The 'Superman' casting list was a veritable who's who of 1970s Hollywood.
The Big Picture Superman is a difficult character to get right on screen. He embodies old-fashioned values. Despite his invulnerability, he has to somehow show a degree of vulnerability. Superman has to be likable, but believable as a force to be reckoned with. Difficult, yes, but not impossible. There are a number of actors who have done well with the Superman legacy on their shoulders.
Which 1970s Actors Almost Played Superman? Ilya Salkind, producer of Superman, revealed that DC Comics had a "wish list" of actors that they approved of that could be approached for the role of Superman. From a variety of sources, that list had almost every big-time 1970s Hollywood actor on it, including Paul Newman, Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood, Nick Nolte, James Caan, Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Charles Bronson, Sylvester Stallone, and Steve McQueen.
One name that Ilya Salkind offered up in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter is Dustin Hoffman, stating, "One side, they were extraordinarily protective [of the character’s image] and on the other side, they weren’t so aware of reality because as much as Dustin Hoffman is a fantastic actor, I don’t think he would have been a great Superman. Perhaps he could have been.” But they did recognize that Hoffman would be perfect for another role: Lex Luthor.
Another Superman name? How about the eternal Muhammad Ali? The Hollywood Reporter cites Salkind revealing that the boxing legend was on DC's approved list for the role. If it wasn't before, it was clear then that DC was approving the casting list on name alone, not who would be the best fit for the role. Despite Ali's popularity, he wasn't ultimately chosen for the part. He did, though, make an appearance with Superman in the pages of DC Comics.
According to Fox News, despite the many actors that had tried out for the role of Superman, Salkind couldn't shake the impression that Christopher Reeve made on him, and called him back for another look. The actor was perfect, save for one aspect: he was too thin. So they turned to David Prowse to help train Reeve, and soon the actor gained 40 pounds of muscle, capturing the essence of the character in every aspect.
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