10 Actors Who Were Cruelly Shafted By Franchise Reboots

4. Brandon Routh - Superman Returns

Superman Returns is an odd creature. Ignoring the events of the previous two Superman films, the story acts more as Bryan Singer€™s homage to the first two films rather than an actual entry in the series. Featuring Brandon Routh portraying Clark Kent as close as he could to Christopher Reeve€™s performance, the film wasn€™t that exciting. Trading excitement for melancholy, the film was another Superman vs. Lex Luthor story with a sprinkling of romantic tension with Lois Lane, stuff we had seen many times before. Although the film was received positively by the general audience, many comic book fans derided the film, primarily for its lack of action and it being bogged down by the previous Superman film continuity. There were also accusations that Routh was only hired because of his resemblance to Reeve, which could definitely be the case. Regardless, there were plans to produce a sequel, one that writer Michael Doughtery hoped would be more €œaction-packed.€ However, there were multiple obstacles in their way, including Warner Bros. being disappointed by Superman Return€™s box office return, Bryan Singer leaving to direct Valkyrie and the 2007-2008 Writer€™s Strike. By 2009, Routh€™s contract expired, and Warner Bros. decided to reboot the series. This eventually gave us Man of Steel, which, despite getting mixed reviews, is the first entry in the DC Cinematic Universe. For the fans, it€™s certainly great to finally see an action-packed Superman film that finally gives us a cohesive DC film universe. For Routh, however, it sucks. He never got the chance to reprise his role, and taking into account the criticism his portrayal received, he might have been able to improve his performance in the sequel. Unfortunately for him, he€™ll never get that chance, and although he€™s starred in several other projects, for now Superman Returns seems to be the pinnacle of his career.