The Smallville Spinoff That Fell Apart — And Saved Alan Ritchson's Career

If you know Alan Ritchson mainly as the absolute tank leading Reacher or as the goofy legend from Blue Mountain State, you might not realize just how long it took him to get to this spot in Hollywood. Here’s the wild part: he almost got launched to the top of superhero TV way back in his early 20s — but a collapsed Aquaman spin-off put him right back at the starting line. Most actors would call that a career-killer. Ritchson actually thinks it was the best thing that ever happened to him. Let’s break down why — and how those early failures might have made his eventual stardom possible (even if it was a little delayed).

The Near-Miss That Changed Everything

So, rewind to 2005 and Smallville season 5. Ritchson lands his first-ever role as Arthur Curry, aka Aquaman. This is his TV debut, and apparently, the studio absolutely loved him. His first scene? Dragging Lois Lane out of the water in full heroic mode. Pretty iconic stuff. According to Ritchson, there were actual plans in the works for an Aquaman spin-off with him as the star — handshakes, compliments, 'We’ll call you Number One on the call sheet,' the whole works.

But then comes the plot twist: in the middle of all these early negotiations, UPN and The WB merge, poof, they form The CW, and the new network boss looks at the casting board and goes, basically, 'Who is this guy? He’s got no experience — why would we make him our next superhero?' Just like that, the show was dead before it ever swam out of the writers’ room.

'The president of UPN took over, looked at the slate and said, "Who is this dude with no resume at all? He’s not getting his own show." So, in the middle of our negotiations, it fell apart. It was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.'

Hard Lessons Rather Than Overnight Fame

Most up-and-coming actors might have been crushed by having the biggest role of their life yanked away just as it’s within reach. Ritchson? He says it taught him to expect very little from Hollywood promises and to just focus on the moment. More importantly, missing out on instant stardom actually allowed him to round out his skills. Instead, he spent the next 20 years climbing the business the slow (and let’s be honest, humbling) way — getting into writing, directing, producing, and basically becoming the opposite of the kind of nightmare leading man he'd seen on other sets. Case in point: he says he learned what not to do by watching another actor quit a show in the middle of a take, blowing up the production for everyone else. Ritchson may have his faults, but diva antics isn’t one of them.

'It gave me a 20-year career of building a foundation of gratitude, and the opportunity to build a foundation of experience that included many areas of the business including writing, directing and producing. It also allowed me to become a well-rounded person who was ready for the role of leading a show where you can be a servant of the crew. I’m grateful. What got me ready for Reacher was all the losses that I took early on.'

What If Aquaman Had Happened?

• If the Aquaman spin-off had made it to series, there’s a strong chance Ritchson never would have ended up as the guy we know from Reacher (or even Blue Mountain State).
• Most actors who headline superhero TV shows, especially on the CW, don’t actually stay at the top once their cape days are over (if you’ve checked in on the folks playing Superman, Flash, or Supergirl lately, you know what I mean).
• Getting typecast as Aquaman might have meant Ritchson never even got in the room for Jack Reacher. And let’s face it, it’s hard to imagine anyone else yelling 'Thad!' as outrageously as he did in BMS.
• DC probably wouldn’t have changed much either. Their TV and movie universes are famously separate anyway — Jason Momoa almost certainly would have still gone on to be the cinematic fish bro we all know now.
• And timing-wise, that Aquaman show would have landed before DC’s Arrowverse era, so it wouldn’t have tripped up anything there, either.

Still in the Superhero Mix (Just Not as Batman)

The wild part is people are still trying to cast Alan Ritchson as a superhero — just maybe not the one you think. Fans constantly pitch him as Batman (he’s got the jawline and the size for it, I’ll give them that), and he’s even had some conversations with DC Studios boss James Gunn about the possibility. But here’s the twist: Ritchson himself says he doesn’t see it happening, no matter how many times someone Photoshopps a cowl on his face.

'Well, it’s not rumor that James Gunn is a fan. He said it himself. And am I a fan of James Gunn? Absolutely. I don’t want to mislead people. Words have been exchanged about Batman. But I strongly don’t think that Batman is in my future. I do think there is something in my future with DC. And I would like that to remain true.'

Turns out, he’s looking for a messier, less-squeaky-clean protagonist. He’s fine with staying in the DC family — and fans have nominated him for everything from Captain Atom (not a stretch, given his military-dude resume) to Deathstroke. And honestly, if Gunn wants the next Batman to crack Adam West-style jokes, I can see why Ritchson might pass. He’s got grit, maybe not camp. And with DCU’s schedule for Batman movies looking like a multi-year waiting game, he might want to hop on a superhero gig (any superhero gig) sooner rather than later.

But hey, what if Gunn just throws him back in the ocean and makes him Aquaman again — only angrier and a lot meaner? Stranger things have happened.