You remember the beanstalk. You probably remember the CGI giants with their weird, lumpy skin. But looking back at the Jack the Giant Slayer cast now, in 2026, it’s actually kind of wild how much talent was packed into a movie that basically fell off the face of the earth for a decade. It’s one of those "before they were mega-famous" or "why are they here?" situations that makes a rewatch surprisingly fun.
The movie cost nearly $200 million. It barely made that back.
But honestly? The cast wasn't the problem. They were the best part.
The Farmhand Who Became Lex Luthor
Nicholas Hoult played Jack. At the time, he was mostly "the kid from About a Boy" or the guy from Skins who was trying to break into Hollywood. He’s charming in it, playing the wide-eyed farmhand with just enough grit to not be annoying.
Fast forward to today. Hoult is playing Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman.
It’s a bizarre career arc. He went from climbing magical beans to being the arch-nemesis of the Man of Steel. In Jack the Giant Slayer, he had to carry the whole emotional weight of a movie that was largely him staring at tennis balls on sticks (the stand-ins for the giants). He did it well. You actually believe he cares about the princess, which is a tall order when you're acting against a green screen.
Eleanor Tomlinson and the Poldark Shift
Then you’ve got Eleanor Tomlinson as Princess Isabelle. Before she became a household name for Poldark, she was here, playing a princess who—bless the writers—actually wanted to do something other than get rescued.
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She wasn't the first choice, though. The production tested a lot of people.
- Lily Collins auditioned.
- Juno Temple was in the mix.
- Adelaide Kane also tried out.
Tomlinson won out because she had this specific kind of grounded energy. She didn't feel like a "Disney" princess; she felt like someone who would actually survive a fall from a giant beanstalk.
The Supporting Heavyweights
This is where the Jack the Giant Slayer cast gets really interesting. The "adults" in the room were basically a "Who's Who" of British acting royalty.
Ewan McGregor plays Elmont, the leader of the King’s Guard. He’s rocking a hairstyle that can only be described as "aggressively swoopy." It’s hilarious. He’s basically Obi-Wan Kenobi with a sword and more pomade. He even sneaks in a "I have a bad feeling about this" line, which is a total nod to his Star Wars roots.
Then there's Stanley Tucci.
Tucci plays Lord Roderick, the villain. He’s the only American in the main cast, but he uses a British accent because, well, it’s a fairytale. He’s clearly having the time of his life being a total jerk. He wears this ridiculous set of fake teeth and spends the whole movie plotting to marry the princess and take over the kingdom. It’s campy, it’s over-the-top, and it works.
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The King and the Giants
Ian McShane plays King Brahmwell. He spends most of the movie looking stressed in very heavy armor. If you know him from John Wick or Deadwood, seeing him as a protective, slightly-clueless father figure is a bit of a trip.
And we have to talk about the giants.
Bill Nighy—yes, the guy from Love Actually and Pirates of the Caribbean—provided the voice and performance capture for General Fallon, the two-headed leader of the giants.
- Bill Nighy: The big head.
- John Kassir: The small, redundant head.
Kassir is actually the voice of the Crypt Keeper from Tales from the Crypt, which explains why that second head sounds so creepy. They used a pretty advanced (for 2013) performance capture system. The actors played out the scenes together in a "volume" so their movements would sync up.
Why the Cast Still Matters
A lot of people wrote this movie off as a "box office bomb." And yeah, financially, it was a disaster for Warner Bros.
But look at the longevity of the people involved.
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- Eddie Marsan and Ewen Bremner (Spud from Trainspotting) are in the background as soldiers/henchmen.
- Warwick Davis has a cameo as Old Hamm.
- Christopher McQuarrie (the guy who directs the Mission: Impossible movies now) was one of the writers.
The movie has recently found a second life on streaming services like Tubi and Netflix. People are discovering it not as a "blockbuster failure," but as a weirdly high-budget, well-acted fantasy romp. The VFX artists at Corridor Crew even did a breakdown recently praising how the giants move. They don't move like lumbering monsters; they move like fast, terrifying athletes, which makes them way scarier.
What to Watch Next
If you're a fan of the talent in this movie, you've got plenty of better places to see them shine.
For Nicholas Hoult, skip the blockbusters and watch The Great or The Menu. That’s where he really found his "weird guy" energy. For Eleanor Tomlinson, Poldark is the obvious choice, but she’s also great in the recent One Day series on Netflix.
If you just want more big-budget Ewan McGregor being charming, Obi-Wan Kenobi is right there.
The real takeaway? The Jack the Giant Slayer cast was a powerhouse ensemble trapped in a movie that the marketing department didn't know how to sell. It happens. But the talent remains.
Actionable Insight: If you're looking for a "shut your brain off" Sunday afternoon movie, give this a rewatch on streaming. Ignore the 2013 reviews. Just watch it for the cast interactions—especially the banter between McGregor and Hoult. It holds up better than the CGI does.