Major Roles Rejected by Famous Actors
Josh Hartnett – ‘Superman Returns’
Warner Bros. and DC Comics have struggled to launch a formidable box office threat to Marvel Studios’ Avengers franchise, and were actually ahead of the curve when they attempted to reboot Superman in 2006. There was much speculation as to whom WB would cast to take the mantle from the iconic Christopher Reeve, and the studio landed on unknown actor Brandon Routh, a spitting image of Reeve. Routh’s performance was widely criticized, but the movie suffered from a myriad of issues that no matter how good, no actor could have saved it.
One of the actors originally sought was the up-and-coming Josh Hartnett, who had exploded onto the Hollywood scene, but Hartnett has said he feared the role might “define” him to closely. “I didn’t want to be labeled as Superman for the rest of my career. I was maybe 22, but I saw the danger.” He made the right move.
