There are plenty of actors out there who have either auditioned to be Superman or were picked for a film that never got made. Hell, we just talked about one such situation earlier today with Matt Bomer. But before Bomer was up for the role, there was a version of a “Superman” film directed by Brett Ratner. And at the time, the studio really wanted Jude Law to put on the cape.
Speaking in an upcoming episode of The Playlist’s The Discourse podcast, Jude Law was promoting his upcoming film, “Firebrand.” And while discussing his career, a question was raised about his time being up for the role of Superman. Now, with plenty of years behind him, Law was happy to talk about his brief flirtation with the role.
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“So this is true. Yeah. And there was a process of flirtation going on,” said Law. “And I always resisted because it just felt like [off]. And I know you can say, ‘Well, but you played Yonn-Rogg and Dumbledore!’ It just felt like a step too far.”
He added, “And it was when Brett Ratner was going to direct, I think. And they didn’t have a script, if I remember rightly. Did they have a script? I don’t remember reading one. This is a long time ago. They brought me the suit. They thought, ‘This might change your mind.’”
When asked what version of the suit he tried on, Law confirmed it wasn’t the one Christopher Reeve wore.
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“No, it wasn’t the Reeve suit. It was a kind of like it was more metallic,” he said. “Anyway, I tried on and I looked in the mirror and part of me initially was like, ‘Wow, this would be a [good thing],’ and then I just thought, ‘No, you can’t – you can’t do this. You can’t.’ And I didn’t sell myself to myself. And I stepped away and the film never happened anyway. So maybe it probably wouldn’t have done anything.”
Jude Law as Superman is an interesting thought. He surely has the acting chops to make it happen, but when you see someone like Henry Cavill take on the role, it’s hard to imagine Law. Honestly, he would probably make a really good Lex Luthor. Alas, we’ll never know, as Law has clearly aged out of the role. But we can add him to the long list of almost-Superman actors.
–additional reporting by Mike DeAngelo
