Would you accept Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Superman if they decided to make a new Superman movie?
I was thinking about it, and I can actually envision it. But I bet some people would HATE it. The character suits his style though. He has clauses in his contracts where he can never lose a fight, he can never look bad, ect ect ect. And that's Superman in a nutshell. There's no stakes, because he never loses. It's right up his ally.
I just can't see him playing Clark Kent. Superman isn't just a buff guy who wins fights, and if that's all your casting is based on, I feel like you may have missed the point of the character. Because to me, the real point of any Superman story should be Clark.
There's a bit of necessity that a superman actor have a degree of the boy Scout in them already. I'm not saying they have to fit some arbitrary moral standard, just that there's a way of looking at the world that comes through any performance, and supes needs someone that can look at the world and not be self serving or cynical.
None of the past or current actors were perfect people, but the ones that we remember best and like the best (we being the geeks that care enough to debate the merits of the actors) are the ones that have that sense of seeing the world as it is, while still believing it can be better.
It isn't obvious, you have to watch enough interviews about other roles as well as the role, but it shows up.
It's one of the reasons I like Cavill in the role, despite the movies he's been in being poorly written in terms of superman being at his best. His built in, for lack of a better phrase, trust in the world shows through in his performance. He doesn't have to act that part of supes, so it works.
It's also why both Reeves made it work so well, though Christopher is the gold standard. I mean, dude was paralyzed, and never gave up hope entirely. That's the kind of thing that I'm talking about.
Welling had a similar way of taking on the world, if you watch his interviews.
Cain didn't.
Routh did, but he got slammed by the horrible script. He was still amazing in the role, but you can only do so much. He's played another super hero, and brought that same optimistic side of it to that role.
But it isn't necessarily optimism that's needed, that's just one expression of it.
And the rock, sadly, doesn't have it. He's too wrapped up in being "the rock" to let that go and be himself. Most of his roles have been the rock playing the role rather than Johnson playing the role. It's why Black Adam fell a little flat. It wasn't a total failure, but there were too many scenes where it was about looking good or looking tough rather than playing the role.
No, not because I dislike dwayne, but his charecter trope is obvious super swole "badass". Superman is more tough built like a tank, country guy/nerd. Put him in some civies and he blends, put him in the suit and you recognize oh, he's gonna beat somebody up.
Put Dwayne in normal clothes, and he wont blend, he will just look like a rock with glasses.
iirc clark kent had like the same physique but such a personality you wouldn't think much about it.
Also the whole, "I must always be a clear winning badass" clause with dwayne might constrain writers or pressure them. Never showing any weakness or "loss".
Nowadays, we like Superheroes thay have a backstory, some weakness, makes them "human" (even if superman, isnt) might be as simple as not great at cooking or shopping.
I mean, I kinda liked him in Black Adam. (Though, full disclosure, I'm not familiar with the comics at all. So I don't have any opinion as to whether the movie is faithful to the comics.) But from what I've heard he was kinda such an asshole while filming that WB (which owns DC comics) has sworn off of having anything to do with him again. So I doubt Johson will appear in any DCCU film (or any DCCU 2.0 reboot film). Let alone as so high-profile a DC character as Superman.
But even if I liked him as Black Adam, I don't think he'd make a good Superman.
John Henry Irons had entirely too much humility to be played by The Rock. Also, let's not take a black role from a black actor. I'm not saying we always need to stay true to whatever race a character is, but come on. Black actors already get shafted.
And the best person to play John Henry Irons, Michael Clarke Duncan, is dead already, unfortunately. Now he could have pulled off the humility, the pain, and the sense of duty of John Henry Irons.
We never really saw Cavill being Clark unfortunately. I think he could have crushed it but it was very clear Snyder and Terio had zero interest in Clark.
I’m a casual fan when it comes to Superman. Johnson is too one-note imo. I can’t see him conveying the genuine kindness of Clark Kent or Superman without trying to put a vapid cheeky, edgy, or ironic spin on it. The stakes of Superman often don’t come from what can defeat him in combat, but what can destroy what he cares about and his ability to defend it. Also, I don’t think the iconic hairstyles would look right on Johnson’s head since he’s known for a bald or short-haired look. Another commenter mentioned how Johnson has more of a bodybuilder form, which seems too exaggerated for the character to me as well. I thought his portrayal of Black Adam was fine, but it’d be weird seeing him switch to a foil character in the same general franchise (but different universe) so soon, not that other actors haven’t successfully made that switch themselves.
There is a new superman movie coming out. There will be another one after, too. The Rock won't be in any of them. He tried playing a superman like character and he sucked in it.