It turns out that Henry Cavill was quite insistent on becoming Superman and Man of Steel isn’t the first go around for him in the role.
Back in mid-2004, at the age of just twenty, Cavill was a young actor mostly known for small roles who was a potential Superman in what was then known as “Superman: Flyby,” the second attempt to revive Superman following Tim Burton and Nic Cage’s “Superman Lives” in the late 1990s.
Various talents like Jude Law, Paul Walker, Josh Hartnett, Ashton Kutcher, Jared Padalecki, James Marsden and David Boreanaz were being considered for the film. Some of them tested using a prototype red-and-blue costume design.
This version of the movie had McG & Brett Ratner directing at different points with at least two scripts by J.J. Abrams. It ultimately fell apart once Bryan Singer came onboard and started over with “Superman Returns”.
