‘That’s My Understanding’: Matt Bomer Says Getting Outed as Gay Cost Him Superman Role

Actor Matt Bomer came close to playing Clark Kent in a Superman movie that didn’t end up getting made. Looking back, the White Collar star said he believes his sexual orientation had cost him the superhero role.

Bomer reflected on his near-casting as Superman during an interview for The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. At one point, there was a planned film called Superman: Flyby by writer J.J. Abrams, though the project fizzled out without making it to production. Before the project was nixed, Bomer said he signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros., making it look like a sure thing for him to play the Man of Steel in the film. However, Bomer didn’t get the part after all, and as he understands it, this is due to getting outed as gay at the time.

“This is a very early iteration of Superman written by J.J. Abrams, called Superman: Flyby, I think is what it was called, and it never came to light,” Bomer explained. “It looked like I was the director’s choice for the role… I signed a three-picture deal at Warner Bros.”

When asked if it was his sexual orientation that affected his casting, Bomer, who publicly came out as gay in 2012, added, “Yeah, that’s my understanding… That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you. How, and why, and who, I don’t know, but yeah, that’s my understanding.”

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Just recently, actor Jude Law also commented on how he was almost cast as Clark Kent in Superman: Flyby. In his case, Law says he tried on the suit, which he described as “metallic,” but that he didn’t feel confident enough in himself to pull off the role. That led to Law turning it down, but as Bomer also noted, the movie didn’t get made anyway. After this project fizzled out, Brandon Routh would later get the role for a separate film directed by Bryan Singer, which was the 2006 movie Superman Returns.

David Corenswet Becomes the Newest Superman Actor

Henry Cavill would follow Routh’s run as Superman on the big screen in a series of films in the DCEU. The role has since been recast for the DCU with David Corenswet set to serve as the next actor to play a live-action version of the famous superhero in a feature film. From director James Gunn, Corenswet’s Superman movie is set to hit theaters on July 11, 2025.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter

Superman

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Jerry Siegel , Joe Shuster

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Superman

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Superman , Smallville , Superman & Lois , Superman: The Animated Series , Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman

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