Superman movie. Reeve was ultimately cast instead, but he was far from the first choice to play the character. Long before the studio offered the part to Reeve, it had its eye on Clint Eastwood, who was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood and had been for quite some time.
His role in Man With No Name trilogy, which ranks among Sergio Leone's best movies, made him a legend in the Western genre. The “tough guy” image he created in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly led to him being cast as the star in several more high-profile movies, including the 1971 crime thriller, Dirty Harry. Being one of Hollywood’s biggest names, Eastwood’s name was on a list of A-list actors under consideration for the role of Superman in the late 1970s.
In an interview, Eastwood revealed that then-president of Warner Bros., Frank Wells, approached him about playing Superman when the film was still in its earliest stages. The actor would have been in his mid-40s at the time. Eastwood explained that the role wasn’t for him, because he preferred to play characters who were more “grounded in reality”. As acknowledged by Eastwood, some of his characters such as Dirty Harry, almost played by John Wayne, were capable doing of “more-than-human things”, but to him, this wasn’t the same as being a “caped crusader”. He also added that being typecast as a superhero was at least “part of the consideration.” He remarked in the same interview that one superhero he did like was Namor the Sub-Mariner, but it’s not clear if given the chance, that he would have taken that role either.
Looking at the characters previously brought to life by Eastwood on the big screen, including the adapted true story of The Mule, it certainly is difficult to imagine an actor with his image suiting up in tights and flying around as Superman. While the Man With No Name becoming the Man of Steel may be a fun thought, the Big Blue Boy Scout hardly feels like a good fit for the actor, who always seemed better-suited for the much darker, anti-hero types. And when looking at all the long and rocky casting process that the studio went through, it seems that he wasn’t the only actor to have similar reservations about donning the suit. Paul Newman, Robert Redford, James Caan, Burt Reynolds, and more all declined offers as well. Warner Bros. also expressed interest in Nick Nolte, Jon Voight, and Charles Bronson, just to name a few.
In retrospect, it’s good that none of the A-list actors on Warner Bros’ radar – Clint Eastwood included – played Clark Kent in Superman. Many agree that what helped Christopher Reeve take off as the character was his unknown status. Given that those mentioned above were tied to so many other big roles, it was easy for audiences to accept Reeve as Superman, and he is now recognized as the definitive Man of Steel for many.
