The 1978 Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve as the titular character set a benchmark in the superhero genre. Over the years, the names of the potential actors who were considered for the role before Reeve bagged it have been revealed. But most fans of the movie probably don’t know that Arnold Schwarzenegger was one of the actors who was in running for the role of the man of steel before Marlon Brando kicked him out of the production.
Arnold Schwarzenegger Could Have Been Superman
The 1978 Superman movie makers initially wanted an A-list actor to play the last son of Krypton. The initial choice for the role were actors like Burt Reynolds, Sylvester Stallone, Paul Newman, and Robert Redford. All of them eventually turned the role down. This made the production team desperate. As per Tom Mankiewicz, the creative consultant, they either found men with great physiques who couldn’t act or vice versa. As per Mankiewicz:
“We found guys with fabulous physiques who couldn’t act or wonderful actors who did not look remotely like Superman.“
Apart from the list given above, Neil Diamond, Bruce Jenner, Nick Nolte, James Brolin, James Caan, and more turned down the role. However, one actor was interested- Arnold Schwarzenegger. He even made it through various cuts before getting kicked off by Marlon Brando, who played Jor-El, Superman’s biological father in the film.
Brando didn’t want Schwarzenegger because he thought that the public wouldn’t be able to hear what the actor was saying due to his accent. The Godfather actor was able to interfere in the casting because he was an already established and reputed actor in Hollywood.
How Christopher Reeve Was Finally Cast As Superman
The exodus of A-list stars forced the producers of Superman to look for lesser-known actors. This is the reason why they reportedly auditioned more than 200 actors for the role and this included Christopher Reeve. Initially, director Richard Donner considered Reeve to be way too skinny for the role of the muscular superhero. However, he liked the charming theater actor enough to take his screen test in 1977.
He got the role, but Donner requested that he wear a muscle suit in the film. Reeve famously refused and instead underwent an intensive training regime for two months with David Prowse, a British weightlifting champion. As for the character, Reeve wanted to portray a gentle Clark Kent.
He said:
“By the late 1970s, the masculine image had changed … Now it was acceptable for a man to show gentleness and vulnerability. I felt that the new Superman ought to reflect that contemporary male image.”
Gene Hackman was paid $2 million for Superman while Marlon Brando was paid $3.7 million. In comparison, Reeve was paid $250,000 only. The movie grossed $300 million on a $55 million budget. However, the lead actor never complained and instead thanked the role for opening many career doors for him. While it’s difficult to imagine the movie without Reeve, one has to wonder what would the superhero movie have looked like with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the lead.
Superman (1978) is streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Superman Homepage
