Producers Wanted to Continue the Series Using a Reeves Look-Alike
After Reeves died in 1959 following an apparent suicide, producers toyed with the idea of continuing the series as Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen. They suggested it focus on Jack Larson continuing his character, playing opposite a “Superman” that would be cobbled together using stock video footage of George Reeves and a look-alike stunt double that could be filmed from the back.
Larson thought the idea was distasteful and rejected it. Today, producers sometimes use old footage or computer generated images to bring back actors from the dead (such as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story using original actor Peter Cushing, who died two decades earlier).
