Inside a sprawling expose from The Hollywood Reporter detailing Ray Fisher’s allegations of abuse against Justice League director Joss Whedon (and producers Geoff Johns and Jon Berg) is a section on how Johns reportedly passed over Bridgerton star Regé-Jean Page for a role in the SyFy series Krypton. The allegation was included as part of a larger narrative accusing Johns of racial insensitivity while the DC Comics writer continues to have an active hand in producing projects for Warner Bros. Via THR:
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 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.
Within hours of the expose hitting on Wednesday, Page sub-tweeted after the report alleged that he lost a Krypton role because of his race. “Hearing about these conversations hurts no less now than it did back then. The clarifications almost hurt more tbh,” Page wrote. “Still just doing my thing. Still we do the work. We still fly.”
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.
— Regé-Jean Page (@regejean) April 7, 2021
While the initial THR report included a denial from Johns that the Krypton casting decision was based on race, a rep for the DC Films exec emailed an additional statement to E! News explaining that the producers wanted to connect the show to the Zack Snyder films.
“Geoff never said Superman can’t have a Black ancestor or be Black—there have been diverse versions of Superman throughout the comics for decades so he does and can be diverse,” the statement read. “However, the expectation for KRYPTON was that it would initially be perceived as a possible prequel to Man of Steel by the fans, and the lead was expected to invoke a young Henry Cavill.”
(Via Regé-Jean Page on Twitter, THR, and E! News)