Jon Hamm Was Considered for LA Noire's Lead Before Aaron Staton Got the Role

LA Noire writer Daniel McMahon has revealed that Mad Men star Jon Hamm was discussed as a candidate for Cole Phelps before Aaron Staton landed the role in the 2011 detective game. McMahon shared the details in an interview with IGN, shedding light on a casting decision that shaped the entire tone of the game.

The connection between LA Noire and Mad Men runs deeper than most players realise — both projects shared the same casting director, which explains why so many faces from the TV show ended up in the game. McMahon confirmed that he shared images of Hamm in his Mad Men suit and hat with the team, arguing he fit the visual vibe perfectly. But the creative reasoning ultimately went against him. "Jon Hamm is a wonderful actor, but he's not Cole Phelps," McMahon said. "Jon Hamm would've been a much better Jack Kelso because he's a character of great power, he's a character of control." Staton, who played Ken Cosgrove on Mad Men, brought something Hamm couldn't — vulnerability. "Aaron Staton was much better at portraying Cole's fragility," McMahon explained. "He's very smart, but he's also young, not very experienced, and he's just trying his best. I think Jon Hamm would've been incredible, but expensive, and probably, in the end, not as good casting for that character."

LA Noire was developed by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar, releasing in 2011 for PS3, Xbox 360, and PC. It arrived on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch in 2017, followed by a VR edition — The Case Files — in 2019. Team Bondi shut down shortly after the original release amid controversy over hostile working conditions, with the IGDA launching a formal investigation. The studio closed $1.4 million in debt, and its assets — including the cancelled follow-up Whore of the Orient — were acquired by film production company Kennedy Miller Mitchell. Despite the game selling millions of copies, Aaron Staton said as recently as 2021 that he had "never heard a word" about a sequel.

The sequel question remains open. Take-Two boss Strauss Zelnick said earlier this year that the company is actively thinking about its legacy IP, including LA Noire, though he stressed any announcement would come from Rockstar directly. For now, the casting revelation is a reminder of how differently the game could have felt — and how the right call isn't always the obvious one.