The Good Citizens of Metropolis: The Casting Thread

[Eddie Dean]

You’re changing the goal posts so fast I don’t even know what game we’re playing.

 

[SupermanFan]

You’re changing the goal posts so fast I don’t even know what game we’re playing.

I’m really not, I’ve made the point it’s known or lesser known, every actor whose played Superman in live action fits into one of those categories. It can’t be a star or a well known actor.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I said they don’t cast stars in CW shows, you replied well, they could have cast a TV star, so I explained how the person they cast was a TV star, you said well, he isn’t as big a star as people in Game of Thrones, who by the way, where unknowns before being cast in Game of Thrones and are famous because of being on that show.

 

[SupermanFan]

I said they don’t cast stars in CW shows, you replied well, they could have cast a TV star, so I explained how the person they cast was a TV star, you said well, he isn’t as big a star as people in Game of Thrones, who by the way, where unknowns before being cast in Game of Thrones and are famous because of being on that show.

What’s a CW star to general audiences though? Also Tyler wasn’t even on the CW prior to been Supes. Did he have a fan base prior to casting? Yes but go type in any random actors name today and you’ll find they have fans. They’re just not huge outside of the thing they’re known fors fanbases I also said if you read prior posts that Tyler was probably the most well known prior to been cast as Superman out of the TV Supes.

Yeah where did I say GOT stars weren’t? I was talking about not casting actors from that show. I was comparing to what TV stars actually are.

 

[Eddie Dean]

The point is that the reason why Superman on television has been played by lesser known actors is not because a well known actor would not have been believable, but because television shows usually cast lesser or unknown actors. Name one actor on a CW or MTV show that has had a successful film career going at the same time. The schedule of being a lead in a tv show simply doesn’t allow it. It’s a decision that is made because of behind the scenes economics, not because of the believability of big names in iconic roles.

 

[SupermanFan]

The point is that the reason why Superman on television has been played by lesser known actors is not because a well known actor would not have been believable, but because television shows usually cast lesser or unknown actors. Name one actor on a CW or MTV show that has had a successful film career going at the same time. The schedule of being a lead in a tv show simply doesn’t allow it. It’s a decision that is made because of behind the scenes economics, not because of the believability of big names in iconic roles.

Even people who have cast these roles have talked about casting unknowns even for Tv. Yeah sure you can say they’re mostly unknowns anyway but they often will look for people with some pull for certain roles but the reason they don’t for Superman is because it’s a formula that works and makes the most sense. That’s my final word on it anyway, the fact is known actors aren’t been cast as Superman and haven’t been in live action since he made the leap to screen. The closest we came was Nic Cage and he’s one of the reasons WB pulled the plug on that project.

 

[Eddie Dean]

They offered it to Will Smith, Josh Hartnett and Brendan Fraser in the pre Returns days. A far cry from unknowns.

Wolfgang Peterson wanted Jude Law for his BvS.

and Snyder offered Gosling a role in Man of Steel, which I assume would have been the lead.

 

[BobJM]

Even people who have cast these roles have talked about casting unknowns even for Tv. Yeah sure you can say they’re mostly unknowns anyway but they often will look for people with some pull for certain roles but the reason they don’t for Superman is because it’s a formula that works and makes the most sense. That’s my final word on it anyway, the fact is known actors aren’t been cast as Superman and haven’t been in live action since he made the leap to screen. The closest we came was Nic Cage and he’s one of the reasons WB pulled the plug on that project.

I don't think that was necessarily the case. WB had major flops in those years and Superman Lives suffered budget-hacking and script rewrites that put it in development hell. I don't remember hearing/seeing Cage being the cause. I think that was his dream role, to be honest. Plus all of those aborted 90s-2000s projects, it was always Josh Hartnet or Ashton Kutcher or Brendan Fraser being considered. Stars of the time to say the least.

I don't think you need only consider unknowns for Superman. I'm not opposed to an unknown casting, but to say definitively that it's what works for the character when it clearly hasn't is a bit bonkers to me.

If Routh was popular enough as Superman, they would have gone ahead and made a sequel without Singer's involvement or whatever the circumstance was. People didn't like the movie, they didn't care about Routh. Call that fine in the role, call that people liking him but I didn't see him in anything major on film or television since (until CW came knocking maybe a decade later) then to suggest that Hollywood found a new star for its audiences.

And yes, Cavill got a sequel. Superman was second-billed, and he spoke maybe 20 lines--and I'm being generous. WB wasn't psyched on Man of Steel's B.O. performance & fan reaction, and got excited when Snyder casually mentioned Batman being included in a sequel. And, again, if WB was so amped on Cavill's performance, and if audiences were thrilled, why's Cavill's involvement with WB/DC still a massive question mark?

 

[BobJM]

They offered it to Will Smith, Josh Hartnett and Brendan Fraser in the pre Returns days. A far cry from unknowns.

Wolfgang Peterson wanted Jude Law for his BvS.

and Snyder offered Gosling a role in Man of Steel, which I assume would have been the lead.

I had never heard that about Gosling --that would have been something lol.

 

[SupermanFan]

They offered it to Will Smith, Josh Hartnett and Brendan Fraser in the pre Returns days. A far cry from unknowns.

Wolfgang Peterson wanted Jude Law for his BvS.

and Snyder offered Gosling a role in Man of Steel, which I assume would have been the lead.

Producers (most likely Jon Peters) offered to to those actors. Hartnett wasn’t a star when he was offered the role, he’d not done much at all he’d been in Halloween H20 and the Faculty.

