McG keen to see Henry Cavill's Superman, had cast Robert Downey Jr as Lex Luthor in his own version

McG, whose action comedy This Means War hits cinemas on March 2, told Digital Spy: "I did indeed cast Henry Cavill [as Superman]. He's a fantastic actor, he's very, very strong and he's wonderful.

"I think Zack Snyder's going to do a great job with Henry Cavill. I can't wait to see that picture."

He added: "I'm heartbroken that I never made my Superman, but it was my own f**k-up because I was afraid of flying and couldn't get down to Australia. I got properly thrown off that picture, sacked for being a mental case! You live and learn, you keep on truckin'."

Superman: Flyby went through many phases before it was cancelled. At first, Brett Ratner was set to direct and among those he reportedly considered for Superman, in what was obviously a difficult and wide-ranging search, were Josh Hartnett, Jude Law, Tom Welling, Paul Walker, Ashton Kutcher, Brendan Fraser, Matthew Bomer, Jerry O'Connell, David Boreanaz, Victor Webster, Joel Edgerton and James Marsden.

McG keen to see Henry Cavills Superman, had cast Robert Downey Jr as Lex Luthor in his own version Image Ratner quit the project, partly because of that casting merry-go-round, and McG (pictured right) came on board. It was said he wanted Johnny Depp for the part of Lex Luthor but he recently admitted that, in fact, he had cast Robert Downey Jr as the archvillain. And despite what he told Digital Spy, he also says Cavill was not officially signed on to the picture.

McG told The Playlist: "We had Robert Downey Jr locked up to be Lex Luthor, which I think would have been extraordinary. Ironically, we liked Henry Cavill a lot, but we hadn't cast him yet. JJ wrote the script, and we got that to a really good place in the end but I'm to blame for [the film not happening]."

In the new Superman movie, Cavill's hero goes up against Zod, this time played by Michael Shannon.

Shannon praised Cavill, saying: "Henry is a fantastic Superman, he's got a little edge to him and he's smart, clever and I had fun working with him.

"The whole thing is edgy in a way like when Nolan took over the Batman franchise."

But he says his version of Zod is not that menacing, explaining to IFC: He's actually not a very scary guy, he's just trying to do his job, just like anybody.

"Some people might hate him, some people might love him, but I'm fond of him. I respect him."

McG keen to see Henry Cavill's Superman, had cast Robert Downey Jr as Lex Luthor in his own version