The love for supernatural and extraordinary feats of phenomenons performed by beings known as superheroes has always fascinated and captured the hearts of the public, and no other character is more famous among the people than Superman. A man of unlimited physical prowess and god-like abilities has and will always be the center of the superhero world for generations to come.
And along with the superhero, DC Comics created an entire slew of villains to become worthy adversaries in his path to save the people of the world and ensure peace. Therefore, seeing just how important a villain is to a superhero’s tale, Bryan Singer had to choose the best of the best, which landed Kevin Spacey in Superman Returns.
Kevin Spacey Became Lex Luthor In Superman Returns Thanks To His Oscar-Winning Performance!
While Superman may have become one of the foundational cornerstones of the Superhero world, what made him such a force to be reckoned with is the adversities that he overcame. What makes a good superhero are the villains that they face and defeat, which makes them a vital part of a story. Therefore, when director Bryan Singer was looking for someone who could play the role of Lex Luthor in 2006’s Superman Returns, he was drawn to Hollywood veteran Kevin Spacey.
You may also like: Wonder Woman Star Robin Wright Couldn’t Stand Lead Star Kevin Spacey Being Paid More Than Her, Threatened Producer She’d Go Public For Salary Injustice
After the legacy left behind by late Hollywood star Christopher Reeve, the tale of the son of Krypton continued as Brandon Routh was all set to become Clark Kent in the 2006 Singer film. But even before he was finalized to don the cape, Kevin Spacey was already decided upon as the villain of the film. This was due to the fact that the star had worked with the director on a previous occasion in 1995’s Oscar-Winning film The Usual Suspects.
Due to this aforementioned reason, along with the fact that the American Beauty star was good friends with the filmmaker, it was reported that he was chosen to play the villain in the film as far back as when the script was being written. It was also reported that the writers specifically wrote the character around Spacey, to begin with.
You may also like: Before Zack Snyder Chose Henry Cavill, Brandon Routh Was Desperate To Play Superman in ‘Man of Steel’ after Superman Returns Debacle
What Was Superman Returns About?
After the 4th installment in the Superman franchise that featured Christopher Reeve, Superman Returns marks the homecoming of the Man of Steel in the form of Brandon Routh’s Clark Kent. Here, after returning to Earth after a long while in space, he has to deal with heartbreak as he sees his love Lois Lane is engaged to another man, but has to put that pain aside in order to defend the world from the evil clutches of Lex Luthor, who seeks to gain power over the entire world.
You may also like: “Just treat Superman Returns as the Ang Lee Hulk”: Before Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel, Legendary DC Writer Demanded 2006 Brandon Routh Movie Be Wiped Out of Continuity
Superman Returns, streaming on HBO Max.
Source: Wikipedia
