Meet The New Superman: Henry Cavill

By Mawuse Ziegbe | www.mtv.com

He'll be flying into movie theaters in 2012, but who exactly is the newest Superman, Henry Cavill? The latest screen star to don the famed crimson cape has gained fame as a castmember of Showtime's period romp "The Tudors," and will hit the big screen in the upcoming Greek mythology epic "War of the Gods." But before he was tapped to play the iconic superhero, he was super close to portraying everyone from Twilight's Edward Cullen to James Bond to, ironically, Superman in another filmmaker's vision of the superhero.

He was up for Superman before
British screen star Cavill has been making a name for himself stateside as Sir Charles Brandon on the saucy historical drama "The Tudors," but he's come close to portraying Superman before.

MTV News caught up with Cavill back in 2009, and the then 25-year-old star told us he was set to zip through the sky as the Man of Steel in director McG's ("Terminator Salvation") take on the American icon. However, a shuffling of filmmakers resulted in Cavill getting dropped from the project, which eventually became the 2006 flick "Superman Returns."

"I was attached to the McG 'Superman' movie," Cavill told MTV News "Then Bryan Singer came on and took the helm and he made his movie.

"[The McG and Singer versions] were two different movies," Cavill explained. "So it wasn't so much of a sting because it was like, 'Oh, I got [the role],' and then the movie just didn't happen."

He also reportedly missed out on "Batman" ... and "The Green Lantern"
Cavill was rumored to be on the shortlist of leading men up to vanquish Gotham-area baddies in Christopher Nolan's "Batman" franchise, a role which eventually went to fellow Brit Christian Bale. Ryan Reynolds also reportedly beat out Cavill for the "Green Lantern" series.

He lost Edward Cullen to Robert Pattinson
Thanks to RPattz, Cavill missed out on one of the biggest movie franchises in recent years, "Twilight," even though he had some strong support in his corner. "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer once said that Cavill was her dream choice, but Mother Nature thwarted the casting.

"The only actor I've ever seen who I think could come close to pulling off Edward Cullen is Henry Cavill. Henry was Albert, the young son in 'The Count of Monte Cristo.' Can you see it? I know I can!" Meyer blogged in 2007. However, after some delays in development, Meyer conceded that Cavill had aged out of "Twilight" territory. "The most disappointing thing for me is losing my perfect Edward."

"By the time the movie came around, I didn't look right for the character," Cavill explained to MTV News in 2009, adding, "No one even called me or my agent."

... And he was almost James Bond
The actor also auditioned for the role of 007 in "Casino Royale," but instead Daniel Craig knocked back shaken martinis and coolly took out henchmen as the world's first blond Bond.

He may not have played Bond, but he does drive the character's famed car
In a 2009 interview with JustJared.com, Cavill opened up about his biggest splurge, which he said was an Aston Martin — the same sleek, high-end ride that's been associated with Bond.

"It was one of those things that just ended up happening, like, 'Right, okay, just treat yourself," he said. The star also dished that he enjoys video games like World of Warcraft and shows like "Dexter."


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