'Superman' Update 02.27.11

'First look' at Cavill as Superman, casting rumors, and Kevin Smith...



Well it's no surprise that with the casting of Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel there would be some more rumors coming out regarding the other members of the reboot. So today we have two more names mentioned to be considered for roles in Zack Snyder's 'Superman' reboot.


Also here's the 'first look' at Henry Cavill in the obligatory Superman t-shirt picture, as well as an interview regarding Cavill's first time in the tights:

"All I could think was: Oh, god. They’re going to look at me and go ‘He’s not Superman. Not a chance,'" the actor recalled of the moment he donned a replica of Christopher Reeve's Superman costume for the screen test. "The actor inside me was going: You’re not ready! You’re not ready!"

According to Cavill, he was worried that the weight he had lost for a recent film with Bruce Willis would disqualify him for the role, but Snyder had a different reaction.

"He walked out, and no one laughed,” said the director. “Other actors put that suit on, and it’s a joke, even if they’re great actors. Henry put it on, and he exuded this kind of crazy-calm confidence that just made me go ‘Wow.’ Okay: This was Superman.'"

And now one of the first rumors to hit the web is the interest in casting Tin Cup into his own Field of Dreams, Mr. Kevin Costner. Splashpage reports:

There's a "heightened interest" in nabbing Coster for a "key role" in the upcoming reboot, according to a new report on Deadline.

There isn't any word on which character he's being sought to play, but even without any mention of it being a "key role," Costner's illustrious resume is proof enough that it won't be "Rescued Victim #3" or some other bit part.

Assuming Snyder's plan to stick with familiar characters from the Superman universe, there are two names that jump out for someone with Costner's reputation. The first is Jor-El, Superman's Kryptonian father. This was the role played by Marlon Brando in Richard Donner's original "Superman," first seen loading his infant son into the vessel which will carry him to Earth and later in Kryptonian data crystals discovered by Superman in his Fortress of Solitude hideout.

The other possibility is Superman's arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. Costner isn't a guy you usually see in villain roles, so this would definitely be casting against type, but he's certainly got the talent to go toe-to-toe with the Man of Steel and the world's foremost evil super-genius.

Now I think that Jor-El could be a possible casting choice, I don't think Luthor would be a good role for him. Not to mention I am hoping we'll see a different villain, Luthor's only been done in 4 out of the 5 movies.

But the most likely role that would suit Costner's talents seems kind of obvious to me. Jonathan Kent, the man who raises Clark into the hero he becomes. If Costner doesn't scream good hearted Kansas farmer than I don't know what does. 

That takes us to the next rumor of another "actor of interest" this time regarding a villain.

SuperHeroHype reports:

Viggo Mortensen is rumored to be in the running for the part of General Zod in Zack Snyder's Superman, says a story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Don't jump to any conclusions quite yet, though. Zod's involvement in the storyline is unconfirmed, and Mortensen's connection to the role is tenuous at best. The original article lists him as a "person of interest," but he's also rumored to be up for the lead in Snow White and the Hunstman, a project that would certainly preclude his involvement in the DC Comics adaptation.

Also included in the original article is the rumor that Snyder is currently casting for three female roles. If Zod is, indeed, in the script, one of those roles is likely that of the previously-rumored Ursa who, in both the comics and previous films, was Zod's right-hand woman.

All rumors, but definitely interesting possibilities. Still a lot of time until we hear some actual details about this flick. 

But if you need something to fill the gap for the time being you can check out Splashpage's look at all the past actors to wear the red undies of Superman. There's a lot more than you think, starting way back in 1948 with this man:

Kirk Alyn

And as if that wasn't enough, Snyder goes on to talk about the physicality his Superman will be exhibiting in an interview over at Splashpage:

No one is expecting Zack Snyder to carbon-copy the classic Christopher Reeve Superman, or even the Brandon Routh version, in his upcoming Man of Steel reboot, but what will the "300" filmmaker's take on Superman be like?

Superman is an embodiment in many ways of 1950s values, and Snyder said in an interview with SFX Magazine (via ComicBookMovie) that one of the troubles he now faces is how to make the character work in a more present-day setting.

“My feeling about Superman is that I’ve been a fan of the character for a long time," he explained. "But the question for me was always, ‘What can you do with Superman in a modern world?'"

"I think the amazing thing that [producer] Chris [Nolan] and [writer] David [Goyer] have created, that I’m working on now, and the reason why I was like, ‘Yeah, I’ll do that,’ was that they found that in him," he said. "They found the why in him. That’s the exciting part for me."

Snyder didn't go into much more detail than that, but he did indicate that his Superman, a role which recently went to Henry Cavill, will be more of a scrapper.

“I can’t really talk about that without being kind of specific, but I can say I think Superman needs to be physical," he said.

And Kevin Smith also chose to weigh in on the reboot when he was talking to MTV News for a Q & A:

"I love it," Smith told MTV News. "Zack Snyder is a fantastic director. He's a true director, put on this Earth to direct film 'til the day he dies."

"I love everything he's done so far, even that f---ing owl movie made me cry," he laughed. "I'm a big fanboy for Zack."

Smith wasn't done there with his praise for the "300" filmmaker, either.

"In terms of studio filmmakers, him, [Christopher] Nolan, [David] Fincher, they don't execute, theyelevate," he said. "They do something that in a million years I could never do — take someone else's script and make it their own."

As for the rumor that there will be another female lead in the film — one that isn't Lois Lane — Smith indicated that some of the rumors don't make a lot of sense in the comics world at this point, but he's in favor of more actresses in the film.

"I'm all for that," he smiled. "As many women as possible!"