Boxing Legend Muhammad Ali was on the short list to play Superman in 1978 film
Los Angeles, Dec 16: Boxing legend Muhammad Ali and veteran actors Al Pacino and Dustin Hoffman were on the shortlist to play Superman in the 1978 film, producer Ilya Salkind has said.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Salkind made the revelation on the commentary track in the newest edition of the film which was recently released to coincide with its 40th anniversary.
"One of the conditions with DC Comics was I had to make a list of actors to play Superman that they had to approve.
"I had a made a list that was absolutely hilarious because they had approved people like Cassius Clay then, they had approved Al Pacino, they had approved Dustin Hoffman. They had approved them, they could play Superman," Salkind said.
Christopher Reeve played the iconic DC superhero, but Ali and Superman teamed up in the comics to defeat an alien invasion of Earth.
The comics titled "Superman vs Muhammad Ali" also released in 1978.
Salkind shared the casting process was "complex" and confusing at times.
"One side, they were extraordinarily protective (of the character's image) and on the other side, they weren't so aware of reality because as much as Dustin Hoffman is a fantastic actor, I don't think he would have been a great Superman. Perhaps he could have been."
Hoffman was also considered for the role of Lex Luthor.
"We met with Dustin at Cannes... We had dinner with Dustin to play Lex Luthor, which would have been pretty exciting. But it didn't work out," Salkind said.
The role went to Gene Hackman.
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Vice president embarks on two-day visit to Sri Lanka
New Delhi (PTI): Vice President of India C P Radhakrishnan on Sunday left for Sri Lanka on a two-day official visit.
This marks the first bilateral visit by an Indian vice president to Sri Lanka, his office said.
During the visit, Radhakrishnan will call on the President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Disanayaka.
He will also meet the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka Harini Amarasuriya, along with other dignitaries on April 19, an official statement said.
Radhakrishnan will interact with leaders of the Indian-origin Tamil community and Tamil leaders from the Northern and Eastern regions of Sri Lanka.
Later in the day, the vice president will address the Indian diaspora at a community event in Colombo, where he will virtually hand over houses to beneficiaries from Tamil communities, built with assistance from the Indian government as part of the third phase of the Indian Housing Project.
With this, the total number of houses for Tamil communities will reach 50,000, and 10,000 more houses are being built in the fourth phase of the project, the statement mentioned.
On April 20, the vice president will travel to Nuwara Eliya, visit the Indian Housing Projects, and interact with the local Tamil community.
This visit, which follows recent high-level engagements between the two countries, is expected to further strengthen the millennia-old civilisational and people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka, the statement said.
