The Oscar winner who was offered every major male role in the 1978 Superman film

The New Hollywood Era – which began with the release of The New Hollywood True story “Bonnie and Clyde” In 1967 before he took his last breath in 1981 with Michael Cimino’s infamous “Heaven’s Gate” bomb (A film whose star Christopher Walken felt received more hate than it deserved) – was one of the most exciting artistic movements of the twentieth century. It came after a quiet creative period for the major studios, which were mostly run by old moguls who had lost their pulse on movie audiences. They didn’t get the Baby Boomer generation, so when a younger group of executives and producers showed a knack for packing the nation’s theaters with films like “Rosemary’s Baby,” “The Exorcist” and “The Godfather,” there was a sudden changing of the guard (and mindset).

This mentality has nothing to do with the types of films being produced. It was as the great screenwriter William Goldman once quipped: When it came to what worked, no one knew anything. But what they did know was that movies like “M*A*S*H,” “American Graffiti” and “Jaws” had people lining up around their local theater buildings. Movies became a first-run phenomenon, and with the proliferation of multiplexes, studios were keen to get them into the country’s theaters much more quickly than usual to capitalize on the hype.

“Jaws” and “Star Wars” were New Hollywood works in that they were shot unconventionally by young directors who made their studios incredibly nervous about whether they could deliver the success they promised, but they were also, at heart, thrill rides designed to charm . All ages. When studios realized how much money would be made from these blockbusters (Jaws was the highest-grossing film of all time until Star Wars topped it two years later), they were willing to spare no expense to replicate these successes.

Producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind knew this when they were putting together “Superman: The Movie,” so, to ensure their film was the can’t-miss event of 1978, they spent money recklessly. This was especially true when it came to assembling the cast. No name was too big, and the price wasn’t too high… although a Hollywood legend and Oscar winner still managed to turn down three of the four lead roles in the film.

The Salkinds were already notorious Hollywood players when they got there The making of “Superman” (whose budget was a constant point of contention). Their controversial division between the “Three Musketeers” and the “Four Musketeers”, in which they tried to get away with paying their actors at once for two films shot back-to-back, precipitated Salkind’s condition. As such, the industry was prepared for its unconventional practices and was eager to capitalize on them.

In trying to cast the film’s three main male roles (Superman/Clark Kent, Lex Luthor, and Jor-El), the Salkinds were aiming as high as possible. Their wish list for the titular role included almost every big name in Hollywood, such as Steve McQueen, Robert Redford, and Sylvester Stallone. Some of these names were considered for the other two roles, but only one film legend was offered for all three parts: Paul Newman

Newman would have been 53 years old the year “Superman” was released. Surprisingly, this young scoundrel from Ohio with piercing blue eyes could still handle the role of the Man of Steel (although dyed dark hair would have looked weird), but the man who once played the Hood wasn’t interested in dressing up. The role of the Man of Steel. spandex suit. He was equally uninterested in playing Lex Luthor or Jor-El.

Do you regret it? And beyond what’s available in the public record, he never said. But in Interview with Superman Home PageIlya Salkind once claimed that Newman “almost had a heart attack” when he learned that Marlon Brando earned $19 million from “Superman: The Movie” after making a deal for a $3.7 million advance plus 11.75% of the gross to play Jor-El. If nothing else, it would have been hell for Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp (which still benefits from sales of salad dressings and frozen pizza).