In the early 2000s, the Man of Steel hadn’t shown up on the silver screen since 1987’s “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” — a decidedly anticlimactic end to the saga started by Richard Donner. The director had struggled through a tough production to deliver a seminal superhero effort with 1978’s “Superman: The Movie,” which he described as the result of trying to “make a good movie about this beloved character and treat him with our greatest respect.” Bryan Singer sweet-talked Donner’s wife and “X2” producer Lauren Donner, pitching a movie that would pay similar respect to her husband’s original vision of Supes. That unsurprisingly won over Donner, who gave Singer his blessing to ignore “Superman III” and “Superman IV” and make what was essentially a sequel to “Superman II,” from which Donner had been unceremoniously booted in the early ’80s.
Singer cast Brandon Routh, who bore an uncanny resemblance to original Superman actor Christopher Reeve, in the starring role opposite Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane. James Marsden took the role of her fiancé and nephew of Daily Planet Editor-In-Chief Perry White. As per The Hollywood Reporter, for White himself, Singer wasted no time in asking Hugh Laurie to step in, who jumped at the opportunity. Filming was set to start in 2005, but production had to be shifted around to accommodate the busy schedule of Kevin Spacey, who played Lex Luthor.
Meanwhile, the first season of “House” became a hit and the show was quickly renewed — meaning, Laurie was suddenly very busy. As IGN reported at the time, the “Returns” producers “tried to shift the shooting schedule” for the actor but to no avail. Ultimately, Laurie would have to relinquish the role of White, leaving stage and screen legend Frank Langella to step in.
