Rege-Jean Page speaks out following reports he was rejected from Superman role because of race

DC Films executive allegedly refused to cast a black actor as the lead character

Rege-Jean Page appears to have addressed claims that he missed out on a role in the Superman spin-off series Krypton because he is black. 

Reports emerged yesterday (7 April) that former DC Films chairman Geoff Johns allegedly refused to cast a black actor to play the lead role of Superman’s grandfather, a part that Page had auditioned for.

The Bridgerton star has since appeared to address the claim in a Twitter post shared on Wednesday (7 April). 

He wrote: “Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then. The clarifications almost hurt more tbh. Still just doing my thing. Still we do the work. We still fly.”

While Page did not specify that he was speaking about Krypton, the timing of the post suggests he is referring to the series. Likewise, the word “fly” appears to be a reference to the Superman spin-off.

The character that Page allegedly auditioned for was the lead part in Krypton, a 2019 TV adaptation of the comic book series of the same name that focuses on Superman’s grandfather Seg-El. He was portrayed on the show by Cameron Cuffe.

Multiple sources told The Hollywood Reporter that the show’s creators had been “passionate about doing some nontraditional casting” for the part of Seg-El, but were allegedly shut down by Johns. 

Responding to the claims, a representative for Johns told the publication that Henry Cavill’s long-standing reputation as Superman influenced the casting decision for the superhero’s grandfather as fans “expected the character to look like a young Henry Cavill”.

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THR also reports that Johns allegedly turned down the creators’ requests to make one superhero character – Adam Strange – gay or bisexual.

Johns’ representative told THR: “Geoff celebrates and supports LGBTQ characters, including Batwoman, who in 2006 was re-introduced as LGBTQ in a comic book series co-written by Johns.”

Krypton was cancelled in August 2019 after a two-season run on the American cable channel Syfy. 

The allegations were part of a broader report on issues that actor Ray Fisher says he experienced and witnessed on the set of the 2017 superhero film Justice League.