Actor Matt Bomer has disclosed that he lost the lead role in an axed 2003 Superman movie "Flyby" because he’s gay. Speaking on the Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, Bomer revealed, “It looked like I was the director’s choice for the role. I signed a three-picture deal at Warner Bros.”
When asked if his sexual orientation influenced the casting decision, Bomer confirmed, “Yeah, that’s my understanding. That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you. How, and why, and who [outed me], I don’t know.”
Bomer publicly came out as gay in 2012 during an awards speech where he thanked his husband and children.
According to Bomer, the Superman role seemed so certain that Bomer had been written out of his regular job on the CBS soap opera "Guiding Light." He said, “I went in on a cattle call for Superman,” which turned into a month-long audition process. “On Guiding Light, there was a killer in town, so the executive producer, very kindly, wanted to free me up just in case the [Superman] job came through. So [the producer] said, ‘Hey, you’re going to be the killer. We’re writing you off the show; go with my blessing.’ I basically got fired, but in a generous way.”
"Superman: Flyby" was set to be directed by JJ Abrams, but the project was eventually axed in favor of Bryan Singer’s "Superman Returns," released in 2006 with Brandon Routh as lead actor.
Bomer isn’t the only actor to have narrowly missed donning the iconic red cape. Nicolas Cage was supposed to star in Tim Burton’s "Superman Lives," and Jacob Elordi revealed to GQ that he declined to read for the role, saying, “That was immediately, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s too much. That’s too dark for me.”
The latest Superman reboot, "Superman: Legacy," directed by James Gunn, is scheduled for release next summer, featuring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan.
Bomer first gained fame on the US daytime TV show "All My Children" and achieved international recognition with the 2012 film "Magic Mike." His other notable works include "The Nice Guys" and "The Normal Heart." Bomer also starred on Broadway in Dustin Lance Black’s play "8" and the 2018 revival of "The Boys in the Band," which was adapted into a film in 2020.
