Josh Hartnett Taking Agency Meetings…What Happened To That Guy?

Josh Hartnett has left CAA, and he has been making the rounds of agencies looking for new representation. Even though they might be unexcited by his recent movies like Bunraku and Girl Walks Into A Bar, the agencies are all over him. Who can blame them? This is a strapping young guy who can act and is only 33. I thought he was going to be a big star when he made Pearl Harbor and especially Black Hawk Down. While occasional films reminded of his potential — how great was Hartnett in 30 Days Of Night, maybe the coolest vampire movie since From Dusk Till Dawn? — for the most part he has leaned toward indie, artsy fare.

I can still remember in the early 2000s when Hartnett was offered the Superman role by Warner Bros in a three-picture deal that potentially could have paid him $100 million. He turned it down because he didn’t want to be defined by that iconic role. Sometimes shuffling the deck with reps works, but only if the actor doesn’t reject the occasional big picture to go along with the art films, something Ryan Gosling is now doing. Agents tells me that a couple of good studio roles puts Hartnett right back on the map, and that is why they’re racing to sign him. He’s still with Management 360.