That Time Christopher Reeve Nearly Guest Starred In Lois And Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman Before His Accident
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman is still widely loved by fans today and is one of the best DC superhero shows you can stream using a Max subscription. It premiered in 1993 and starred Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher as Clark Kent and Lois, respectively. The show welcomed a number of notable guest stars during its run, including Star Trek's Jonathan Frakes and Batman's Adam West. If you can believe it though, Christopher Reeve -- the first major actor to portray the Man of Steel in Superman movies -- was very close to guest-starring on the superhero series before his accident.
Lois and Clark featured the character of Tempus, a recurring supervillain from the future whose goal was to rule the world and destroying everyone's favorite Kryptonian. This time-traveling sociopath was also known for revealing Kent's secret identity to Lane. The role was ultimately played by Lane Davies. But, as it turns out, the late Christopher Reeve was also approached about the role. Davies himself shared the information while appearing on the Comic Book Central podcast. So why didn't it happen? Well, Davies had this to say:
They offered the part to Christopher Reeve first pre-accident. Cause they thought, ‘That’s great stunt casting. [...] He turned it down.
Now, this is a very interesting piece of Christopher Reeve trivia! According to Lane Davies, the Remains of the Day actor was the first choice to play this role. After he turned it down, the producers began looking at L.A. Law’s Larry Drake. Apparently, he turned down the role too when his compensation expectations weren’t met. Davies joked that executive producer Eugenie Ross Leming must have known that he was “a lot cheaper” than the other two choices for Tempus. Said role could've been great for Reeve, who would later face a truly unfortunate turn of events.
More on Christopher Reeve
The late actor got into horse riding in 1985 once he learned to ride for the movie Anna Karenina and started eventing four years later. On May 27, 1995, the actor’s horse made a refusal during a competition going to a sudden stop before a third fence jump. Reeve fell forward off the horse landing headfirst on the fence where he shattered his first and second vertebrae. This resulted in the Bostonians actor becoming paralyzed from the neck down and having to use a ventilator to breathe until his death in 2004.
Christopher Reeve may not have gone back to the Superman world through the Lois and Clark series, but he did get to appear on another show revolving around that lore. He appeared on The WB/CW's Smallville -- one of the best DC shows of the modern era. Reeve played Dr. Virgil Swann in two episodes, with his character giving young Clark Kent information about his Kryptonian origins.
His appearances were sweet and, what was also lovely was that a short spot at the end of the episode “Rosetta” brought awareness to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation. Since Reeve’s death, his children have serve as board members of the foundation, spreading awareness of medical advancements that have aided paralyzed individuals. The actor has been gone for nearly two decades now, but his legacy absolutely lives on.
It's hard not to think about the idea of the beloved star playing Tempus on Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. But, still, I think most would agree that his legacy as the DC hero was already impressive enough without that particular credit. He's greatly missed today, but it's wonderful that so many continue to remember him in sweet and interesting ways.
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