Brendan Fraser Almost Became Superman: 2 Surprising Reasons He Turned Down DC's Scrapped Movie

Brendan Fraser has been on a little run lately. After stirring the pot with talk of The Mummy 4, he dropped a surprise: he almost put on the cape for J.J. Abrams. And not in a vague, 'we had a meeting' way. He actually wore the suit, read the script, and then decided to pass.

Fraser tried on the Superman suit... then walked away

On the November 20 episode of Josh Horowitz's Happy Sad Confused podcast, Fraser said he screen tested for a Superman movie connected to J.J. Abrams back in the day. He read the script, tried the costume, and thought long and hard about what saying yes would mean for the rest of his career.

"If I do get this job, then, well, I think Superman's gonna be chipped on my gravestone. There's an element of, you are that for the rest of your days, your career. And that's not a bad thing... but it is something that becomes part of your entire brand, who you are. And I don't know if I was ready to take that on then."

He also quoted filmmaker Terry George to explain his decision: 'if it's not for you, then it'll pass you by.'

For context: Fraser's screen test happened before Warner Bros. went with Bryan Singer's version, which became 2006's Superman Returns. Brandon Routh played Clark Kent/Superman in that one, with Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, plus Kate Bosworth and James Marsden (who most people know as Cyclops from the X-Men films).

So... is J.J. Abrams still making a Superman movie?

Weirdly, yes, in theory. This is where DC's current setup gets a little twisty, so here's the simple version:

• Back in 2021, reports said J.J. Abrams was producing a new Superman reboot with a script by Ta-Nehisi Coates. No plot details were revealed at the time.
• James Gunn, now running DC Studios with Peter Safran, has since said that the Abrams/Coates Superman project is still in the works and would live in DC's 'Elseworlds' banner. Translation: it's a separate continuity from the main DCU.
• Meanwhile, Gunn's own Superman is the flagship of the new DCU. Formerly titled 'Superman: Legacy' and now just 'Superman,' it stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent and lands July 11, 2025.
• The 2025 cast: Rachel Brosnahan is Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult is Lex Luthor, Isabela Merced is Hawkgirl, and Milly Alcock is playing Supergirl.
• Elsewhere in Elseworlds, Robert Pattinson remains the Batman of that separate timeline after 2022's The Batman. No Elseworlds Wonder Woman has been announced.

Are we headed toward two different Justice Leagues?

It's definitely the question. With Pattinson's Batman in Elseworlds and an Abrams/Coates Superman still floating out there in that same lane, the pieces are at least on the board for a parallel lineup. Nothing's announced, but the possibility is right there.

Either way, Fraser's Superman near-miss is a fascinating what-if. He could have been the guy, chose not to lock himself into the cape forever, and kept it moving. Honestly, given how his career has played out, hard to argue with the read.