How to Get Cast in Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday is the biggest movie of 2026, and it’s the one every actor wants to be part of. Marvel Studios’ fifth Avengers film hits theaters in December 2026 — delayed from its original May 2026 date — and it will stream on Disney+ after its theatrical run. The Russo brothers are back directing, Robert Downey Jr. returns as Doctor Doom, and the cast list reads like a roll call of the entire Marvel universe.
Here’s the honest version of how casting works on a film like this, who’s actually in charge of it, and what you can realistically do to get yourself in front of the right people.
What Is Avengers: Doomsday?
Avengers: Doomsday is Marvel Studios’ next team-up epic, the follow-up to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo — the duo behind Infinity War and Endgame — the film centers on Doctor Doom, played by Robert Downey Jr. in one of the most talked-about casting announcements in recent years.
The confirmed cast is enormous: Chris Hemsworth, Vanessa Kirby, Pedro Pascal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Joseph Quinn, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Anthony Mackie, Simu Liu, Wyatt Russell, Winston Duke, Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Channing Tatum, Tenoch Huerta MejÃa, Danny Ramirez, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman were all announced during Marvel’s now-famous chair livestream. It’s a multiverse story pulling characters from the Avengers films, the X-Men universe, the Fantastic Four, and the Thunderbolts.
Filming took place in the UK, and the scale of the production is staggering — which matters for you, because productions this large hire hundreds of background actors, stunt performers, stand-ins, and photo doubles. The lead roles were locked long ago. The real opportunity for working actors on Doomsday lives in the co-star, background, stunt, and specialty categories.
Meet the Casting Director: Sarah Halley Finn
The casting director on Avengers: Doomsday is Sarah Halley Finn, and that fact alone tells you how Marvel handles casting: Finn has been the casting director behind the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe from the beginning. Her name appears on the IMDb full credits for Doomsday as Casting Director, and her filmography confirms the pattern — she cast Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Thunderbolts*, Deadpool & Wolverine, Eternals, and she was the casting force behind the whole Infinity Saga.
Finn isn’t a Marvel-only casting director, either. She cast Everything Everywhere All at Once, the film that swept the Oscars and turned Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu into household names. In a widely discussed interview with TheWrap, she talked openly about her process — including casting the relatively unknown Ralph Ineson as Galactus in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, a role most casting directors would have handed to a recognizable star. That’s the key to understanding Finn: she watches everything, and she is genuinely open to discovery.
Her office works with agents and managers across the board, and for a production like Doomsday, the workflow runs through her long-standing relationships with the agencies — but she also pulls from self-tape submissions that come through legitimate channels. Finn’s team is known for watching self-tapes all the way through, which is rarer in the industry than it should be.
What Finn looks for, based on her track record: specificity over polish. She cast unknown-to-Hollywood actors in franchise-defining roles repeatedly. She doesn’t need you to look like a movie star — she needs you to look like the character is a real person.
What Kinds of Roles Sarah Halley Finn Casts
On a production the size of Doomsday, casting breaks into clear tiers, and you should be honest with yourself about which tier you’re targeting:
- Principal roles — the named characters. These were cast through agencies, offers, and closed sessions. If you don’t have major credits and a top-tier agent, this tier isn’t your lane right now.
- Co-star and guest roles — smaller speaking parts: soldiers, scientists, agents, civilians with a line or two. These DO get cast through agent submissions and sometimes open calls in production hubs. Finn’s office has a history of finding fresh faces for exactly these slots.
- Stunt performers — Doomsday is wall-to-wall action. Stunt coordinators hire through stunt-specific casting, and if you have a real stunt background (martial arts, wire work, driving, gymnastics), this is a legitimate path onto a Marvel set.
- Background actors and stand-ins — the biggest volume opportunity by far. Marvel productions hire hundreds of extras: soldiers, refugees, city crowds, government personnel, alien-adjacent creatures. Background casting on Marvel films is typically handled by dedicated extras casting companies in the filming location — for Doomsday, that meant the UK — and they post open calls regularly.
- Photo doubles and stand-ins — if you resemble one of the principal cast members, stand-in work pays well and puts you on set with the main unit every day.
How to Get Cast in Avengers: Doomsday: Step by Step
Step 1: Get your Project Casting profile in shape
Everything starts with a complete, current profile. Headshot that looks like you today, not three years ago. A reel under two minutes that shows range, not just your favorite scene. Your special skills listed honestly — if you do stage combat, say so; if you speak another language, list it. Casting teams filter by skills constantly, and empty profiles get skipped. Set up your profile at Project Casting and keep it updated.
