'Dragonball Evolution' Nearly Cast A 'Superman' Actor As Goku

When it comes to live-action anime, casting is always the first thing fans scrutinize. There is no chance Hollywood will nail an adaptation if its cast is anything other than impeccable. Fans only need to look at Dragonball Evolution to see what happens whenever casting goes wrong. However, it doesn't look like Justin Chatwin was the only man being eyed to play Son Goku.

No, if a report by ScreenRant is correct, then a well-known Superman star found himself up for consideration. So, it is a good thing Clark Kent (and his actor) dodged that bullet.

As fans know, Dragonball Evolution made its debut back in 2009, and the movie holds the title of being one of Hollywood's most epic flops. The lackluster movie tried to cash in on the Dragon Ball craze with little preparation, and 20th Century Fox selected Chatwin to play Goku. As you can guess, the whitewashed casting did not fare well with fans, but the actor wasn't the only one vying for the gig.

According to reports, it seems Tom Welling was one of the stars in consideration for the starring gig. The actor joins a long list of talent who opted to bail on the movie as actor Ron Perlman was said to have been eyed for Piccolo. Ultimately, Dragonball Evolution solidified its cast without stars like Welling, and those overlooked actors are surely glad they didn't dive into the adaptation given its abysmal reception.

Of course, Welling would have been an interesting choice to play Goku. Clearly, the actor doesn't hail from Japan or even Asia, but he does have experience playing a hero with godly powers. After all, Welling is best-known for his work on Smallville as he played Clark Kent and brought Superman's origin story to life. Comic fans have long pitted Superman against Goku in their fantasy matches as the two over-powered heroes would surely make for a great fight. So, maybe it is a good thing Welling skipped out on Dragonball Evolution if not for the fact that him playing Goku would really have tripped up the Superman fandom's bets.

Are there any actors out there who could do Goku justice? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!