Jude Law wasn’t a huge star back on the early 2000s he was on the rise,

Snyder didn’t offer Gosling Superman, that was also an unfounded rumour, the second to Cavill was Joe Mangniello.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Snyder has wild casting ideas. He wanted Kristen Stewart for Lois but she wouldn’t auditioned. Before they landed on Crowe, Sean Penn was the top choice for Joe-El.

 

[BobJM]

Producers (most likely Jon Peters) offered to to those actors. Hartnett wasn’t a star when he was offered the role, he’d not done much at all he’d been in Halloween H20 and the Faculty.

Jude Law wasn’t a huge star back on the early 2000s he was on the rise,

Snyder didn’t offer Gosling Superman, that was also an unfounded rumour, the second to Cavill was Joe Mangniello.

I wouldn’t discount producers’ influence, especially Peters when it came to those Superman movies.

Kevin Feige being the modern example (and a better producer of CBMs than Peters). He just cast Mahershala Ali as Blade without a script, date, creatives, etc.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Oh, and lol, Josh Hartnett was a HUGE star in the 2000s. He was on every Teen Beat cover. His nickname was Josh Hotnett. Teenage girls packed the theaters to see him in war movies like Pearl Harbour and Black Hawk Down. Please don’t disrespect Hotnett.

 

[BobJM]

Snyder has wild casting ideas. He wanted Kristen Stewart for Lois but she wouldn’t auditioned. Before they landed on Crowe, Sean Penn was the top choice for Joe-El.

Kristen Stewart to Amy Adams? What a swing. Never was huge on Adams in the role, I wonder if Stewart in the role would have changed anything. Maybe it would have played better? MOS Lois was somewhat aggressive if I remember it correctly—at odds with nearly everyone she shared a scene with. Stewart’s “rebel” image/attitude or whatever you want to call it post-Twilight and during her indie films might’ve served the character pretty well as she’s written.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I actually think she would be good in the role, but not for the Man of Steel version. Right now she might be the closet we have to someone with Margot Kidder energy.

The other weird rumor I remember was Amanda Seyfried. And then there was a Lindsay Lohan thing that I’m pretty sure was all gossip rag.

 

[SupermanFan]

I wouldn’t discount producers’ influence, especially Peters when it came to those Superman movies.

Kevin Feige being the modern example (and a better producer of CBMs than Peters). He just cast Mahershala Ali as Blade without a script, date, creatives, etc.

Yeah but Peters was crazy, he wanted Sean Penn for Superman. He was the one who picked Cage. Rather fell out with him because he wanted unknown Matt Bomer but Peters wanted Brendan Fraser.

Oh, and lol, Josh Hartnett was a HUGE star in the 2000s. He was on every Teen Beat cover. His nickname was Josh Hotnett. Teenage girls packed the theaters to see him in war movies like Pearl Harbour and Black Hawk Down. Please don’t disrespect Hotnett.

He was offered Superman prior to Pearl Harbour. You can be a teen heartthrob and still play the role. As I said most of these actors have fan followings but he wasn’t a huge movie star when he was offered Superman. Hartnett would have been an excellent Superman, I wish he had done it.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I don’t know what your definition of a star is, but it’s a weird one. Harnett was a star from Virgin Suicides on.

 

[BobJM]

I actually think she would be good in the role, but not for the Man of Steel version. Right now she might be the closet we have to someone with Margot Kidder energy.

The other weird rumor I remember was Amanda Seyfried. And then there was a Lindsay Lohan thing that I’m pretty sure was all gossip rag.

Seyfried is better suited for Sue Storms for MCU’s FF reboot if you ask me. She might’ve stuck out in the dour MOS, or maybe she could’ve helped lighten the mood.

 

[BobJM]

Yeah but Peters was crazy, he wanted Sean Penn for Superman. He was the one who picked Cage. Rather fell out with him because he wanted unknown Matt Bomer but Peters wanted Brendan Fraser.

lol Peters is/was definitely crazy, but I agree with Fraser over Bomer. And definitely agree with Peters if he helped get Brett Ratner away from a Superman movie.

 

[Eddie Dean]

I have trouble seeing her in any superhero role, tbh. She turned down Gamora in GOTG as well and that’s one I really can’t see.

 

[SupermanFan]

lol Peters is/was definitely crazy, but I agree with Fraser over Bomer. And definitely agree with Peters if he helped get Brett Ratner away from a Superman movie.

Fraser would have been all wrong for Superman, Peter probably only wanted him cause of the Mummy films. Bomer would have nailed it. I hate Ratner but he was right on that, even a broken clock is wrong twice a day. McG agreed with the lesser known casting too hence why he was going with Cavill. Then Singer too with Routh and so on.

 

[Eddie Dean]

Boomer has a great face and voice for it, but he has such a twink body. You’d have to cast like Ellen Page as Lois next to him.

 

[SupermanFan]

Boomer has a great face and voice for it, but he has such a twink body. You’d have to cast like Ellen Page as Lois next to him.

He is a bit short but angles and such could’ve made up for it imo. I would’ve taken that over Fraser.

 

[Sawyer]

Boomer has a great face and voice for it, but he has such a twink body. You’d have to cast like Ellen Page as Lois next to him.

I do like the idea of both Lois and Clark being played by gays.

Sarah Paulson and Cheyenne Jackson!

 

[Sawyer]

**** it. Give me a 40-50 something Supes. Give me DILF Superman.