Christopher Reeve is one of the most iconic actors in the realm of superhero movies. He was the first in a long line of actors to bring the last son of Krypton to life on the silver screen. Reeve reprised his role for three more movies before his career was cut short in a tragic accident. He’d have played a role in another for a cameo but backed out a few months before filming, and people have always wondered why. Why did Christopher Reeve decide to turn down an appearance in 1984’s Supergirl film?
Turned Down the Cameo for Supergirl (1984)
Having made a mark in the iconic role, Christopher Reeve had been asked to reprise his role for a few short scenes in the spin-off of his franchise, Supergirl. Supergirl was initially meant to appear as a love interest, not his cousin. However, when it was decided that it would be its own movie, he was the one who suggested Jeannot Szwarc as the director for the film.
The film’s original plan was that Superman would be his cousin’s mentor. He would show her how to use her powers before he needed to be saved after being cursed by a spell. But instead, Helen Slater was cast for the role of Supergirl, starring as his cousin who had come to Earth to retrieve a Kryptonian artefact.
While Supergirl started its production a few weeks before Superman III was released, three months before production on the film began, he told the director that he felt wrong about the spin-off and decided to exit the movie. Considering the critical reception of Superman III, Christopher Reeve could sense how his cameo in Supergirl would be received after the failure of Superman III.
After the third film, Reeve admitted to being unhappy with how the sequel had turned out in the end, going as far as to say that he was done playing Superman, let alone appearing in cameos. The actor felt he needed to branch out into other roles before he remained typecast as a hero for the rest of his career.
Playing out fine without the legendary Kal El, his absence was explained in the final movie, saying that he had left Earth on a peace-seeking mission to another galaxy.
Superman 1978’s Success and the Sequels’ Failures
Superman marked the big screen debut of the titular character that everyone had come to know and love from countless comic books. The iconic role quickly became one that was defining for Reeve’s career, something that made him nervous in later years. It wasn’t surprising that he represented the character of Superman because he perfectly embodied what it meant to be Superman and what made Kal El so special.
Superman was a resounding success, as was Superman II. From there, the franchise made some creative choices that resulted in the franchise going decidedly downhill. Superman III was the first to flop after bringing in the comedy legend Richard Pryor to play a hacker. Unfortunately, his comedy prowess made the film wackier than initially intended, disappointing fans. Superman IV was plainly a box-office disaster, effectively ending the series.
There Could Have Been A Superman V
Despite his talk about never wanting to play the role of Superman again, back in 1994, the actor had told the media that he was open to a return to the position as long as it had a good story and the budget to do the movie justice. If fortune had been kind, we could have seen another movie as part of the series.
Unfortunately, Reeve was paralyzed following a tragic horse-riding accident the year after his statement, making returning to the role impossible. Although we can no longer see the iconic man in the part, the legacy that he created will forever live on as other actors step into the role, trying to emulate the magnificence that he projected as a superhero.
Thankfully, we got to see Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Helen Slater’s Supergirl together on screen for the first time in the DCEU’s The Flash movie.
Tell us, would you have liked to see Christopher Reeve appear in the Supergirl movie? Also, check out his son, Will Reeve, who some believe is the perfect new Superman.
