Paul Walker made a name for himself as co-lead of the Fast & Furious franchise alongside Vin Diesel but tragically passed away in a 2013 car accident. While he dipped his toes into the water of other action movie roles, Walker sadly never got the chance to star in a superhero project.
We've heard before that he was among the actors likely eyed for J.J. Abrams' ill-fated Superman Flyby. However, in the documentary, I Am Paul Walker - which recently aired on The CW - his manager, Matt Luber, and stunt double, Oakley Lehman, revealed how close the actor came to suiting up as Kal-El.
According to Luber (via Deadline), Walker "was screen testing for Superman...I think it was a $10 million deal, and he was the frontrunner." Lehman chimed in to say his longtime friend "was up for it" and "was thinking about doing it."
"I knew he did not want to do three or four Superman [films] and be Superman for the rest of his life," he continued, explaining that it was wearing Superman's iconic costume during an audition which made Walker realise the role wasn't for him.
Luber remembers the late Fast & Furious star telling him, "'I’ve got an ‘S’ on, I got a cape, boots, tights...this is not me. I’m getting the f*** out of here. Gotta go. F*** you.' And he was gone."
Walker was only 40 when he died and we can't help but think he'd have softened on potentially playing a superhero given the genre's rise in popularity in the years since his passing.
Way back in 2003, Walker himself talked about turning down this Superman project. "Yes, I could have made a gazillion dollars on that franchise. I could probably have bought my own fleet of jets or my own island," he said. "You know what? I don’t need it. My favorite brand of running shoes costs $23. I rarely pay more than $40 for my jeans. Throw in a T-shirt and that costs me $20 or $10 if I buy it on the beach. I don’t need a gazillion dollars to manage that kind of lifestyle."
Superman Flyby fell apart and the Man of Tomorrow remained on the shelf until Bryan Singer's follow-up to Superman: The Movie, Superman Returns. Later, Zack Snyder rebooted the hero in Man of Steel and after a handful of DCEU appearances, the character's next big screen outing will be in James Gunn's Superman: Legacy.
David Corenswet takes on the title role in the first DCU movie which is currently slated for a July 11, 2025 release.