Matt Bomer may not be a huge Hollywood A-Lister, but had he landed this major role in 2003, it’s likely his entire career would have been different, and his biggest show,White Collar, would never have taken off. Matt Bomer began his acting career in 2000 when he first landed a credited TV role inAll My Childrenfor one episode. Over the next couple of years, Bomer was auditioning for bigger and better roles as he tried to get his acting career to take off, and he managed to land several more TV shows, with some recurring parts.
However, it wasn’t until 2009, nearly 10 years afterMatt Bomer had begun his TV career, that he made big waves as Neal Caffrey onWhite Collar. After this, Bomer’s life was forever changed, and he was able to command bigger roles, break into more feature-length films and gain a considerable fan base of his own. However,things could have turned out very differently if one of his earlier roles took offas expected. While auditioning back in 2003, Bomer came incredibly close to being cast as an iconic character who could have guaranteed the star’s future in Hollywood would be profitable and busy.
Matt Bomer Was Almost Cast As Superman In 2003 For J.J. Abrams' Movie
He Was So Close To Playing The Man Of Steel
According to the actor, he found some big success early on when he signed a three-movie deal with Warner Brothers (viaThe Guardian). Having made it through multiple rounds of auditions,Bomer had successfully landed the role of Superman. Not only that, but the first movie where he was set to appear was written by J.J. Abrams, who has since become a huge director, having kicked off theStar Warssequel trilogy, rebooting theStar Trekmovies, and much more.Superman: Flyby, as the scrapped projectwas called, was set on Krypton, and would have been one of the most ambitiousSupermanmovies ever made.
Matt Bomer’s Longest-Running TV Role After White Collar Could Not Have Been More Different From Neal Caffrey
Matt Bomer is excellent in White Collar, but his versatility as an actor has gone underappreciated despite his second-longest show being so different.
However, despite making it through so many rounds of interviews, being tagged as the directors' choice for the role, and signing up to play Clark Kent,Bomer was dropped from the project amidst numerous other issues with production. These difficulties meant the director was changed multiple times, and eventually, Abrams' script was scrapped in favor of a brand-new story by writer-director Bryan Singer. This led to the 2005 movie,Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh, with Bomer’s career being halted from seeing any significant progress.
Matt Bomer Would’ve Likely Played Superman For Several Years If The Movie Was Made
Superman: Flyby Was Just The Beginning For Kal El
As mentioned above,Superman: Flybywas set to be the first entry in a trilogy. The movies would have seen Superman starting out on Krypton, and spending some time there before the story ever moved to Earth. With three movies set to be made, and the birth of the MCU in 2008, it’s entirely possible thatBomer’s time as Superman could have been stretched to well over a decade, and he may have joined the DCEU. Of course, sinceWhite Collarbegan airing in 2009, it’s very likely that the show would not have featuredBomer as the leading man, Neal Caffrey.
Bomer was dropped from the project amidst numerous other issues with production.
Considering how many people went into creating the show, it’s very likely it would still have been made, and it’s possible that Tim DeKay, who plays Peter Burke opposite Caffrey, could still have been cast. However, the show would have needed another actor to take on the role of Caffrey, and itwould have been a challenge to find someone with as much charisma and charm as Bomerto play the part. Unfortunately for Bomer’s career early on, and fortunately for all theWhite Collarfans, Bomer’s loss on the role cleared the way for him to star as the legendary thief and con man.
Matt Bomer Could Have Been Typecast As A Hero After Playing Superman
Superhero Actors Tend To Get A Lot Of Offers For Similar Roles
While plenty of actors manage to secure a role as a superhero and then expand their careers into other roles, there is always the possibility that the actors get stuck with a typecast. The whole job of an actor is to be versatile, and tackle roles as different characters. However, when an actor nails one specific type of role, it often happens thatthey end up being cast as a similar character over and overagain. And for those actors playing superheros, it’s no different. The stars of comic book movies tend to be seen as larger, more impressive, and imposing than ordinary people.
8 Best Shows Like White Collar To Watch While Waiting For The Reboot
There are several other shows like White Collar that feature exciting and charismatic characters to watch while waiting for the reboot.
If Bomer had played Superman, it could have pigeonholed him into playing these kinds of characters. This may not necessarily be a bad thing, but for most actors, being able to play a hero one day, and a villain the next, is what makes the career interesting. And Caffrey is a con man with extremely loose morals, meaning it could have been hard to tie that in with the Bomer who became famous for playing Superman. As a result, it’s possible even if he auditioned for the role in thepopular seriesWhite Collar, he could have missed out due to his earlier success.
White Collar
Cast
White Collar is a crime drama television series featuring Neal Caffrey, a skilled con artist and art thief, portrayed by Matt Bomer. After being captured by FBI agent Peter Burke, Neal agrees to help the FBI catch elusive white-collar criminals as a consultant, leveraging his unique skills. The series explores the evolving partnership and mutual trust between Neal and Peter, blending elements of crime-solving and personal redemption.