Step 2: Lock in headshots that actually work
For Finn’s office and every other major casting office, your headshot needs to do one job: look like the person who walks into the room. Over-retouched, heavily styled headshots are a liability. Get a clean theatrical headshot and a clean commercial headshot, natural light, minimal retouching. If you’re targeting background work, a full-body or three-quarter shot matters too — extras casting directors need to see your build and how you move.
Step 3: Understand the agent vs. self-submit reality
For speaking roles on a Marvel film, agent submissions are the primary channel — Finn’s office works through agencies. If you don’t have an agent, that doesn’t mean you’re shut out. It means your realistic targets are background casting, stunt casting (if qualified), and open calls posted by the production’s extras casting team. Self-submission platforms exist precisely for this: productions and their casting vendors post breakdowns, and you submit directly. Apply to everything you genuinely fit.
Step 4: Chase the background and extras route
This is the most realistic path onto Doomsday for most actors, and it’s not a consolation prize — background actors on Marvel films work for weeks, get paid well, and build relationships with assistant directors who remember reliable people for the next production. Register with the extras casting companies working in the production’s filming region. Watch for open calls. Show up early, follow directions exactly, and be the person the ADs want back.
Step 5: If you have stunt skills, lead with them
Stunt casting on a film like this runs on reels and referrals. Cut a tight stunt reel — under 90 seconds — showing real, verifiable skills. Register with stunt coordinators and stunt casting databases. Marvel productions hire large stunt teams, and stunt performers who prove reliable get called back across the franchise.
Step 6: Self-tape like a professional
If you get a self-tape request — for Doomsday or anything else — treat it like the job depends on it, because it does. Clean background, good sound, eyeline just off camera, no editing tricks. Finn’s team watches tapes fully, so don’t front-load all your energy into the first take and fade. Slate simply: name, height, location, agency if you have one. Then do the work.
Realistic Tips for Sarah Halley Finn’s Casting Room
- Don’t try to look like a Marvel actor. Look like a person. Finn’s best-known discoveries worked because they felt real, not because they fit a template.
- Know the universe, but don’t perform the universe. Understanding the MCU helps you calibrate tone. Doing an impression of a Marvel trailer in your audition does not.
- Smaller is better on tape. The camera catches everything. Finn casts film — subtle, specific, grounded choices win.
- List every real skill you have. Combat training, languages, instruments, driving (including stick shift), swimming, horseback riding — Marvel productions need all of it, and breakdowns filter by skill.
- Be patient and stay ready. Marvel casting timelines are long and secretive. You might tape in March and hear nothing until August. That’s normal. Keep training, keep submitting.
- Never pay to audition. Legitimate casting for Doomsday — through Finn’s office, through agencies, through extras casting companies — never charges actors a fee to be considered. Anyone asking for money for a Marvel audition is running a scam.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the casting director for Avengers: Doomsday?
Sarah Halley Finn is the casting director for Avengers: Doomsday, credited on the film’s IMDb full credits. She has cast the Marvel Cinematic Universe since its inception, along with Everything Everywhere All at Once, Thunderbolts*, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
When does Avengers: Doomsday come out?
Avengers: Doomsday is scheduled for theatrical release in December 2026, after being delayed from its original May 2026 date. It will stream on Disney+ following its theatrical run.
Are there open auditions for Avengers: Doomsday?
Principal roles were cast through agencies and are closed. The open opportunities on a production this size are in background/extras casting, stunt work, and stand-in roles, which are posted by the production’s casting vendors in the filming region.
How do I audition for a Marvel movie?
Get a complete profile with current headshots and a reel on a casting platform, secure reputable representation if you’re targeting speaking roles, register with extras casting companies for background work, and submit to every breakdown you genuinely fit. Build credits on smaller productions first — Marvel casting directors notice working actors.
Can I be an extra in Avengers: Doomsday?
Marvel films hire hundreds of background actors through dedicated extras casting companies in their filming locations. Doomsday filmed in the UK, so UK-based extras agencies handled background casting. Register with reputable extras agencies in production hubs and watch for open calls on future Marvel productions.
Does Sarah Halley Finn cast unknown actors?
Yes — it’s one of her trademarks. She cast relatively unknown Ralph Ineson as Galactus and has a long history of franchise-defining discoveries, including her work on Everything Everywhere All at Once. She watches self-tapes fully and casts based on who fits the character, not who has the biggest name.
The Bottom Line
Avengers: Doomsday is the biggest casting machine in the business right now, and Sarah Halley Finn is running it. The lead roles are set, but the co-star, stunt, background, and stand-in opportunities on a production this size are real — and they’re how working actors build the credits that eventually get them into rooms like Finn’s for the speaking roles.
Get your materials professional, submit consistently, and treat every background day like an audition for the next job. That’s how careers actually get built on productions like this.
Ready to start? Create your free Project Casting profile and browse current casting calls today.
