Watchmen director Zack Snyder has revealed that Tom Cruise (Mission: Impossible, Collateral) wanted to play Rorschach in the movie, and why it didn’t work out…

It seems those rumors that Tom Cruise was up for a role in Zack Snyder’s Watchmen adaptation were accurate, but the Hollywood megastar wasn’t interested in playing the character Snyder wanted him for!

Initially, Snyder approached Cruise to play Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias, the retired “superhero” who is ultimately revealed as the mastermind behind the devastating Psychic Shockwave attack he frames Doctor Manhattan for.

However, upon reading the script, Cruise was drawn to a very different character.

“I wanted Tom Cruise for Ozymandias. Tom wanted to play Rorschach,” Snyder told the Happy Sad and Confused podcast.

“Which he obviously could have done, but we already had [Jackie Earle Haley] and Jackie is unbelievable. But I certainly would have considered Tom in retrospect if I hadn’t had Jackie.”

Rorschach, aka Walter Kovacs, was a highly skilled but disturbed former member of the Watchmen (The Crimebusters in the comic) who arguably emerged as the most popular character in both the movie and Alan Moore’s graphic novel.

Haley did indeed do a terrific job in the role, but we can’t help but wonder what Cruise’s interpretation of the violent vigilante would have looked like.

Had Cruise ended up playing either character, it would remain the only superhero movie he’s ever been a part of. The actor is believed to have been in the mix to play Tony Stark in Jon Favreau’s Iron Man before Robert Downey Jr. landed the role, but that was never confirmed.

There were rumors that he might be in line to play a Stark Variant in later MCU projects, but nothing ever came of it.

Cruise’s involvement in Watchmen would also likely have had a major impact on the box office.

The movie received mostly positive reviews, but underperformed, grossing just $187 million against a budget of $150 million.

It is still widely viewed as one of Snyder’s best movies.

Would you have liked to see Cruise play Rorschach or Ozymadias?

Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section.

“In an alternate 1985 America, costumed superheroes are part of everyday life. When one of his former comrades is murdered, masked vigilante Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) uncovers a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his retired associates, only one of which has true powers, Rorschach glimpses a far-reaching conspiracy involving their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the world’s future.”