Zack Snyder‘s reboot of the Superman franchise is about to go before the cameras with filming set to commence next month in Vancouver. As the start date draws near, final casting of the keys characters is being made with some big name stars landing major roles.
Henry Cavill was one of the first cast in the titular role and the part of Lois Lane was won by Amy Adams with Snyder impressed by her audition. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane were cast as Superman’s adoptive earth parents, though it was not known if the story would feature the Kryptonian counter-parts.
Despite the anticipation for a new Superman story, there are those who would rather not see a chronological retelling of the character’s origin. Early rumours suggested that the script by David S. Goyer might be drawn from the Secret Origin comics, which served to reboot the mythos and introduce the Kryptonian parents when Ma and Pa Kent reveal to Clark his origins via holographic images generated by the recovered ship. That said what works in the comics rarely works on screen, and with Christopher Nolan involved in the screenplay prior to writing ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, not featuring the origins on Krypton would be like expecting Bruce Wayne not to have a Batcave. The planet would look amazing with today’s digital effects and it would be an opportunity missed not to reinvent the home-world story and it’s eventual demise.
Zack Snyder has previously stated that it will be his most realistic film endeavour to date, and since Nolan and Goyer developed the story, it should have the necessary elements fans have been waiting for. Some months ago Michael Shannon who shook things up on HBO‘s Boardwalk Empire, landed the role of General Zod and recently the part of his female lieutenant went to German actress Antje Traue, though not as Ursa as many had thought but as the inspiration for that character, Faora. The inclusion of villains from the homeworld would imply a back-story is included, and feature their banishment to the ‘Phantom Zone’.
In recent casting news Julia Ormond has been offered the role of Superman’s Kryptonian mother Lara, and in the past few weeks Russell Crowe landed the part of Jor-El, move over Marlon Brando. The latest piece of news sees Christopher Meloni, who recently left ‘Law & Order: SVU’, playing a General and possibly Lois Lane’s father, General Sam Lane. The film’s list of locations include Chicago, Vancouver and Edwards Air Force Base in California.
Russell Crowe, Julia Ormond, Antje Traue & Christopher Meloni
One of the final aspects yet to be revealed by producers, though will likely leak on-line when shooting commences is what the new Superman suit will look like. DC Comics recently announced the rebooting of their characters and have retooled the outfit as seen in the comic book cover. Fans over at comic book movie have offered their own version as a possible alternative.
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Despite the lackluster response to ‘Sucker Punch‘, Zack Snyder remains a skilled filmmaker who with the right material and some visual restraint, could offer audiences a definitive updating of this classic superhero.
The Superman reboot is set to open December 2012.
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