In an interview on Stephen Colbert’s Late Show on Thursday, Law revealed he was approached to play Superman in Bryan Singer’s 2006 film Superman Returns.
For Jude Law, the reason was more prosaic: he couldn’t cope with the costume.
Henry Cavill took over the role for 2013’s Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which was released earlier this year.
The role eventually went to Brandon Routh, who did not reprise it after a mixed critical reception to the film, which made $391m worldwide.