There is a Superman and he is British

Photo of Henry Cavill lifted off of the internet somewhere willy nilly.

By Christian Nicholson

I really like Henry Cavill.  I think his character in The Tudors was interesting and nuanced.  Charles Brandon was a character who was at first lustful, irresponsible, and dashing, but over time grew into a King's man.  He later became haunted by what he'd done.  Cavill managed to play the character true, despite many changes, and managed to convey a man much older and (hopefully) more remorseful than himself.  For Superman, however, his capability might be wasted.

Or maybe not.  It all depends on what is going on in David Goyer's script and what Zack Syder does with it.

I think Kal-El is an extremely interesting character.  Say what you want about his boyscoutness, but there is something to be said for a character who you can count on to be reliably just.  Face it kids, if you see some folks fighting and one of them is wearing the "S", you can petty confidently start pounding on the other guy and expect to be on the side of good.  What does a guy who can basically do anything do for fun?  He pretends to be one of us.  The Clark Kent/ Superman transformation is probably one of the more interesting ones an actor can pull off.  Same guy, but uses entirely different body language to become a totally different guy.  Christopher Reeve's ability to pull it off is one of the reasons why his performance as Superman was so iconic.

Interestingly, Cavill's IMDB says he was up for the role of Batman in the Nolan flicks, and was up for Supes back in the day for Superman Returns.  The listing says he’s the unluckiest man in Hollywood, but I’d say that avoiding the career killing crapulence that was Superman Returns, and then landing Superman: Man Of Steel, is pretty damn lucky.

Art by Jim Lee, used without any permission whatsoever, but look how cool it is.


I really have no idea how Man Of Steel might come out (who does?  They haven’t started filming yet).  Zack Snyder is known for doing really note accurate interpretations of comic book adaptations, but this project is totally different.  We know he can direct the shit out of some action, and has real understanding for super-hero nuance without dipping into camp, but we don’t know how he’ll do with a more or less new thing.  I think after we see his upcoming “Sucker Punch” we’ll have a pretty idea about how Man Of Steel is going to turn out.

However  casting Henry Cavill as Kal El bodes really well.

Press Release Follows:

Henry Cavill Will Take On the Dual Role of Clark Kent/Superman in the New Film From Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures
Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Henry Cavill has won the coveted role of Superman, the iconic superhero.

The film will be directed by Zack Snyder, who stated, “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S-shield.”

Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

Cavill recently wrapped production on The Cold Light of Day and stars in the upcoming The Immortals, opening this fall.

Targeted for release in December 2012, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide.