Regé-Jean Page, Now Favorite for James Bond, Was Rejected to Play Superman's Grandfather

Amid reports that he has taken the lead in bookmaker's odds to play James Bond, Regé-Jean Page addressed a report on a role he didn't get – that of Superman's grandfather on the television show "Krypton" because he's Black, writes the Hollywood Reporter.

"Multiple sources tell THR that the show's creators were passionate about doing some nontraditional casting and that Regé-Jean Page, who would go on to become a breakout star of 'Bridgerton,' had auditioned for the role of Superman's grandfather. But (Geoff) Johns, who was overseeing the project, said Superman could not have a Black grandfather. The creators also wanted to make one superhero character, Adam Strange, gay or bisexual. But sources say Johns vetoed the idea," THR reports.

Geoff Johns is the co-founder and former co-chairman of DC Films and former co-runner of DC Extended Universe until 2018. Since leaving DC, he opened Mad Ghost Productions, a production company that works on film, television and comic books based on DC Comics properties.

According to Entertainment Weekly, he "rejected the idea because Superman could not have a Black grandfather. Reps for Johns told THR that the longtime DC comics writer believed fans expected the character to look like a young Man of Steel star Henry Cavill.

Page responded with a Tweet:

Page made headlines recently when it was announced he would not be returning to "Bridgerton," the huge Netflix hit that made him an overnight sensation. While the news shocked many, "Variety points out that fans of the book series 'Bridgerton' is based on might not be too shocked by the news as Simon Basset's storyline mostly plays out in the first book, 'The Duke and I.' Page even talked about the contained role in a recent interview with the outlet."

"It's a one-season arc. It's going to have a beginning, middle, end – give us a year," he said. "[I thought] 'That's interesting,' because then it felt like a limited series. I get to come in, I get to contribute my bit and then the Bridgerton family rolls on."

Since that series made him a star, Page became a leading candidate to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond, with bookmakers making him the odds-on favorite this week over favorite Tom Hardy, reports Britain's Daily Express. The publication writes that bookmakers Coral says Page now has odds of 5-2 to be cast as the next Bond.

"Meanwhile, Hardy and Norton are now in joint-second place on 3-1, with Idris Elba, Sam Heughan, Richard Madden and Henry Cavill right back on 10-1," writes the Daily Express

A spokesman for the bookmakers said: "The news that Regé-Jean Page will not be returning for the second series of 'Bridgerton' has prompted plenty of bets from punters who believe he'll make the perfect James Bond."

Last December Page posted a tweet promoting "Bridgerton" that evoked Bond with the words: "Regency, royalty Shaken and stirred."

Next up for Page is a role in the highly anticipated Netflix film "The Gray Man," directed by Joe & Anthony Russo ("Avengers: Endgame") and starring Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling. "It marks the Russo brothers' first blockbuster since Endgame and the ambition is high with a budget upwards of $200 million," writes Digitl Spy.

Check out these pics from Page's IG: