Directed by Zack Snyder, 2013’s Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and others was the first installment in the DC Extended Universe. It was a reboot of the Superman film series and went on to showcase the superhero’s origin story.
Upon release, the film received mixed reviews from critics who believed that it lacked appeal in the action sequence and was divided over Cavill’s performance. Henry Cavill is regarded as one of the best Supermans, but before he was cast for the role, Zack Snyder was considering different actors for the part, and one of those actors was Magic Mike’s Joe Manganiello.
Joe Manganiello was very close to playing Superman instead of Henry Cavill in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel
Actor Henry Cavill’s name is usually associated with Superman, as he has left an everlasting impression on people who are fond of the character. Cavill’s portrayal of the comic book character is regarded as one of the finest works, and it showed when people were disappointed with DC Studios’ co-CEO James Gunn and Peter Safran not calling him back for their Superman.
However, it is also known that Henry Cavill wasn’t the only actor Zack Snyder considered for his Man of Steel. Joe Manganiello, who portrayed the character of Alcide Herveaux on True Blood from 2010 to 2014, impressed Snyder and his wife, after which he believed that the actor would fit the role of Superman.
The actor had met the producers and casting directors and was almost finalized for the part. However, HBO wasn’t ready to let go of the actor at the time. Upon his appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Manganiello shared (via Uproxx),
I met with Zack. I had an hour-and-a-half-long meeting with Zack, which is what was causing all the trouble. I went ahead and met with casting, and then they all brought me over to meet Zack. I met the producers; I met with everybody involved. They called the True Blood costume shop for my measurements to build my suit, and that’s what caused—that’s when it stopped.
Even though Joe Manganiello did not stress why it stopped, reports have suggested that it had to do with his commitment to HBO’s True Blood. The studios weren’t willing to let the actor take a long off from work to film a Superman movie. Manganiello later appeared as Slade Wilson a.k.a. Deathstroke in 2017’s Justice League.
Manganiello, who was looking forward to playing the part, later shared in 2020 (via Heroic Hollywood);
I don’t like to dwell on stuff that didn’t happen… Zack loved True Blood, and when I showed up on True Blood, he wanted me to be Superman. I couldn’t do that movie by Zack. He came back around and called me and said, ‘I want you to meet Ben Affleck,’ and that’s how I met Ben, and that’s how I got cast as Deathstroke in Ben’s Batman movie.
The actor, in his conversation with ET in 2017, shared that growing up an avid comic book fan, there were a lot of superhero and supervillain roles that came his way, which he refused or wasn’t allowed to do due to other commitments. So taking up the role of Deathstroke was exciting for him.
Fans believe Joe Manganiello would not have worked as well as Henry Cavill as Superman
It’s true that Zack Snyder himself considered Joe Manganiello as one of the front-runners for the role of Superman but went ahead with Cavill for the part. Zack Snyder, in his interview with MTV in 2011 (via Batman News),
Henry’s just… I love Joe too, by the way. He was the only other guy I was thinking of, to be honest, other than Henry. But in the end, I think Henry just has this innocence too [in addition to the look and the physicality required for the role]; he has both, which is tricky.
Snyder shared with the publication that the character of Superman needed a teeniest bit of innocence considering he is from Smallville, Kansas.
Fans at the time shared why Zack Snyder’s call to pick Henry Cavill over Joe Manganiello was the right one by sharing (via Reddit),
Another user mentioned Manganiello is far better suited as Deathstroke and Cavill as Superman. A lot of users were happy with Snyder’s choice. According to Science Fiction, the rugged look of Manganiello suits him the best, but for him to be Superman, he had to go clean-cut. It might not be the best reason to cast Cavill, but the appearance of Superman does matter to the audience.
David Corenswet is the new Superman in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s DCU. Superman is set to release on July 11, 2025.
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