15 Actors Who Really Wanted To Be In Comic Book Movies (And Failed)
10. Sylvester Stallone Lobbied Hard To Be Superman
Sly lobbied hard when casting for Richard Donners 1978 classic Superman began, making no secret of the fact that he grew up reading Superman comics and idolising Clark Kent. The actor was hot property at the time after writing and starring in Rocky, the first film in an eventual franchise that would come to gross over a billion dollars.
That wasnt enough to earn him the red cape, however, with the part eventually going to Christopher Reeve. With rumours circulating that the powers that be deemed Stallone too Italian for the role, the decision to turn him down was ultimately made by Marlon Brando, who was cast as Supermans father Jor-El. Stallone proceeded to call Brando out as a hypocrite for doubting his ability to play a convincing role, given that Brando stated on numerous occasions that he took the part of Jor-El as nothing more than a pay-cheque and refused to memorise his scenes, leaving Donner having to write his lines down on everything from walls to a baby diaper.
The beef continued to rumble on, with Stallone pointing out that Burt Reynolds had suffered the same treatment from Brando, who allegedly put the blocks on him getting the part of Sonny in The Godfather. He told the Merv Griffin talk show that he had no respect for Brando as a man or as an actor, though that seemed at odds with the Brando-esque performances he had given up until that point.