Highlights
- Jacob Elordi declined to audition for Superman: Legacy because he found it too dark, attributing a different kind of darkness as his reason.
- Elordi believes that comic book movies lack meaningful messages and are primarily made to fill time and generate money.
- Elordi's negative statements about genres like teen romcoms and comic book movies may come off as pretentious to most, as these types of entertainment have their own appeal.
Jacob Elordi explained why he declined to audition for the forthcoming Superman: Legacy movie. The actor made controversial statements in the past regarding his opinion of specific genres, and this time is no different.
Superman: Legacy has since cast David Corenswet for the titular role alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. However, Elordi was rumored to be a contender for the lead role until reports claimed he didn't throw his name into the ring. Now, the actor has seemingly explained his reasoning for turning down the request.
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In an interview with GQ Magazine, Elordi said this request was an immediate no. The actor explained that participating in such a movie would be too dark. Elordi found widespread fame through projects that did not shy away from exploring the darker sides of humanity, such as Euphoria and Priscilla. However, the Australian actor attributed a different kind of darkness as his reason for not partaking.
Well, they asked me to read for Superman. That was immediately, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s too much. That’s too dark for me.
He further explains that comic book movies are too dark for him because they do not care about giving the audience a meaningful message and instead are meant to fill time and generate money. Elordi has a history of making negative statements about a variety of genres. The actor got his first big break in Netflix's The Kissing Booth trilogy. Elordi has since described this series of teen romcoms, which catapulted him towards Hollywood success, as "ridiculous" and something he never wanted to do.
Most comic book movies are indeed fast-paced, filled with action, and do not attempt to convey themes that are as realistic or hard-hitting as those seen in most drama films. But most MCU and DC movies also do not claim to be those kinds of films. There are plenty of reasons for people to seek out a popcorn-style movie without wanting to think about serious, realistic issues. This kind of entertainment is not new, and calling it darker than a show like Euphoria probably comes off as pretentious to most.
Actors who are as talented as Elordi often enjoy some freedom in choosing what kind of projects they participate in. So the actor can afford to make these decisions, and, of course, should be free to do so. It has been speculated that Gunn's Superman: Legacy will feature Superman's own demons as a primary villain, a familiar hurdle for the character of Clark Kent. If true, it's possible that Elordi thought the script was a disingenuous attempt by DC to tackle heavier issues in one of its flagship superhero movies, or maybe he simply dislikes the genre as a whole.
Superman: Legacy releases in theaters on July 11, 2025.
Source: GQ Magazine