5 Major Actors Who Were Considered For Huge DCEU Roles (& 3 Would Have Been Way Better)

In building the DC Extended Universe, directors like Zack Snyder and various Warner Bros, executives were tasked with casting actors who could play DC Comics icons for years to come. These were not one-off performances like Halle Berry in Catwoman. These performers were meant to live and breathe their superhero roles much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe acting mainstays had. The franchise would eventually come to a close in late 2023, ten years after Man of Steel kicked it off, finally shutting the door on seeing these performances truly evolve over eras of cinema history.

In the pursuit of this lofty goal, a slew of big names were bandied about as potential picks for key DC Extended Universe characters. These roles ranged from major superheroes headlining solo movies to key supporting roles that were intended to stick around across multiple installments. Clearly, none of these castings ever came to pass. However, now that the book is closed on the DCEU, these alternate castings truly tantalize the mind. Would this franchise have garnered more longevity if these alternate casting picks had come to pass?

5) Matthew Goode as Superman

For Man of Steel, the choices for casting Superman reportedly came down to two names. One was the eventual victor, Henry Cavill, and the other was Matthew Goode, a veteran of director Zack Snyder’s works thanks to his time playing Ozymandias in 2009’s Watchmen. Goode apparently came mighty close to tackling the role, but just missed the part. Snyder seemed dead-set on getting Goode into his initial DCEU movies, since Goode was also approached for a Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice role. Ultimately, though, his choice of Cavill was inspired.

4) Zoe Saldana as Lois Lane

Amy Adams took on the mantle of Lois Lane in the DCEU, playing her across three installments of the franchise. Looking back in 2019 on casting the part for Man of Steel, Snyder revealed that Adams was one of two finalists for the role. The other was major IP specialist Zoe Saldana, who apparently impressed Snyder tremendously with her audition. Not getting this part after being so close must’ve been devastating for this performer at the time. However, it allowed Saldana to have room in her schedule to take on the incredibly important Marvel Cinematic Universe role of Gamora for the rest of the 2010s. You win some, you lose some in the comic book movie casting game. And to give her credit, Adams was great as Lois.

3) Leonardo DiCaprio as Lex Luthor

Once it became clear Lex Luthor would play a significant role in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the internet went wild speculating who could play the part. One name tossed around frequently was Leonardo DiCaprio, who turned out to be an actor also on Snyder’s mind. Years after Dawn of Justice hit theaters, Snyder recalled how he and DiCaprio shared multiple lunches together, talking about the role, with DiCaprio expressing his thoughts on how Lex Luthor could come to the screen. However, these productive meetings never resulted in DiCaprio getting cast, despite how great he could have been. Jesse Eisenberg would later take on the eventually divisive role, while DiCaprio focused on projects like The Revenant.

2) Ryan Gosling as The Joker

When the first casting rumors dropped for Suicide Squad, it was clear Warner Bros. and director David Ayer were aiming to get A-list talent attached to an obscure comic book property. While the likes of Will Smith and Margot Robbie did end up in the final feature, rumored Joker pick Ryan Gosling did not. It’s not clear why exactly Gosling turned down the role, though in the mid-2010s, he was way more ambivalent about franchise fare than he is today. Once Gosling passed on inhabiting a super “damaged” Joker, Jared Leto embraced the part and delivered a performance that didn’t get the greatest response from the general public. Without question, Gosling would have been better.

1) John Cena as Shazam

Getting the titular lead role of Shazam! cast meant going through a lot of auditions from beefy comedic men in Hollywood. Among those considered was, of course, John Cena, whose film career was in the ascendancy thanks to his work in Sisters, Trainwreck, and other features. A finalist for the Shazam role, Cena would eventually lose it to Zachary Levi, and on the strength of what he’s done since, it’s hard not to think he would have been even better. Just a few years later, though, Cena would get his chance to step into the DCEU when the part of Peacemaker in The Suicide Squad came up.

Man of Steel is now streaming on Max.

The post 5 Major Actors Who Were Considered For Huge DCEU Roles (& 3 Would Have Been Way Better) appeared first on ComicBook.com.