Those of you who checked my last (first) fan cast will know for my casts I’ve taken on a bit more a generic view with casting, those of you who don’t, just to make it clear; rather than cast one specific film entry in a franchise I decided to cast of characters I’d expect to be around in the ‘5 year’ window of the New 52/existence of the Justice League, and who will hopefully crop up in DC’s future films.
So, with this cast in particular I’ve slightly sacrificed originality; rather than cast an entirely new cast for Superman and his world, as I’m pretty damn pleased with majority of the cast for the upcoming Man of Steel I’ve decided to cast characters that I’d expect/want to appear as that series continues and expands upon the DC universe; hopefully taking cues from the New 52 as it progresses. So, if it makes you feel more comfortable, think of my cast as a cast of the potential sequels that could come about and the characters that could be introduced through these said sequels.
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Henry Cavil as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
He’s very charismatic, likable, has the look, has the presence, a cool actor and has already been cast. As said/seen in my previous cast, I expect
Justice League to carry on from the universe of
Man of Steel, so it’s only fitting that Cavil reprises the role for that film and any potential sequels that spin out from
Man of Steel.
Russell Crowe and Ayelet Zurer as Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van
Both of them are great actors and carry a definite presence to them that just sells on the whole regal/superior feel that Kryptonians seem to have. As well as this, with Crowe I can’t help but get a ‘Marlon Brando’ kind of vibe from what I’ve seen and Zurer? Well, despite being relatively unknown, from her roles in
Munich,
Angels and Demons and
Awake she’s proven she can do well even in limited roles.
Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent
Probably my favourite casting for
Man of Steel, after Cavil, Crowe and Michael Shannon. Both Costner and Lane are great actors, I’ve seen them in a bunch of things that has more than proven their skills, but the main reason why I’m so fond of them in these roles is due to their resemblance to the incarnations of the characters in my favourite Superman story,
Superman: Birthright. From what little we’ve seen from the trailers, the relationship between the Kent’s and Clark seems a little bit more strained, so whilst it may not be to everyone’s liking it’s undoubtedly more realistic given the unique nature of Superman.
Lawrence Fishburne as Perry White
Note: Given that the character has been given an ethnic change, after a lot of Googling, I found a picture of what appears to be black Perry White, if not a comic character who strongly resembles what Fishburne looks like as the character, etc.
Regardless of what purists say, I’m extremely pleased with this casting choice. Admittedly, I originally had Alec Baldwin in mind for the role and Fishburne in mind for Lucius Fox (for when Batman returns to the big screen), but Fishburne is very talented and has played numerous similar characters to this well before. Plus, whilst not really relevant to the role, he’s pretty funny and badass, so is a definite credit to any cast.
Rachel McAdams as Lois Lane
I get that in any case Amy Adams would probably return to the role for any sequels/spin offs, but as this is a
fan cast there is some entitlement to creative liberties here. So, moving on, McAdams as Superman’s lady? What can I say? She’s hot and talented and can play outspoken, feisty and intelligent well, her roles in
State of Play and
Sherlock Holmes proves this. Plus, she has a certain vibe to her which just reminds me of Terri Hatcher, so given the fact that she's a better actress, I think she'd be able to do a very commendable job.
Jamie Bell as Jimmy Olsen
Bell is talented young actor who I think could lend a nice balance of humour and seriousness to this role; I get that he’s something of a ‘leading man,’ but I prefer him in supporting roles so would like to see him take on the gig somewhere down the line.
Kristen Connelly as Lana Lang
Connelly is a pretty cool actress who I think would be a nice choice for the role. Admittedly, I haven't seen her in too much and I mainly chose her because of her role in
The Cabin in the Woods, but she's cute and has a certain girl-next-door vibe to her that I think would just work nicely for Superman's first love.
Laurie Holden as Maggie Sawyer
I won’t lie, I haven’t seen Holden in much apart from
The Walking Dead, but I think she could do the role justice and give fans a tough and spunky, ‘Jim Gordon’ type take on the character. Whilst, she used to be little more than an annoying bitch in my eyes (thanks to her character Andrea’s previous and somewhat current portrayal), she’s proven herself to have a pretty tough and badass on-screen persona and I think she could really prove to be a worthy addition to the cast.
