In SFX Magazing #235, out on newsstands today and available digitally, director Zack Snyder and his producers discuss his latest effort, Man of Steel. Below is a brief expert from the 5-page article.
Director Zack Snyder talks about the casting process to find their Man of Steel and admits that Henry Cavill was a finalist but not necessarily a front runner until the day he came and tried on [the old Christopher Reeve] Superman costume.
Zack Snyder: "I don't even know the total number [of actual contenders for the Superman role], but a hundred, at least, in the first stages. Then it got serious and we got it down to about twenty guys and then ten and then five. We'd always had Henry on our list. He probably had a couple of guys to beat but then he came in and it was like oh my God, he's so Supermanish it's crazy"
Producer Deborah Snyder talks about where the re-imagined Superman suit in Man of Steel gets its origin.
Deborah Snyder: "What was important for Zack was that the costume did not come out of nowhere. It had to have a reason. We go to Krypton and see this world where everything had its place. If they're in space he wanted it to feel like a space suit, and he wanted it to feel like the underlayer that they would maybe put armor over. It's also a caped society, so when you go to Krypton he wanted to see variations of this costume. Finally, when Clark finds the costume and puts it on, you've established where it comes from."
Zack on his personal definition of the DC mythos and its myriad of characters.
Zack Snyder: "They truly are purer archetypes. They're literally Biblical. If you get the DC characters right, they can be important, they can be about us. It's not just a romp. That's the fun, for me, of working on this movie. We got that it was important. We weren't apologizing for Superman, which I feel happened in the past. It's Superman, for God's sake. He's a thing to be celebrated."
And when the interviewer asked Zack about making a superhero film in a genre that's come to be dominated by Marvel Studios, Snyder infers that when Man of Steel comes out, you'll be asking other superhero filmmakers that same question.
Zack Snyder: "If you get [Man of Steel] right, that's the question you'll be asking everyone else. That should be the question you're asking Iron Man and Thor. How is it you feel you can be making a superhero movie in a world where Superman and Batman exist?"
If you would like to purchase the latest issue of SFX and add to your collection of Superman memorabilia, CLICK HERE. Man of Steel arrives in U.S. theaters on June 14th.
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MAN OF STEEL: "The Battle Of Smallville"
Running Time: In post-production
Release Date: 14 June 2013 (USA)
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Starring: Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner,Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni, Richard Schiff, Harry Lennix
Directed by: Zack Snyder
Written by: Christopher Nolan (story), David S. Goyer screenplay)
Man of Steel follows the Last Son of Krypton on his epic journey to become mankind's shinning beacon of hope for a brighter future. With the beliefs and values instilled by his adoptive parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent, a young Clark (Henry Cavill) sets out to find his place in the world. But when the nefarious General Zodd (Michael Shannon) arrives on Earth, Clark will have to choose between being a normal human or Kal-el,son of Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and humanity's greatest protector and champion. Filmed in IMAX and shot in Vancouver, Chicago and Plano, Illinois, Man of Steel will be released on June 14, 2013 by Warner Bros. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) with a screenplay by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight) the Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception) produced feature film will surely be the summer blockbuster of 2013.