Bo Derek Reveals She Almost Played Marvel Superhero Dazzler In The ’80s

By Corey Atad. Published: 5 Aug 2021 2:50 PM

Bo Derek — Photo: CP Images

In another universe, Bo Derek might have been the first big-screen Marvel hero.

Speaking to Yahoo! Entertainment, the 64-year-old actress revealed that in the early ’80s she was approached by Marvel Comics to play the disco-dancing superhero Dazzler.

A representative from the company flew to Paris while she was on a promotional tour for the 1979 hit “10”.

“We had this big meeting in this gorgeous apartment,” Derek recalled. “It was a little overwhelming for me, a beach girl from California!”

While superheroes had recently gotten a big boost on the big-screen thanks to “Superman: The Movie”, Derek’s Dazzler would have been the first Marvel hero at the movies, aside from the 1940s “Captain America” serial.

“I was being offered everything,” the actress said. “I had a huge offer for a ton of money to play a female wrestler. You can see that I’m not really the type! Playing Dazzler — this incredible rock performer — would have taken a lot of training, so I wasn’t anxious to do all that.”

In the end, Derek turned down the offer, and the film project fell apart. Marvel would later make its feature film debut with the notorious George Lucas-produced “Howard the Duck”.