Before he began providing the voice for Robotman on Doom Patrol, Brendan Fraser took a shot at the biggest DC superhero there is: Superman. Fraser auditioned to play Superman in the film that would become Superman Returns, and though he didn't get the part, at least he got a story out of the whole experience -- and even got to wear the Superman costume. Here's what Fraser said about trying out for the role.
It was cool, it was pretty cool. I mean, I didn’t get the job. It went away. Brett Ratner was a bit ‘woo hoo’ in those days, and that’s well documented. And that was a script J.J. Abrams wrote but it never got made. And it was freaking Shakespeare in space. It was so cool. It was worlds colliding and, it was really, really cool. But you know, I hear he’s done well since then.
Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes ever created and he's had a lot of movies that did and didn't make it to theaters. Plenty of actors came close to playing the Last Son of Krypton, the most infamous of which was Nicolas Cage in a project from Tim Burton that ultimately didn't see the light of day. Warner Bros. eventually tried to make another Superman movie, one in which Brendan Fraser came close to nabbing the title role.
Brendan Fraser told SYFY Wire that he almost got the role of Superman for the film that would eventually become Superman Returns. At the time, controversial director Brett Ratner was attached to helm the film based off a screenplay written by J.J. Abrams.
As Brendan Fraser recounts, he got to the phase where he was wearing the costume for test footage, but ultimately the role would go to Brandon Routh. Additionally, J.J. Abrams' script went unused, but according to Fraser, it was pretty cool and felt like Shakespeare in space.
Brett Ratner would eventually leave the project and another controversial director, Bryan Singer, would take over. Superman Returns ultimately didn't spark much of a fire, even though it was initially well-received by critics. It's remembered now as a pretty boring Superman movie, so maybe Fraser didn't miss out on much here.
Brendan Fraser would eventually get his chance at another DC character. He currently voices Robotman on DC Universe's Doom Patrol series. Doom Patrol has gotten pretty good reviews and the performances have gotten a thumbs up, so it all has a way of working out in the end.
You can watch new episodes of Doom Patrol on the DC Universe streaming service. As for Superman? Henry Cavill still has the job on the big screen for the DCEU. For now.
