Superman Set To Fly

arock99 writes "After many years of battling various script rewrites, Superman is set to soar again. Various sources (superman-v.com, darkhorizons.com, aintitcool.com) report that Brandon Routh (of Gilmore Girls) has been cast as Superman. With production only a month away, Brian Singer is set to tackle yet another super-hero film after previously having directed both X-Men and X2. Had it not been for his recent passing, Christopher Reeve would surely have been part of the production team in some capacity. Superman should hit theaters around summer 2006."

Brandon Routh?

[sofakingon]

Who the heck is this guy? Gillmore Girls? C'mon now, why not use the guy from smallville or something. I mean how many supermen can we have? Not that anyone can top Christopher Reeve, may he rest in peace.

Let's not be hypocrites

[codazzo]

It's obvious they're just exploiting the momentum raised by Reeve's death to make it look like a "due tribute" or something. This is hollywood at its best.

Re:Brandon Routh?

[eingram]

Also: s/supermen/batmen/

Anyone have a running tally for both? :D

Re:Brandon Routh?

[harlows_monkeys]

Not that anyone can top Christopher Reeve, may he rest in peace

He was a good Superman, but Dean Cain in Lois & Clark was even better.

Uncouth

[JerSully]

Some of the replies to this article are amoungst the most tasteless and uninformed that I've seen on Slashdot. Come on guys, take 10 seconds to research the new actor and refrain from saying mean things about Mr. Reeve for now. But... yeah... Gilmore Girls... Until I looked him up I was confuzled.

Brian Singer is da man.

[dabigpaybackski]

Well, considering the director's deft handling of the X-Man series, this is welcome news indeed. Singer is a workaholic super-nerd who prepped himself for the X-Men movies by reading every issue of the "Uncanny X-Men" comics and then watching every episode of the old Fox cartoon series. Of course, it is debateable whether or not reading comics and watching cartoons is work, but making a good movie most definitely is, and Mr. Singer knows his shit.

Re:Picture of Brandon Routh

[Quobobo]

Is anyone else somewhat creeped out by that website? I'd find it equally weird if there was a "Caucasian Review" or something similar, entertainment reviews based on race are just pretty strange.

Anybody else

[Anonymous Coward]

Think this is kind of weird timing after Christopher's death?? Kind of like the HHGTTG movie timing. They had to wait for Douglas to die before they could go forward with what production wanted, (ie a money making movie, not a GOOD movie). Anybody else think Mr Reeve maybe had some say that the production didn't like, and now that he's gone it gives them the chance to go forward?? Just my 2 cents.

Re:Brandon Routh?

[Flibz]

Most people under the age of 25 you mean surely ? For us old folks on the other hand...

Re:Brandon Routh?

[will_die]

The problem with getting the kid from smallville is that the movie would be seen as being based on that version. So it would be a matter the same story line, but in the future, or risk upsetting the viewers.

Gilmore Girls?

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, you must really have a photographic memory, since I've watched every episode of Gilmore Girls and he's in it for literally 5 minutes as a bit part in the first season.....and that's all.

Re:Anybody else

[AndrewStephens]

Umm, wasn't Douglas Adams's death pretty unexpected. I mean, he was only in his fourties and still in good heath right up until the end. I don't think the producers were delibrately holding back the movie just on the wild chance the author might die. In the case of Superman, this movie has been talked about for months, so they are not trying to cash in on Reeve's death. If anything, it will hurt the movie. In any case, what would he say anyway, the Superman IV was years ago (and didn't do so well) so he wouldn't have been cast in the lead role even if he hadn't had his accident.

Re:Bad taste

[TwistedSquare]

I presumed that's what the original poster was referring to, Superboy/Steel/Eradicator (I think)/Cyborg, but they made it sound as if Wayne/Kent had gone for good, which was puzzling me... Although I don't remember Wayne dying, though his back did get broken by Bane and he got replaced for a bit... ah the joys of Marvel/DC continuities!

Spider-Man cash-in?

[Yolegoman]

I can't help but feel like this is a cash-in on the recent Spider-Man movie franchise's popularity. Both Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 have done really well, and it seems to me like they are just trying to milk the superhero thing for everything they've got.

Of course, I'm willing to be proven wrong. Give me a good old-fashioned B - Popcorn movie with decent Special FX, and an interesting Trailer for the film, and I'll certainly be in line.

- Yolego

Re:Why Brian Singer?

[SoTuA]

What's so bad about X-Men casting?

Cyclops is a complete dick? check.

Storm a shapely black woman that looks good in white hair? check.

Prof. X? Spot on.

Magneto? Maybe he could have found someone who didn't look as old/frail, but his acting was spot-on.

Jean Grey is all but carbon-copied from the X-Men comics I used to own.

The only casting choice I'd disagree with would be Rogue...

Re:Bad taste

[micromoog]

Not to mention the bad taste of announcing this just after Christopher Reeves' death, to ride on the free publicity.

Re:Bad taste

[Mant]

On top of that, the real Superman, Clark W. Kent, died in the comic books years ago. So did Bruce Wayne, the original Batman.

Comic book characters die, and come back to life, all the time. Spuerman was dead for a bit, but came back soon after. I'm not aware of Bruce Wayne ever dieing in main continuity.

Of course, they get killed is some non-continuity Elseworlds stuff. Plus back when DC had parralel univerese (they all got merged in Crisis on Infiniate Earth) Bruce Wayne died in Earth-2, but not the 'main' Earth.

Characters like Superman and Batman are pretty archetypal. Subsequent generation re-invent them to suit the times, that is what happens with mythlogy, it keeps it alive and relevant, and IMO is much better than just leaving them alone.

where was /. when Christopher Reeve passed away?

[funkdancer]

Don't know about you guys, but to me Reeve was a very big man not only being the best Superman there could ever be but also for the strength and incredible courage he showed when almost everything was taken away from him in that accident.

I checked in then and several times of the next few days, over and over again, to see any mention of it and a thread regarding his life and his fight for pushing technologies and research in the spinal areas, but alas no mention at all. It would not be an understatement to say that I did get quite emotional thinking about how he would not live to witness the fruits of all that will be discovered in the next 10 years.

So I guess I've finally found the thread to oust my disappointment with the editors.... Just to think that only the _new superman_ warrants mention when a _great one_ passed away. Bloody good one, mates.

Re:Brandon Routh?

[Big Sean O]

Have you recently been to Kansas? They talk like normal people. Maybe with more of a midwestern "Bob Dole doesn't take no guff" twang.

As far as the east coast, there's more dialects there than I can think of: bahstonn, lon guyland, new joisey, philly, bal'mer. And don't even get me started with the deep south...

Re:Brandon Routh?

[Pxtl]

Well, that's what I meant - just a bit of the Bob Dole twang is missing. Besides, even here in Ontario, the farm boys don't sound like the city slickers. Superman is a farm boy, and doesn't sound like one.

Re:Kevin Spacey? Wouldn't that mean...

[kannibal_klown]

Personally, I think how Lex portrayed in Smallville is awesome. Rosenbaum does an excellent job.

At this point in Smallville, Lex hasn't gone completely Dark-Side yet. But he's still portrayed as dark and suave. Meanwhile, Lyonel Luthor is as evil as they come.

Re:That all depends on whether you prefer them of

[Anonymous Coward]

I really don't see why women feel the need to enhance their breasts.

There is a whole legion of men like me who like women just as they are.

Then again, being a nerd, I'd like any breast.