Did you know we could've had Academy Award-winning actor Brendan Fraser as the original Man of Steel in live action?
It was more than the usual reason for a scrapped project no longer happening, which the actor unveiled more of in a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.
Why Did Brendan Fraser Not Become Superman? The Truth Behind the Scrapped Project
The Whale star told Josh Horowitz on the podcast that he was almost cast as the Big Blue hero, aka the Man of Steel. He recalled passing a screen test for a potential Superman film by JJ Abrams and Brett Ratner. The adaptation didn't come to fruition or even make it to production since Warner Bros. decided to move forward with Bryan Singer's 2006 Superman Returns, instead.
"You feel a little certain anxiety anyway when you're going up on some big job," Fraser told the podcast, "But I also remember thinking: 'If I do get this job, then, well, I think Superman's gonna be chipped on my gravestone.'"
Not that Fraser would consider becoming Superman full-time as a 'bad thing' to be known for, but he's got his own take when it comes to growing his career in Hollywood: "There's an element of, you are that for the rest of your days, your career. And that's not a bad thing; I'm not saying it's gonna kill me any time soon, but it is something that becomes part of your entire brand, who you are."
Ultimately, Fraser admits he didn't know if he had the guts and will to stick to it for a lifetime, "I mean, I felt I was because [it was a] big opportunity, and excitement, et cetera, et cetera."
What's Next for JJ Abrams' Superman and James Gunn's Growing DC Universe?
Despite the Superman film never going into production, Fraser connected with the script and strangely reminded him of a Shakespeare play: "I loved that screenplay. They let me read it. They locked me in an empty office in some studio lot, I signed an NDA. I mean, it was Shakespeare in space. It was a really good screenplay."
As for Abrams' superhero ventures, reports in 2021 resurfaced to say he was working on a Man of Steel film with novelist Ta-Nehisi Coates, with their Clark Kent version being set in a different timeline (unrelated to James Gunn and the DCU).
Meanwhile, Gunn's DCU continues forward with its own set timeline, starting with two movies and a series next year: Supergirl premieres on June 26, 2026, Clayface on September 11, 2026, and the Lanterns TV series, currently set to begin sometime in early 2026.
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