Superman must be one of the hardest characters to write for, and when it comes to bringing him to the big screen, there is a challenge that many have failed at. We all remember the pleasurable disaster that would’ve been Superman Lives, written by Kevin Smith, starring Nick Cage and directed by Tim Burton. That project was scrapped and then we finally got our updated Superman under the helm of Bryan Singer with Superman Returns. It was essentially a flop, because as well as Brandon Routh did doing his best Christopher Reeve impression, that is not what the audience wanted. Well turns out, before Singer got a hold of the project, J.J Abrams wrote a version of Superman called Superman: Flyby, that would’ve been directed by McG and had Robert Downey Jr. set to star as Lex Luthor. If that didn’t blow you away, current Superman Henry Cavill, screen test for the role, and landed the part.
I remember hearing J.J. Abrams mention he wanted to do a Superman movie, but I thought he was just acting as if it would’ve been a fanboy wet dream of his. The project fell apart due to director McG’s fear of flying, which the irony just writes itself. They were going to shoot the movie in Australia, but McG optioned for it to be shot in America, yet the studios wouldn’t budge. The project then fell into the hands of Singer, and we all know the outcome.
Thank every thats good and pure that McG had this fear of flying. He is an over the top action director that has brought us such gems as the Charlie’s Angels movies, and This Means War. He also successfully killed the Terminator franchise with Terminator Salvation. It would’ve been worse than Superman Lives with Cage, but wow, Robert Downey Jr. as Lex Luthor. I can wrap my brain around that one, but it still blows me away that Cavill was set to wear the red cape long before Man of Steel.
The Costume actually looks pretty cool, but I think the Man of Steel costume takes the cake. It all worked out for the best, and Cavill should be truly grateful that Superman: Flyby was never made. Let me know your thoughts about this.
Source: Movieweb