Things have been going quite well for Brendan Fraser. He’s being immensely praised for his performance in The Whale thanks to which he has received a few awards as well. On top of that, he has been nominated in the category of Best Actor at the 2023 Oscars. Despite all of this, the one thing everyone knows Brendan Fraser for is his work in The Mummy franchise.\
Brendan Fraser in The Whale
Brendan Fraser, though, has always wanted to be a Jack of all trades, which is why he was skeptical about playing a very famous character in his career. The character was none other than the savior of the world, all the way from Krypton, Superman. Although that never ended up becoming a reality, it’s interesting to imagine what Brendan Fraser would have brought to the character that now has so many actors linked to its name.
Brendan Fraser Almost Became Superman
Brendan Fraser
A lot of actors have taken over the challenge of bringing Superman to life and Brendan Fraser almost became one of them. Appearing on The Howard Stern Show, Fraser revealed that back in 2002 or 2003 he had read for the part of the Kryptonian superhero. He also added that the late Paul Walker was also one of the guys to audition for the part. However, even while trying out, Fraser had some doubts at the back of his mind. While it was a great opportunity, he knew that the character could very well end up becoming synonymous with him. He didn’t want that.
“Everyone in town was reading for Superman. I think six or seven guys in 2002/2003 [tested]. Paul Walker, I remember Paul Walker was before me. They were like the usual suspects. Of course it’s a life-changing, amazing opportunity but I had to reconcile with, ‘Okay, say you do get the job to be the Man of Steel, it’s gonna be chipped on your gravestone, are you okay with that? I mean, forevermore be known as the Man of Steel. There was a sort of Faustian bargain that went into it. I think inherently, I didn’t want to be known for only one thing because I prided myself on diversity my whole professional life and I’m not a one-trick pony.”
He wasn’t wrong at all. Once you play a beloved, popular superhero, there is no going back. Even if you have a bunch of varying roles to your name, you will forever be remembered as the superhero, even after saying goodbye to the character. The same goes for actors like Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill who have become synonymous with Superman, although they are no longer playing the character.
Brendan Fraser’s Superman Film Never Became a Reality
JJ Abrams
The movie in which Fraser auditioned to play Superman never came to fruition. Back then JJ Abrams was given the responsibility of penning down the supe’s story. Titled Superman: Flybay, the movie didn’t see the light of day. Even though Fraser had his doubts about playing the character, he did admit that it would’ve been a wonderful opportunity. He cited “studio politics” and other “shenanigans” for not getting to play Superman. Although he did admit that he only gave his 98% in the audition and not a hundred.
“I felt disappointed that there was an amazing opportunity and it didn’t come to fruition. It had to with some shenanigans and studio politics and probably, inherently in my screen test, they could kind of see I was only there like 98%.”
Fraser was supposed to be a part of another DC endeavor with Batgirl where he played the character of Firefly but unfortunately, even that film has been shelved by the studios. However, he did get the DC experience playing Robotman in the series, Doom Patrol. We hope to see more of him in the DCU!
Source: The Howard Stern Show
