Brendan Fraser said he was unable to play Superman due to “studio politics”.
The actor, currently nominated for an Oscar for his role in The Whale, has revealed he hoped to play Superman in the early 2000s for a film written by JJ Abrams titled Superman: Flyby.
“Everybody in town was reading for Superman,” Fraser told Variety. “As, again, we test, I think, six or seven guys in 2002/2003. Paul Walker, I remember Paul Walker was there before me. They were like the usual suspects.”
Fraser said the role would have been “an incredible, life-changing opportunity”, but that he “also had to accept” “Okay, if they give you the Man of Steel job, they’ll put it on your headstone, right? Is that okay with you? I mean, still better known as the Man of Steel.”
“There was a kind of Faustian pact,” he continued. “I think inherently I didn’t want to be known for just one thing, because I’ve prided myself on diversity all my professional life and I’m not a one-trick pony.”
On not getting the part, Fraser said, “I was disappointed because there was an amazing opportunity and it didn’t materialize. It had a lot to do with some moves and studio politics.”
“And probably inherently in my screen test. I think that’s why the test…you sort of see it was only 98% there.”
In a three-star review of The Whale, NME wrote, “Even these strong performances can’t quite breathe life into The Whale, a story that purports to tackle existential themes but never quite makes sense. .”