14 DAY TRIAL // Before Zack Snyder and Chris Nolan got started on the upcoming “Superman: Man of Steel,” there was a lot of talk online about who should play the superhero. Two names were most frequently brought up, that of Joe Manganiello and that of Henry Cavill, who eventually got the part.
In a new interview with Ain't It Cool News, in which he's supposed to be promoting his latest film, “Magic Mike,” Manganiello opens up a bit about how it was like to be up for the Superman part and how badly it hurt when Cavill eventually landed it.
As Joe puts it, in more or less words, the only reason Cavill got the part was because he (Joe) could not accept the offer, as his schedule on “True Blood” would not allow him to take on another big commitment.
He says “True Blood” was why director Snyder and producer Nolan even considered him and, in an ironic twist of fate, “True Blood” was why he didn't get the part he so badly wanted.
“There was interest from every single possible angle on that project, and the reason they were interested was because of True Blood. From the director, to casting, to the producers involved, it was all because of True Blood, that was why I was in the running,” Joe recalls.
“And at the end of the day, it was True Blood’s schedule that kept me from doing it. There’s just no human way possible I could be in two places at once when I’m contracted to be on True Blood,” he adds.
Joe goes on to say that he was so sure he'd get the part, that he'd even talked to Snyder about a possible new angle he could bring to the story. Manganiello, it seems, had given this a lot of thought and really wanted to be a part of the reboot of the Superman franchise.
As such, it's no wonder he was so upset when he didn't get the part – and he still is to this day.
The only ray of light is his conviction that there is a superhero for him too, he just hasn't found it yet. Joe isn't ashamed to say he's dreaming big on that particular topic: should Chris Nolan's Batman be rebooted, he wants the role of Batman.
“From your mouth to God’s ears, man. I mean of course, I grew up, as a kid, I read comic books, and I watched every single comic book movie that ever… You know, I was a big sci-fi fan, I was just that kid. I’m a fanboy at heart. So, yeah, that is on my radar,” he says.
“We’ll figure that out when it comes out… But Batman? Come on, man. Yeah. Okay. We’ll cross that bridge if and when it comes up,” Manganiello adds.
Until Joe gets his superhero role, fans can catch him in “Magic Mike,” in which he plays an exotic male dancer. The rest of his interview is here, check it out.