The career of Paul Walker could have taken another turn: the actor has indeed failed to embody other iconic roles. Back in the past…
Superman, Johnny Storm, Anakin Skywalker…: so many cult characters that the late Paul Walker, who died on November 30, 2013 in a car accident, could have played. If the actor is now inseparable from the Fast & Furious franchise, he could well have played other heroes before landing his emblematic role of Brian O’Conner.
It was during an interview for Howard Stern that Brendan Fraser, currently nominated for the Oscars, revealed that he was himself a candidate for the role of Superman in the early 2000s…alongside Paul Walker!
At the time, JJ Abrams wrote a screenplay for an early version of Superman Returns – a movie Abrams titled “Superman: Flyby.” His version never saw the light of day, but the auditions had already started and all the biggest names in Hollywood were then approached.
Everyone in town was reading for Superman. Again, we were testing, I think, six or seven guys in 2002/2003. Paul Walker, I remember Paul Walker was before me. They were like the usual suspects.
In 2006, it is finally Brandon Routh that we discover in Superman Returns by Bryan Singer. But Iron Man isn’t the only superhero Walker could have played. Indeed, the actor was also approached to play Johnny Storm, alias “The Human Torch”, in The Fantastic 4 in 2005, a role which was ultimately played by Chris Evans.
Again, the film was initially entrusted to director Peyton Reed and screenwriter Douglas Petrie, but it is ultimately Tim Story who will take over the project. Although the initial casting was never official, Reed and Petrie envisioned Charlize Theron as the Invisible Woman, John C. Reilly as The Thing, Alexis Denisof as Mr. Fantastic, Jude Law as Doctor Doom and therefore Paul Walker as The Human Torch. Once the film is taken over by Tim Story, the cast will change completely, in favor of Chris Evans in particular.
20th Century Fox
In 2003, we should also have found Paul Walker in Clark Johnson’s elite SWAT unit. He is then about to play the role of Jim Street – which will eventually go to Colin Farrell – but must withdraw from the project to be able to shoot 2 Fast 2 Furious.
PAUL WALKER IN STAR WARS?
And among the roles that have escaped Paul Walker, we cannot miss that of Anakin Skywalker. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the prequel trilogy was about to kick off and a young Paul Walker was in the running for the prestigious role. He was an adult Anakin Skywalker the production was looking for for Episodes II and III, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, and Paul Walker was up for the role. He had then already worked for years in Hollywood, he who started playing professionally in the 80s but was still waiting for his last chance.
While auditioning for the role, he faced fierce competition: names like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ryan Phillippe were also in the running to play Anakin. And, you know, it is finally an unknown actor, Hayden Christensen, who will be chosen, a real disappointment for Paul Walker who had once confided on the subject in front of TeenMovieline.
I was really disappointed not to have had the role of Anakin. But there were rumors going around, so I don’t know how close I was to getting it. Josh Jackson was apparently in talks to play Anakin too. You can’t say anything, but part of me was thinking… ‘You better not have it for me!’ At the same time, you’d be happy if he got it rather than Hayden Christensen, a no-name from Canada.
Losing to Hayden Christensen therefore seemed like a painful talking point for Paul Walker at that time. But even before Episode II hit theaters in 2002, the actor would find fame in 2001 when he landed the role of Brian O’Conner in the Fast & Furious franchise. The rest is now history.