Euphoria star Jacob Elordi said he turned down an audition for James Gunn's Superman: Legacy because it was “too dark” for him.
In a recent cover story with GQ Magazine UK, the 26-year-old Australian actor said he doesn't have much interest in starring in superhero movies, despite having grown up admiring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger, who starred in Christopher Nolan's 2008 masterpiece The Dark Knight. He said that when he got a call to audition for the role of Superman, he rejected it right away.
“Well, they asked me to read for Superman,” Elordi said. “That was immediately, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s too much. That’s too dark for me.”
Ironically, Elordi has picked up some dark roles in the past, often playing abusive or troubled young men. To wit, he’s played Nate Jacobs in Euphoria, Felix Catton in Saltburn, and Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s recent interpretation, Priscilla.
Elordi further explained his reason for not wanting to wear superhero capes onscreen, let alone Superman’s: “I’ve always been told to say a rounded answer or my agent will get mad at me. ‘Anything can happen!’ And obviously anything can happen, but at this stage in my life, I don’t see myself having any interest in that. I like to make what I would watch, and I get very restless watching those movies.”
Gunn revealed Superman: Legacy while announcing his and Peter Safran's upcoming DCU revamp earlier this year. Over the summer, David Corenswet was cast as the Man of Steel, alongside Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.
Superman: Legacy premieres July 11, 2025.
Cristina Alexander is a freelance writer for IGN. To paraphrase Calvin Harris, she wears her love for Sonic the Hedgehog on her sleeve like a big deal. Follow her on Twitter @SonicPrincess15.
