Why Paul Walker Walked Away From Superman Role and $10 Million Payday
Paul Walker was up for the role of Clart Kent/Superman during the early 2000s during one of the many attempts Warner Bros. made to reboot the franchise. He was actually the studio’s top choice at one point, and they offered him $10 million to take on the role, but he ultimately turned it down.
In the 2018 documentary, I Am Paul Walker, which recently aired on The CW, the late actor’s manager, Matt Luber, and stunt double, Oakley Lehman, shared the story of Walker being up for the role and why the actor ended up walking away from the opportunity.
Luber explained that Walker “was screen testing for Superman,” and shared that “I think it was a $10 million deal, and he was the frontrunner.”
Lehman, who was also Walker’s childhood friend, added that at one point Walker was actually “up for it” and that he “was thinking about doing it.” He added: “I knew he did not want to do three or four Superman [films] and be Superman for the rest of his life.”
Luber then shared that it was in the middle of the casting process that Walker decided playing Superman and wearing the suit, was not for him. Luber said that Walker told 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.”
Back in 2003, Walker also explained why he turned down the role of Superman telling The Chicago Sun-Times: “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. 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.”
And that right there is one of the reasons why I liked Paul Walker. He kept it real and down to earth. Walker died on November 30, 2013, at the age of 40, in a tragic car accident.
Walker would’ve been an interesting and different choice for Superman. It’s one of those “what if…?” things in movies that we’ll never get to see.
Via: People