There’s been a good amount of buzz surrounding Zachary Levi following the underperformance of his latest project, Shazam! Fury of the Gods. In the midst, the actor recently revealed that he failed to land a role on CW’s Superman prequel, Smallville.
Smallville was an American television series that first aired in 2001. Created by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the show tells the story of a young Clark Kent, and his adventures in Smallville, Kansas. It shows Clark Kent trying to cope with adolescence like any other teenager, except he parallelly starts to develop superpowers, discovers his extra-terrestrial origins, and struggles to find his destiny.
The show featured many DC characters including Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, and also the Justice League members including Aquaman, The Flash, Green Arrow, Cyborg, and more.
Zachary Levi Auditioned For Superman
The Shazam! actor recently attended the Chicago Comic & Entertainment Expo, where he spoke about his hopes for being a part of Smallville.
Zachary Levi originally auditioned for the role of the main lead, ie. Clark Kent. Ultimately, the actor did not receive the part he wanted. Despite being rejected for the role, there was still some hope. The casting team thought Levi could potentially play the role of Lex Luthor, the infamous adversary of Superman.
They had the Chuck actor take a look at a few slides, and run some lines for the casting team, producers, and the network. Ultimately the actor wasn’t able to bag the role. In the later stages of reading lines, the network decided that he was “not really their guy.”
At the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo, the actor shared his disappointment
“I studio-tested, and then I went all the way to the network and David Nutter, who directed the pilot, I had work sessions with him. I was like, ‘I’m going to be Lex Luthor!’ I was convinced I was going to be cast as Lex Luthor, move to Vancouver, and shave my head. It was all happening, and then it didn’t.”
Eventually, the role went to Michael Rosenbaum, who went on to play Lex Luthor for the next seven years in Smallville.
Despite the fact that things didn’t work out as hoped for Zachary Levi, the actor remains optimistic and believes that all things that don’t work out in life, are leading to “a really beautiful, prosperous time.”
Also Read:Zachary Levi Net Worth – How Much Money Has Shazam Star Earned From $32.4B Superhero Movie Industry
Levi Found Success With Chuck
After Levi narrowly missed out on the opportunity to play Lex Luthor, he eventually found success on the small screen. The actor starred in the spy comedy-drama series Chuck, which aired on NBC for five seasons from 2007 to 2012.
In 2020, Levi lead the reunion of the Chuck cast members. The cast came together and also did a table read. Their reconciliation was organized with the aim of raising money for Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund. The reunion and table read were hosted by Entertainment Weekly.
Since then, the majority of the cast members have moved on with their careers. Levi recently confirmed that he has been in conversations about a movie continuation. The rights to the show are owned by Warner Bros and the Shazam! actor has been using his goodwill to try and get a Chuck movie green-lit since before the show ended.
Also Read: Zachary Levi Leads Chuck Reunion
Source: The Direct
