Comic book movies in their infancy had a difficult time when it came to casting legitimately capable actors. Many actors felt that taking part in what they essentially felt was a "kiddie" movie would somehow hurt their reputation as a serious actor. This was certainly the case when the producers of Superman tried to cast their villain, Lex Luthor. Even the film's eventual star Gene Hackman was extremely reluctant to take on the part, for that very reason. Most notably, Dustin Hoffman turned down the role for this reason. He also turned down the role of Superman as well. Word has it that his name was on an approved casting list from DC that was submitted to the producers. Though, talk didn't go very far with the actor. Thankfully Hoffman was free to instead make the 1978 film Straight Time, which has since become quite the cult-classic.
Jesse Gumbarge is editor and chief blogger at JarvisCity.com - He loves old-school horror films and starting pointless debates. You can reach out at: JesseGumbarge@JarvisCity.com
