Many actors have played Superman over the years. The iconic character has flown through radio, television, and feature films. For all the great actors who have had a chance to play the character, just as many have come close. Some were even cast in the part only to have the chance slip through their fingers thanks to the capricious nature of Hollywood.
The same is true for Superman's greatest enemy Lex Luthor. The character has faced off against the Man of Steel in most of his screen appearances, and many actors came close to playing the evil genius.
Superman (Henry Cavill)
Henry Cavill is Superman now - and maybe for a while longer - but he had actually missed out on the role before. Cavill had long sought the role of the Man of Steel and had auditioned for Superman Returns in 2005. He didn't get the part but was an obvious candidate when Zack Snyder was putting together what would become Man of Steel. Cavill has had a bumpy road as the character but it seems as though things might turning around for him and the franchise.
Lex Luthor (Ralph Fiennes)
Early in the 2000s, JJ Abrams wrote a Superman script that never got off the ground. Superman: Flyby would have been directed by McG and he sought Ralph Fiennes for the role of Lex Luthor. Fiennes would have been fantastic in the role. He went on to play one of the biggest villains of all time as Voldemort in the Harry Potter series. He wouldn't have needed any makeup to bring a lot of menace to Luthor. Flyby was just one of many Superman movies that never took flight.
Superman (Christian Bale)
Christian Bale is one of the best actors to ever play Batman. He very nearly became one of the best to play Superman. Producers sought the actor to play Clark Kent in Flyby (just one of the many actors who were under consideration for the role). Though pre-production had commenced in Australia, the movie never got off the ground though and fans missed out on a great Superman. McG ultimately cast Bale as an adult John Connor in his next movie, Terminator: Salvation.
Lex Luthor (Adam Driver)
Director Zack Snyder was definitely looking to go in a different direction with Lex Luthor in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Jesse Eisenberg created a unique if controversial take on the character. It's likely that Adam Driver would have done much the same.
Snyder considered Driver for the part of the young tech mogul. Adam Driver clearly has what it takes to play a complicated villain and would have brought his unique energy to the role.
Superman (Will Smith)
Superman Returns held a lot of promise when it debuted in 2006. The movie ultimately stayed too close to the Donner films to let it breathe. One place it could have really charted a new course was casting Will Smith. Smith was offered the role early in pre-production but turned it down (just one of the major roles he's passed on). Smith was reluctant to portray a traditionally white superhero after the reaction to his portrayal of Jim West in the remake of Wild Wild West in the '90s.
Lex Luthor (Joaquin Phoenix)
Joaquin Phoenix makes for a great villain, as seen from his award-winning performance in Joker. Though that movie is still the subject of some debate, there's little doubt that Phoenix would have made a good Lex Luthor as well. He was on the shortlist of actors considered for the part in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Phoenix famously has flirted with a lot of comic book roles - Hulk and Doctor Strange among them - but he turned this one down as well.
Superman (Matt Bomer)
Despite his previous experience auditioning for the role, Henry Cavill wasn't the first or obvious choice for the Man Of Steel. The top choice for producers was said to be Matt Bomer, who also had experience in the role. Bomer had previously voiced the character in the animated movie Superman: Unbound. Bomer looked the part and has proven himself to be a good actor in the roles he's taken on since. Bomer didn't work out for the part and Cavill emerged victorious in the end.
Lex Luthor (Dustin Hoffman)
Gene Hackman made a great Lex Luthor in the original 1978 Superman film. He wasn't the first or obvious choice for the role, however. Christopher Reeve was an unknown at the time but producers wanted a name for the villain. One actor they had in mind was Dustin Hoffman.
The acclaimed actor was in the midst of an incredible run that included All The President's Men. Producers talked the part over with Hoffman but he ultimately passed on playing the villain.
Superman (Nicholas Cage)
Few actors come as close to playing an icon as Nicholas Cage did. Cage was infamously cast as Superman in the proposed Tim Burton film Superman Lives. This movie has a long and complicated backstory that includes rewrites from Kevin Smith and Cage doing several screen tests in different Superman costume concepts (including an all-black one). The movie fell apart before any of it was shot and fans never got to see what would have been one of the wildest takes on the character ever produced.
Lex Luthor (Robert Downey Jr.)
Robert Downey Jr. is now synonymous with the role of Iron Man and of course the MCU. He almost became a big part of the DC Universe back in 2002. Director McG sought the actor to play Lex Luthor in Superman: Flyby. It's easy to see the appeal. The snappy delivery and corporate genius of Tony Stark isn't that far off at all from Lex Luthor and Downey would have killed in the role (probably literally). Robert Downey Jr. is all done with the MCU so maybe there's a chance in the future.