Matt Bomer Claims He Lost Chance To Play Superman After Being Outed As Gay

Actor Matt Bomer, of Magic Mike fame, recently revealed that he lost a major opportunity to play Superman after he was outed as gay. He claimed he was set to play Superman in the 2000s film but was removed from the project despite being the director’s choice. Matt Bomer said that to land the coveted role he went through a month-long audition process but it was all in vain. The White Collar star did not officially come out as gay until 2012.

Matt Bomer made this revelation on the The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast. He said, “It looked like I was the director’s choice for the role. 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.” Matt Bomer added, “That was a time in the industry when something like that could still really be weaponized against you.”

The now-scrapped film Superman: Flyby was also dubbed as Superman: Man of Steel. Brett Ratner was hired to direct it in 2002, but he later quit the project. This was one of several Superman projects that were scrapped between the 1987 film Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and the 2006 film Superman Returns.

Back in 2012, famous author Jackie Collins told Gaydar Radio that Matt Bomer’s sexuality stopped him from getting the Superman role. She said, “Matt Bomer, who is the most gorgeous looking guy and the star of White Collar, he had not come out of the closet, but people in the know knew he was gay.” The Hollywood Wives author explicitly stated that Matt Bomer didn’t get cast because he was gay.

However, a source told E! that Jackie Collins’s claim was not entirely accurate. According to the source, Matt Bomer lost the title role because Brett Ratner quit the project. According to Entertainment Weekly, after Brett Ratner quit, Warner Bros. studio hired filmmaker McG, to direct the Superman film. Later McG also left the project and finally, Bryan Singer directed Superman. This time Bryan Singer hired Brandon Routh to play Clark Kent in the 2006 Superman Returns.