Comeback king Brendan Fraser has endured a rotten run of luck when it comes to DC projects recently, but the freshly-minted Academy Award nominee should be used to such disappointment pertaining to the comic book company given that it’s been two decades since he missed out on the role of Superman.
The whole Batgirl debacle has robbed audiences of the opportunity to see Fraser ham it up as a supervillain, while the recent announcement of Doom Patrol ending after its fourth season takes another piece of the costumed board. However, while those were logical decisions made for creative reasons, The Mummy legend hinted he lost out on the Man of Steel for something more personal.
Warner Bros. has gained a certain level of infamy for its studio politicking, heavy-handed interference, and regular boardroom reshuffles, with The Whale star admitting to Howard Stern that behind the scenes machination ended up costing him what would have been another massive gig.
“Of course, it’s a life-changing, amazing opportunity. I think inherently I didn’t want to be known for only one thing because I prided myself on diversity my whole professional life … I’m not a one-trick pony. I felt disappointed that there was an amazing opportunity, and it didn’t come to fruition. It had to do with some shenanigans and studio politics and, probably, inherently in my screen test … they could kind of see I was only there like 98 percent.”
In the end, the project Fraser auditioned for didn’t even end up happening, with James Marsden, Matt Bomer, and a young Henry Cavill reportedly all in the running for J.J. Abrams’ abandoned Superman: Flyby. He might be about to get busier than ever, but maybe James Gunn can open up a spot for the beloved icon in the DCU.
