meta-movie universe stuff that has plagued us enough? I'm a big fan of making a movie and giving the public the movie."

Mangold emphasized that the approach to filmmaking should focus on creating a standalone piece rather than forcing connections between films, stating, "Otherwise movies just become this hyper-expensive television series."

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