Brendan Fraser is in the course of a comeback after receiving reward for his latest position in The Whale. With the Brenaissance prepare rolling, there’s all the time time to suppose again on his greatest films in addition to the movies that just about had been. Certainly one of Fraser’s movies that by no means got here to fruition was when he auditioned to be Superman again within the early 2000s, and now he is explaining what went unsuitable throughout the audition.
Whereas we are able to’t look previous the acclaimed efficiency of Christopher Reeve as Superman, we’ve additionally seen actors like Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill don the crimson cape. It is form of loopy to suppose Brendan Fraser might have come this near becoming a member of that listing too. His audition got here earlier than J.J. Abrams’ Superman: Flyby grew to become one of many many films that by no means occurred at DC. The Whale actor spoke on The Howard Stern Present about what the casting course of was wish to change into the following Superman, saying:
We’re testing possibly six or seven guys in 2002 or 2003. I bear in mind Paul Walker was earlier than me. I bear in mind the standard suspects. So in fact it’s a life-changing, superb alternative, however you needed to reconcile with… Okay say you do get the job to be the Man of Metal, it’s going to be chipped in your headstone. Are you comfortable with that? I imply eternally extra be often called the Man of Metal. There was type of a Faustian discount that went within the feeling. And I believe inherently I didn’t need to be recognized for just one factor as a result of I prided myself on range my complete skilled life. I’m not a one-trick pony.
It’s very true that Brendan Fraser enjoying Superman might have been a decade-long dedication as a result of the place there are superhero films, there are often sequels that comply with. However even when the film supplied a really profitable big-money deal, you fall beneath the chance of being recognized just for superhero movies. For instance, WandaVision’s Elizabeth Olsen admitted enjoying the Scarlet Witch prevented her from doing different movies since she signed a multi-picture cope with Marvel. So, she ended up having to move on Oscar-nominated films like The Lobster. Enjoying a superhero can undoubtedly provide you with Hollywood publicity although, because it sends actors to a different stage of fame. Nevertheless, it might be good for casting administrators to see you as different sorts of characters too.
Finally, nobody acquired to play Clark Kent in Superman: Flyby by no means as a result of it ended up being one in all many Superman films that by no means occurred. Brendan Fraser continued to speak about the way it felt to seek out out this superhero movie ended up being canceled.
I felt upset that there was an incredible alternative and it didn’t come to fruition. It needed to do rather a lot with some shenanigans and studio politics. And possibly inherently in my display take a look at I believe that’s why they take a look at. They might form of see I used to be solely there 98% as an alternative.
Within the early 2000s, J.J. Abrams was going to create his personal origin story for Superman. Jor-El releases his son Kal-El to Earth earlier than he’s despatched to jail and has to defeat three Kryptonians who come to Earth after the Man of Metal reveals himself to the world. Nevertheless, there have been numerous loopy particulars Abrams included in his script that deviated from the origin story we all know like Krypton not exploding, Lex Luthor being Kryptonian, Matrix-inspired Kryptonian Kung-Fu, and extra.
The closest we’ll ever get to Abrams’ imaginative and prescient could be his storyboards for Flyby that supply glimpses at what we might have seen. However, manufacturing troubles, an abnormally giant funds, and the failure to nail down the movie’s title position led to its cancellation. You possibly can watch Brendan Fraser discuss extra about this expertise to Howard Stern under.
Brendan Fraser could not have gotten to play Superman, however he did have a key position in HBO Max’s Doom Patrol the place he performed a hero of a wholly completely different kind. Contemplating Fraser’s live-action efficiency as Cliff Steele was lower brief because of his character’s physique being destroyed in a automotive accident, he lent the voice to Robotman in a while. When you cannot watch The Mummy star because the Man of Metal, you possibly can watch him within the DC universe by trying out the finished four-seasoned Doom Patrol collection with an HBO Max subscription.
