Zachary Levi Shoots Down Superman Rumors

As some may recall, rumors recently started to spread about Chuck's Zachary Levi secretly auditioning for a role in the next Superman movie, presumably to play the Man of Steel himself. Well, one person that didn't seem to get the memo on that one was...Zachary Levi. Speaking to IGN last week at NBC's party over at the Television Critics Association press tour, the actor definitively shot-down the rumor which spread like wildfire last month. However, that is not to say that he wouldn't be open to the possibility of donning a wacky-colored spandex costume of some kind for a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. In fact, in the interview, he reveals his attempts at doing such.

On the Superman rumors, Levi states "It's complete fiction. A bummer that it's complete fiction!" However, it was in reaction to the rumors that Levi reveals some fears about his status in the "geek" community.

"So I go and read all these comments, and even comments on IMDB. To me, it's interesting. The vast majority are like 'He couldn't be Superman!' And I'm like, 'All right! I get it!'" Levi noted that even those who were fans of his and of Chuck were writing, "I love Zach, but he's no Superman." Adding: "I guess one of the things that I fear is that people pigeonhole me in the nerd role."

This may be something that legitimately frustrates him, since, as he claims, he is "such a nerd about this stuff." He discusses his unsuccessful attempts to get on board the comic book movie train, with nothing panning out for a role in The Green Lantern and having to drop out of Thor (in which he was cast as Fandral) due to commitments to Chuck when its third season was extended by six episodes. However, he's still not giving up that easily. He's calling out all his online critics and would-be casting directors:

"A lot them say, 'Well, I can see him as Clark Kent, but I can't see me as Supes.'" Levi laughed, adding, "I'm an actor! Just give me six months and a gym. Give me something! I guess one of the upsides is that people are going, 'I can believe him as Wally West. Make him The Flash! I can believe that!' Which would be amazing."

Speaking as one the folks who said he'd just make a perfect Clark Kent, I have to say that the assessment was based not on his skills an an actor, but on looks, alone. We're used to Superman having a certain type of facial structure that reflects, for better or worse, a classical "all-american" aesthetic. It's an extremely critical part of his mystique and it's simply not an attribute that matches Zachary Levi. However, I would love to see him get his wish and land the prestigious part of a comic hero. In fact, I hope for his sake, that his agent is hounding director Edgar Wright, because Levi would be an absolutely perfect fit for Henry Pym, aka Ant-Man in the upcoming Avengers follow-up.

Do you see Zachary Levi breaking free from Chuck-related nerd type-casting?

Source: IGN