Summary

Santiago Cabrera reflects on his canceled DC casting in Justice League: Mortal, and expresses a willingness to appear in future Marvel or DC roles down the line.
Justice League: Mortal had a considerable cast lineup before it was canceled, with more than one actor going on to appear in the DCEU.
Cabrera, a solid choice for Marvel or DC roles, could potentially still play Aquaman in the future, or channel his sci-fi talents into that side of the DCU.

Santiago Cabrera has talked about his perspective on taking on a potential DC recasting nearly two decades after his Justice League: Mortal casting fell through following the movie’s cancelation. Coming before the DCEU timeline, Justice League: Mortal was a prospective DC movie that excitingly promised to adapt the major comic storylines JLA: Tower Of Babel and Superman: Sacrifice – but the film never came to fruition after being placed on indefinite hold at the start of 2008.

Santiago Cabrera was cast to play Aquaman in the canceled DC movie, but as a result, this casting never went forward either, and the actor hasn’t appeared in any DC or Marvel roles since. However, Cabrera offered a positive response when asked in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about whether he’d take on a role in either franchise if the chance ever came up, stating:

”
Technically, I was Aquaman in 2007 when the writer’s strike hit. Just before, we went to Australia, I was with George Miller — I’m just such a fan, I think he’s phenomenal. And I had a little communication with him. My friend Tom Burke, who was fantastic in Furiosa, which I just loved, he was like, “Hey, George says ‘hi.’” It was a feeling like, would you like to be a superhero? The strike hit, so they put [Justice League: Mortal, which remained shelved] on hold. But just being in his world, I went to Wētā, Peter Jackson’s FX company, where I tried the costume on. So it felt very real for a second there. But at the same time, it was like: Don’t do these things. In this business, until it’s all out there, until you’re at the premiere and you’re talking about it like I am now, it’s never real. Clearly, I was excited for that one. So if anything came again, I feel, why not? I’d love to go into the villain territory though, I think I’d enjoy it.
”

Who Else Was Cast In Justice League: Mortal?
Justice League: Mortal Had A Considerable Cast Before It Was Canceled

Justice League: Mortal’s cast comprised a varied series of actors chosen for the movie adaptation – with Cabrera’s own history in the superhero drama show Heroes displaying his talents beforehand, and his rise to prominence since further cementing them. Justice League: Mortal’s Batman was set to be played by Armie Hammer, who was later accused of sexual assault before checking into a rehab treatment facility in 2021. Hammer was cut from several roles during this time, and hasn’t been cast in a movie or show role since.

Mortal also included D.J. Cotrona as Superman – who would go on to play the superhero form of Billy Batson’s adoptive sibling Pedro Peña in the DCEU – and Adam Brody, who would also play the hero form of Batson’s other sibling Freddy Freeman. Megan Gale was set to play Justice League: Mortal’s Wonder Woman – a casting that has also since been proven viable by her not too dissimilar role as Valkyrie in Mad Max: Fury Road.

Who Santiago Cabrera Could Play In Marvel Or DC
As it stands, Santiago Cabrera would be a solid choice for a wide range of Marvel or DC roles. Notably, the actor has been fancast on the internet as Iron Man, which may not be as impossible as it sounds if the rumors about the MCU rebooting after Avengers 6 end up turning out to be correct.

While the DCU may wish to lean away from its past canceled projects, Cabrera would still hold potential for the role of Aquaman, with the years that have passed since he was last cast as Arthur Curry allowing him to potentially play a more experienced and battle-hardened King of Atlantis. With the DCEU leaning more into a young and brash Aquaman, this would be an effective change for the upcoming DCU releases, though Cabrera could also use his experience appearing in Star Trek: Picard for a galactic DC role, which could align more with his mentioned villain role hopes.

DC Universe The DC Universe is one of the biggest comic book franchises and often competes with Marvel. DC Comics started as National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935. Since then, the franchise has exploded with thousands of comic books, movies, TV shows, and video games. 2013 marked the beginning of the most recent iteration of the superheroes, with Zack Snyder introducing Henry Cavill as Superman. After several movies with mixed reviews, DC underwent a soft reboot under the helm of James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter