Even the World’s greatest superhero isn’t always enough to save a movie alone and the same was the case for one of Henry Cavill’s early works before cementing himself in the top of Hollywood. Before getting the dream role of Superman in Zack Snyder’s dark and grim take on the Kryptonian, Cavill got the opportunity to star alongside James Franco in 2006’s Tristan & Isolde.
However, despite the movie’s immense potential with many even claiming that it could have been the next 300, even though it was released a year before 300, the movie failed exponentially. But some of the reasons behind the movie’s failure might have to deal with the lack of chemistry between the two leads, which was later addressed by James Franco.
James Franco’s alleged feud with Henry Cavill might be the reason behind Tristan & Isolde’s failure
Before his fall from grace after suffering several s*xual misconduct allegations, James Franco was once considered as one of the top names in the Industry. And during his time working on the ambitious Tristan & Isolde alongside a young Henry Cavill, who was still looking to find his footing in the industry, things didn’t go well between the two actors. As a result, the two lacked the required chemistry between their characters to make the movie work and while reflecting on this situation, Franco claimed that Cavill might not have liked him at the time. He said,
“Years ago we worked on a film together called Tristan and Isolde. I played Tristan and he played my backstabbing sidekick. My hunch is that he didn’t like me very much. I don’t know this for certain, but I know that I wouldn’t have liked myself back then because I was a difficult young actor who took himself too seriously.”
However, the failure of this project didn’t hinder Cavill’s rise to the top, as he would go on to reinvent Superman for the modern generation through Man of Steel. But despite not having the best time working together on Tristan & Isolde, Franco didn’t back away from commending Cavill’s performance as Superman.
James Franco praised Henry Cavill for reinventing Superman
James Franco is no new to Comic book media and is known for playing a substantial role in the Raimi Trilogy, and he didn’t shy away from sharing his appreciation for Henry Cavill’s Superman. Despite not having the best time together on the sets of Tristan & Isolde, Franco commended Cavill’s take on Superman and praised the movie for making the character cool again. He stated,
“Man of Steel is great because it delivers everything it should. It made Superman cool again.”
Despite once being the top name in DC, Cavill’s dark and grimmer approach to the iconic IP has been axed by the Studios, with James Gunn adamant to bring the character back to its roots.
Tristan & Isolde is available to stream on Apple TV.
Source: Vice
