Brendan Fraser's Description Of J.J. Abrams' Canceled Superman Movie Sounds Epic

Back in 2002, J.J. Abrams was actively working on a Superman feature film that he wanted to call "Superman: Flyby." The movie was to retell the Superman origin story, but spent an extended period on Krypton where Superman's father, Jor-El, was locked in a years-long Civil War with his own brother, Kata-Zor. The story was pretty epic. According to various fan websites, Jor-El was to lose the Civil War and be sent to prison, where he was to take his own life. Jor-El's infant son, Kal-El, was sent to Earth, where he was adopted by the Kent family, just like in the original comics, but a lot of the Superman story that followed was also different. 

For instance, when Superman/Clark Kent grew up, he did indeed get a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet, but Lois Lane was less a plucky reporter and more like Dana Scully from "The X-Files," obsessed with finding the truth about UFOs. Also — and this is quite notable — Clark wouldn't keep his secret identity, eventually reveal himself to the world. The villains of the film were to be Kata-Zor, his son Ty-Zor, and three other rogue Kryptonians. Another twist in the Superman myth is that Krypton was not destroyed, but overtaken by fascists. 

In a recent episode of the Happy. Sad. Confused. podcast, actor Brendan Fraser revealed that he had been offered the role of Superman for "Flyby," and that he was permitted to read Abrams' script. The project fell through, sadly, eventually mutating and being rethought until it became Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns," a retro sequel to the films that came before it. Fraser, however, was deeply impressed with the "Flyby" script he read, even going so far as to compare it to Shakespeare. 

Further details culled from online fan sites also revealed other epic details of "Superman: Flyby." Shockingly, the film's Kryptonian villains were actually going to murder Superman during a climactic fight. Superman would then go to the Kryptonian after to converse with his father. He would then be resurrected just in time to stop the bad guys and save the day. It certainly sounds large and exciting in the superhero blockbuster mold. And in 2002, it was high time to return to Superman. About the script, Fraser said: 

"I loved that screenplay. [...] They let me read it. They locked me in an empty office in some studio lot, I signed an NDA. It was printed black on crimson paper, so you couldn't photocopy it or sneak it out the door inconspicuously. I mean, it was Shakespeare in space. It was a really good screenplay."

Fraser said that he even got so far into the film's development that he was trying on Superman suits. No pictures exist, however, as there was a lot of secrecy around the project. Fraser also revealed a little trepidation about taking the "Flyby" gig, however, as he knew it would pigeonhole him. He noted: 

"I also remember thinking: 'If I do get this job, then, well, I think Superman's gonna be chipped on my gravestone.' There's an element of, you are that for the rest of your days, your career. And that's not a bad thing; I'm not saying it's gonna kill me any time soon, but it is something that becomes part of your entire brand, who you are. And I don't know if I was ready to take that on then."

The project ended up falling apart, so Fraser didn't have to make the decision.

Fraser knew that playing Superman would be a great career opportunity, but he wanted to be pickier about what roles he took and felt that Superman wouldn't necessarily give him that freedom. At the very least, he said that he wasn't quite ready, in 2002, to take on such a big role. 

As it so happens, Fraser was one of three high-profile actors who nearly played the Man of Steel in "Superman: Flyby." Matt Bomer also auditioned for the part, and both Ashton Kutcher and Paul Walker were offered it. Kutcher turned it down because he was wrapping up "That '70s Show" at the time and couldn't walk away. Jerry O'Connell said he wanted to play Superman, while David Boreanaz auditioned but ultimately passed, also because of scheduling issues. 

Brett Ratner was slated to direct, and he had other actors in mind for the project. He talked to Jude Law and even offered Josh Hartnett a sweetheart $100 million deal for three movies. Ratner also talked to Christopher Walker about playing Perry White, and wanted Anthony Hopkins and Ralph Fiennes to play Jor-El and Lex Luthor, respectively. Hopkins and Fiennes, incidentally, would both star in Ratner's "Silence of the Lambs" prequel, "Red Dragon" in 2002. Eventually, Ratner dropped out, as he kept butting heads with the film's producer, Jon Peters. If one wants to hear an amusing story about Jon Peters, look up Kevin Smith's extended anecdote about writing a "Superman" movie for him. Peters had some wild ideas. 

The project passed from Ratner to McG, and then finally over to Bryan Singer, who turned it into "Superman Returns." It was quite a saga, but at least we got a kinda-forgettable "Superman" movie out of it.