Robert Patrick as Sam Lane
Patrick is one of those rare actors like Bruce Willis who have a very powerful presence to them without being too big/imposing. To put it simply, for this role that works. He comes off as intelligent and tough and looks like he can kick ass, so why not?
Viola Davis as Amanda Waller
This roles always been pretty tough to cast for me, but Davis is a very talented actress who I can actually picture as an intelligent badass, so it just seems very fitting to cast her here.
Jonny Lee Miller as Lex Luthor
I haven’t actually seen Miller in much, but since his villainous turn as Jordan Chase in
Dexter I couldn’t help but think he’d make for a very interesting and different Luthor. Put simply, Miller is clearly a talented actor; he can do intense, intelligent and borderline creepy all very well, so I’d be really interested in seeing what he could do.
Richard Schiff as Emil Hamilton
Though originally not even a contender for the role in my eyes, Schiff is pretty cool and underrated actor; I’ve seen him in a bunch of things over the years and he’s always helped round out casting, so for a character like this Schiff seems to be more than competent a choice.
Morris Chestnut as John Henry Irons
Chestnut is a popular choice for the role, but it works. He comes across as both tough and intelligent and I can see him acting head to head and holding his own alongside heavyweights. Regardless of that, anyone who’s seen him in
V can attest to the fact that he’s more or less played the part already. So, put simply I think he’d be a great addition to the cast, plus if ever DC decide to give his superhero alter-ego life again then Chestnut would definitely be able to deliver there too!
Jai Courtney as John Corben/Metal-0
Courtney is a relatively unknown who’s had somewhat of a recent career boom. So am I casting him because he’s Hollywood’s current ‘flavour of the month’? No, rather due to a culmination of what I’ve seen him in; from his work in
Spartacus to
Jack Reacher and even
A Good Day to Die Hard, it’s clear to me Courtney is good at playing tough, badass and likeable (depending on the character partially) characters and I think he could bring some depth to the role and prove to be a tough challenger for the Man of Steel.
One thing I just want to mention though, with his look, as you guys might be able to guess (from the above pic) I like the pre-52 look, but would like to see the character go through various changes on film. Essentially, the character should go from being a soldier in a kryptonite powered suit (a bit like his New 52
Action Comics look) to the more streamlined (kryptonite) arc reactor powered Terminator-like cyborg as shown above.
Michael Emerson as Winslow Schott/Toyman
Emerson is one of my favourite actors around and (no offence to him) a very creepy looking dude. From his work in
Lost and
Person of Interest, it’s clear he can play cerebral and slightly damaged characters with psychotic tendencies very well, and personally I think he could elevate the character and give fans a unique villain for Superman to take on.
Michael Shannon as Dru-Zod
Once I heard Michael Shannon was cast in
Man of Steel, even before realising what character he was cast as I was excited. Simply put, Shannon is one of the best there is and it’s about time he’s getting the recognition he deserves. I’ve been fan of him since his intense turn as Neslon Van Alden in
Boardwalk Empire and have since gone onto check out the rest of his filmography, in which he’s only continued to shine. Quite frankly, Shannon has got me really excited for
Man of Steel and I can’t wait to see what he’ll do as Zod because if it’s anything like his other great performances I think it could even rival if not surpass Heath Ledger’s Joker for the title of greatest CBM villain.
Antje Traue as Faora-Ul
I haven’t seen Traue in anything other than
Pandorum, but you know what? Her role there was more than enough to get my attention; she’s hot, tough and badass and I can’t wait to see her [frick]ing up Superman’s shit!
Rory McCann as Nam-Ek
I’m not entirely sure if the character is going to be in
Man of Steel, but if he isn’t I think McCann would be a great choice for the role. He’s best known as the Hound from
Game of Thrones but has proven himself to be capable of (physical) comedy and drama prior to that through various roles. I McCann could bring some depth to the role and also prove to be a worthy physical adversary for Superman.
Kate Nauta as Leslie Willis/Livewire
I've only seen Nauta in
Transporter 2, whilst it may not be a complete display of her acting capabilities her work there did leave a lasting impression on me. Essentially, Nauta can play sultry, fiesty and tough pretty well and I think if given the chance to play Livewire she could make her the equivalent of Electro for Superman.
