Jacob Elodi seems to be everywhere now. Just this year, he's starred in two high-profile films: Priscilla, in which he plays Elvis Presley, and Saltburn, which sees him portray a charismatic and affluent Oxford student. After gaining attention for teen heartthrob roles throughout most of his early 20s, he's now turning to more mature fare and working with auteur directors. In the midst of all the buzz he's getting, Elordi just revealed he was asked to audition for Superman (a character he's been fancast as), and his reason for passing is a head-scratcher.
While some would argue that the 26-year-old actor has been taking dark roles for a while now. For example, his character on Euphoria, Nate, is a terrifying and violent teenager. There are some roles he apparently won't tackle, though, at the risk of stepping over a line of sorts. And interestingly enough, when he spoke to GQ, he said that he didn't want to read for the Supes, because he believed that part would be too dark for him. Yeah, you read that correctly:
Well, they asked me to read for Superman. That was immediately, ‘No, thank you.’ That’s too much. That’s too dark for me.
This is such a strange role to name when it comes to dark characters. Clark Kent is a generally light and breezy character and, on the surface, isn't nearly as brooding as some of the other characters the actor has portrayed. It should be said that there have been plenty of attempts in recent years to put a spin on the iconic DC Comics character. Filmmaker Zack Snyder arguably tried to move away from the sunnier version of the hero through Man of Steel and other DC Extended Universe films. Still, the bulk of the Superman movies (which we've ranked) are relatively bright.
So with Big Blue out, would Jacob Elordi consider any other comic book-based roles? Well, he had this to say:
Not particularly, no. 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.
He isn’t the only major star who has that thinking. Several young actors with careers just starting to take off are opting to not take on superhero films. Jeremy Allen White recently opened up to GQ UK about his meeting with Marvel and subsequently being disinterested in starring in a comic book movie. Timothée Chalamet also talked about taking advice from Leonardo DiCaprio and deciding against working on superhero flicks. While these gigs have long been considered a major career-makers, it seems that some of today's stars are looking to jump into smaller and more intimate fare.
While Jacob Elordi didn't specify it, it's possible that he might've been referring to James Gunn's Superman: Legacy, which we know will center on a young version of the hero. Before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, it was announced that the movie found its Clark in David Corenswet, and many seem quite happy with that casting.
Whether there's an inherent darkness in that iteration of the character remains to be seen. But regardless of that, it seems the Kissing Booth alum isn't planning on wearing a cape anytime soon. However, we will still be seeing plenty of him on the big and small screen in the near future. He has a number of upcoming projects, including Oh, Canada alongside Richard Gere and the much anticipated much anticipated Season 3 of Euphoria, which is expected to hit HBO in 2025. So even though he may not have interest in flying across the skies as the Big Blue Boy Scout, the star's busy schedule still has me thinking he may just be superhuman.
You can catch Jacob Elordi in Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla, which is playing in theaters nationwide now. He'll also be starring alongside Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike in Saltburn, which will have its wide release on November 17. For more information on other buzzy films heading to cinemas this fall, make sure to consult our 2023 movie release schedule.
