Before his untimely death in a car accident on November 30, 2013 at the age of 40, actor Paul Walker was a "prime candidate" for the role of Superman, but he would likely have turned it down.

In the documentary I Am Paul Walker, Walker's manager, Matt Lubar, says that Walker "was screen-testing Superman" at some point before his death.

"It was a $10 million contract, and I think he was a prime candidate," Lubar said.

In the documentary, Walker's stunt double and childhood friend Oakley Lehman said, "I knew he was going to do it. And I knew he didn't want to do three or four Superman movies and be Superman for the rest of his life."

On the phone with Lubar, Walker expressed that the role did not feel right to him: "Lubar recalled Walker telling him. I'm out of here. I'm out of here. I'm out. And he left.

Had he taken the role, he would have joined other Supermen like Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh. in February 2023, Brendan Fraser was on The Howard Stern Show, where both he and Walker appeared in 2006's Superman Returns" and that "everyone in town was reading about the role" around 2002 or 2003. Of course, it's a great, life-changing opportunity, but let's say you get the "Okay, Man of Steel" job. It's going to be etched on your tombstone." You will forever be known as 'Man of Steel.'"

Walker himself commented on his departure from the role of Superman in a 2003 Chicago Sun-Times article, saying, "I could have made hundreds of millions of dollars on that franchise."

"My favorite brand of running shoes costs $23. A T-shirt costs $20, or $10 if you buy it at the beach. I don't need a gazillion dollars to manage that kind of lifestyle."