Brendan Fraser almost played Superman in the early 2000s. Fraser auditioned for the role in J.J. Abrams' unproduced Superman: Flyby. Thanks to "studio politics," the film wasn't made, which Fraser acknowledges is probably a good thing for him.
Superman has historically had some problems getting to the big screen. Though the Christopher Reeve Superman franchise was wildly successful, the character has hardly appeared in as many films as someone like Batman. The character's last solo film was Man of Steel back in 2013, and he won't have a solo film again until 2025 brings James Gunn's Superman: Legacy to theaters.
Fraser spoke about nearly being cast as Superman during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. Fraser explained that every young actor in Hollywood was auditioning for the role, including the late Paul Walker. He, naturally, had to audition for the part, but he had some reservations about the role and being typecast. “Of course, it’s a life-changing amazing opportunity. But I had to reconcile with, ‘OK, say you do get the job to be the Man of Steel, it’s gonna be chipped on your gravestone, are you OK with that? I mean, forever more known as the Man of Steel,'" Fraser said. "There was a sort of Faustian bargain that went into feeling…I think inherently, I didn’t want to be known for only one thing because I prided myself on diversity my whole professional life and I’m not a one-trick pony.”
Ultimately, Superman: Flyby ended up not moving forward. “I felt disappointed that there was an amazing opportunity, and it didn’t come to fruition,” Fraser said. “It had to do a lot with some shenanigans and studio politics. And probably, inherently, in my screen test. I think that’s why you test… they could kind of see I was only there like 98 percent.”
Reportedly, Superman: Flyby would have featured a younger Clark Kent, much like Gunn's new movie aims to. Clark would have confronted an original character who would have been the villain that could have served as an evil Superman: Ty-Zorin. The character was intended to be Kryptonian royalty and cousin to Superman. Their final battle would have culminated in a massive fight across the globe, much like what was seen in Man of Steel.
The film also would have featured a young, college-aged Lois Lane studying journalism, whom Clark would have met at a frat party. It seems like the type of role Fraser would have excelled at during that stage of his career, but his concerns about being typecast as Superman were not unfounded. Such an iconic role tends to overtake other performances by an actor, and Fraser might well have gone down that path. Unfortunately, though he spoke at length about his own experience with the role, Fraser didn't chime in on the most important Superman question: trunks or no trunks?
Source: The Howard Stern Show
