Captain Marvel actor Jude Law recently revealed his involvement in the unmade Superman: Flyby. The JJ Abrams production was the second swing at rebooting the legendary Man of Steel after Superman Lives and zoned in on Law for the main lead.
In an interview with The Playlist’s The Discourse podcast, he discussed how close he got to landing the part and how badly director Brett Ratner wanted him, despite Law not feeling all right with it.
“So this is true. Yeah. And there was a process of flirtation going on, and I always resisted because it just felt like [off]. And I know you can say, ‘Well, but you played Yon-Rogg and Dumbledore!’ It just felt like a step too far,” he said.
Law also wasn’t sure about the script which he never saw. “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,” he explained.
With mounting doubts, they thought they could win him over by fitting him for the suit. “They brought me the suit. They thought, ‘This might change your mind,’” Law added.
“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,” he continued.
In the end, it was all a wash when the film was canceled. “And I stepped away and the film never happened anyway. So maybe it probably wouldn’t have done anything,” said Law.
Jude Law, funnily enough, had another flyby with the Man of Tomorrow around the same time. He was also considered for a pre-Snyderverse Batman vs. Superman movie that also wasn’t made.
Development of Superman: Flyby was a mess unto itself, but it was embedded in the larger chaos of getting a new Superman movie made. Doom Patrol’s Matt Bomer also auditioned for it, while a young Henry Cavill had a screen test.
Recently, Bomer shared his experience trying out for the cape and ultimately losing the opportunity. He claimed he had a contract and hinted at a planned trilogy. His account and Law’s paint very different pictures.
It sounds like nobody really knew what was going on with that production, which for the record, had a script. It’s available online for anyone curious enough.