Adrien Brody as Russell Abernathy/the Kryptonite Man
Some of you may be thinking Brody is a weird choice for the role, well, that’s understandable but his roles in
Predators and
Splice convinced me he’d be a good fit. He’s a talented actor and has proven his versatility time and time again; he can do intense, action, drama and even comedy, so I think he’d really be able to elevate the role and give fans a cool and memorable villain.
Andrew Howard as Rudy Jones/Parasite
I haven’t seen Howard in much, but he’s proven himself to be a great character actor in what roles I have seen him in.
Burn Notice,
I Spit On Your Grave and
Limitless have all proven his talents at playing sleazy and despicable thugs well, so for a role like this I think he could only do well.
Jason Mamoa as Lobo
The guy played both Khal Drogo and Conan serviceably well. He might not be the greatest actor around, but to be honest Lobo is best known for being a badass who [frick]s shit up; Mamoa seems like an ideal fit in my eyes.
Ron Perlman as Mongul
Perlman is just a badass and talented actor. He’s been cast numerous times for various similar (if not the same) roles both by fans and in films, but if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Like Lobo, Mongul doesn’t really need all that much depth, but Perlman is one actor who could definitely deliver on that in spades and even bring some authority and presence to the role too.
Rupert Friend as H'el
Friend is a pretty solid up and comer, I've seen him in a bunch of things now but it was mainly due to his role in
Homeland that led to me casting him. Whilst his character Peter Quinn, may not exactly be similar to H'el he showed a fair bit of range there alone; dramatic, comedic and even action skills, but the main reason that I cast him is because he has certain intensity/drive to him which just works for the character.
Ralph Fiennes as Brain.I.A.C./the Brain Interactive Construct
Had he been younger I would’ve love to see him as Lex Luthor, but seeing as how he’s entered his 50’s now I think it’d be more appropriate for him to be cast as Krypton’s destroyer. Fiennes is a great actor; he has a great cerebral and regal presence that works especially well when he plays villainous roles so would undoubtedly be a great choice for the role.
Anyway, I just thought I’d mention, with his look, obviously I’m a fan of Gary Frank’s redesign (as show above), but I’d like a bit more of a cybernetic/android type look to the character; best way to put it in my eyes, is for him to look like a (green) Engineer (from
Prometheus) rocking a
Tron-inspired Engineer suit… If that makes sense...
Charles Dance as Helspont
Since I first saw Dance in
Last Action Hero as the creepy glassy eyed guy as a kid I knew he was an epic actor, his work in
Game of Thrones has done nothing but further cement that idea in my head. Dance can do regal, authoritative, badass, manipulative and intelligent in his sleep so having him in this role would be nothing short of epic.
Michael Sheen as Mxyzptlk
Note: Those of you who are familiar with the character will have realised this isn’t Mxyzptlk, but I’ve gone for a complete overhaul with the character as he looks and is a pretty crap character, but has the potential to be great.
If brought to the big screen, Mxyzptlk should be introduced as a big cosmic threat, like Loki but more powerful; this is in my eyes is the only way to make the character comes across as credible threat and villain. I believe Sheen is the best choice for the role in that regards. His roles in
Underworld,
The Twilight Sage and
Tron: Legacy have proven to me that he is more than capable of bringing charm, charisma, presence, intelligence and self-entitled/regal kind of arrogance to his roles with ease and give audiences some very memorable villains.
Now, going back to the above image, as I said Mxyzptlk looks like crap, so admittedly after a lot of Googling (for a redesign), I opted to use the above pic; I don’t have a clue who the character is, but his look seems more appropriate for my concept of the character. So, if Mxyzptlk makes it to the big screen he should look like a weird/wacky and regal looking villain; something which I think the above pic partially captured (admittedly not the weird and wacky bit though).
Clancy Brown as Darkseid
First off, Brown was the [frick]ing Kurgan! He’s a badass and one of the most unfairly overlooked actors in Hollywood. Brown is up there with the best of them, he’s one of the finest actors around is famous for his distinctively powerful voice and presence, whilst he voiced Lex Luthor (well) in the past I’ve always liked the idea of him as Darkseid so hope to see him cast here somewhere down the line.
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So, that’s my ideal cast for Superman. I hope you enjoyed checking it out, and if you did look out for my Batman cast!