For the longest time, fans have campaigned for Jon Hamm to play the Dark Knight in the live-action DC Universe. And honestly, if you hold up a Batman comic book next to his face, he looks exactly like Bruce Wayne. Except, in a new interview, Hamm has revealed that he actually was up for a role as the Man of Steel in Superman Returns… And, of course, Mister Sinister on the X-Men side.
To date, Hamm has yet to set foot on the set of a superhero film, which is such a pity because he has the square jaw of a comic book hero. But he’s certainly come close plenty of times, including playing Green Lantern, and he once even expressed his interest in playing Doctor Doom.
According to Hamm in a recent interview, he came close very close to playing Mister Sinister in The New Mutants. The idea was to introduce him there and then have him show up as a major threat down the line. Speaking to Josh Horowitz, he revealed, “That was supposed to happen and didn’t. I think there was some corporate craziness that went on, and they sold the studio, and Disney bought the studio.”
He also nearly had a foot in the door for Superman Returns… until he put his foot in his mouth. “My pitch for the Superman thing was like, ‘What if Superman was funny like he used to be with Christopher Reeve?’ And they were like, ‘Great idea. We’re going to do that two more Supermans later,'” Hamm joked, referencing James Gunn’s 2025 reboot, which was closer to the campy version from Reeve’s film than Returns was – even if Returns actually served as some form of continuation from Superman II.
And to be fair, in 2006, studios were trying to figure out how to make Superman more serious, seeing as how Nolan re-imagined Batman for a modern audience. So, Hamm’s idea of making the film funny was not what they had in mind at all.
Instead, what audiences got was Brandon Routh as Superman in a film that was filled with nostalgia and warmth rather than humor.
Still, it’s not too late for Hamm to play the character, right? Even at 55, he’d make a great Kingdom Come Superman in an Elseworlds story. Gunn just needs to see the potential.
RELATED: Of Course, A Brandon Routh Superman Series Is A Great Idea!
