I tried to go with a more mature cast and concentrated on getting good actors that would make the role their own instead of getting lesser actors to just fill a specific role the way they have been filled in the past. I only made a casting for the 5 characters I would have as major players in the film. I tried to focus on those closest to Superman in order to get a film that would ground the character and give him more real world issues (love, friendship, loyalty, humanity) to present to the audience because that has been lacking in previous films. I also tried to build strong villains that would challenge him mentally and physically and would up the stakes higher than we’ve seen in any other Superman film. I also tried to get a more mature cast (ages a listed next to the names) because I wanted to have a more rugged and adult Superman film with more complex and mature issues. I added a suit breakdown and logic on my casting choices below each. Hope you enjoy.
Superman/Clark Kent: Daniel Cudmore (29)
Tried to go with a somewhat unknown actor in this role that could really make it his own and be someone you identify with the character. I also wanted someone with size that can sell the idea of a more mature and manly Superman while also looking the part. Daniel Cudmore was the only guy I could find that fit all that criteria. He’s a hulk of a man at 6’6” tall with wide shoulders and build from his rugby playing days. He also has that All American farm boy charm to him despite not actually being American. Obviously from the picture above, he looks like he could easily fit a more modern and mature Clark Kent while his smaller role as Colossus in X-Men leads me to believe he can pull of a more rugged and powerful version of Superman then what we have seen before. He is obviously physically imposing which would do marvels for tone and feel I’d want of a more action packed Superman film. While I thought Routh did a respectable job, he was too soft spoken and too much of a pretty boy for my liking and I think Cudmore can pull off being a more charismatic, angry and powerful hero that will appeal to us all.
Lois Lane: Rachel McAdams (32)
Let me start this one off by saying that I HATED Kate Bosworth in Returns. She lacked the spunk, charm and “cojones” that make Lois a great character and great reporter. My personal pick would be Rachel McAdams. For those of you that have seen State of Play, I think you’ll agree that she’s really grown into a more mature and well rounded actress since her Mean Girl days. But I think he’s perfectly suited for the role as Lois Lane mainly due to her Spunk and Feisty nature that she seems to get captured very well on camera. These traits are needed to counterbalance the shear strength and power of Superman and are one of the main reasons why their relationship works. These traits are also the reason why she finds herself into trouble, leading to her needing Superman’s help and adding to that dynamic of their relationship. She needs to be in the middle of the action and not just a side-cast damsel in distress. Lois Lane is what gives Superman stakes. Losing her is the one thing that can truly hurt him. For the movie to get to us emotionally, we have to feel like they have a real relationship and that it’s in serious danger. That was simply not there in Superman Returns.
Jimmy Olsen: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (29)
With this character is one of the biggest areas where I think Snyder’s Superman can connect to audiences. Jimmy shouldn’t be portrayed and used as a geeky kid just for comic relief. Jimmy is Clark’s best friend. Besides Lois, he is Clark’s lone real connection to humanity and to grounding Clark with real life issues and connecting him to today’s audience. There needs to be friendly ribbing and banter between the 2. There has to be some sort of real storyline for Jimmy as far as being a person Clark confidences in and appreciates. This is why I feel Jimmy needs to be played by a real actor that can handle a real role and fit the part of a quirky photographer and oblivious best friend to the most powerful man on the planet. Hence why I think Joseph Gordon-Levitt is perfect for the role. He’s got that boyish charm to him that allows us to see a friendship developing in front of us between Clark and Jimmy. He’s also got a quirky side to him to allow him to be more of a goofball at times while being an good enough actor to play the serious scenes with passion and give the character more depth then we have ever seen. There’s also the added benefit of Joseph Gordon-Levitt having already worked with Producer Christopher Nolan on Inception.
Lex Luthor: Christoph Waltz (54)
Lex Luthor is probably the most misused villain in the previous Superman films. However, make no mistake; he is Superman’s main villain. He should be the center villain of what I hope is a new Superman triology but that doesn’t mean he should be the main villain of any one of those movies. Lex is the Ying to Superman’s Yang. He needs to be a villain that lasts. He needs to be smart, cunning and savvy enough to be a villain without trying to be a villain. I’m sick of the petty crime dope that we’ve seen with both Hackman and Spacey. This Lex needs to be bigger and more dangerous than that. He needs to be the billionaire owner of Luthorcorp. He needs to be double sided. He has to come across as pleasant, intelligent and thought provoking on one side and he needs to be obsessive, ruthless and deceptive on the other side. His work in these films should not be to destroy Superman himself, but itself I should be to apply social and political pressure on Superman as the face of Luthorcop while also obsessing in his study of Superman and working on back channel deals with more powerful villains to achieve his goal of bringing Superman down. Enter my pick, Christoph Waltz. A little outside the box, I know. However, part of Lex’s persona is being a normal everyday businessman in appearance, which becomes difficult when you are bald. Waltz fits that mold while also being an excellent actor. He has shown the ability to play a double facetted role when to portrayed Col. Landa in Inglorious Basterds. He has a charm and politeness to him but also a quiet confidence and ruthlessness as well. I think he has the chops to pull off a more tycoon savvy, back door dealing businessman type of Lex that would last for several films in this series.
Brainiac: Ben Foster (30)
I think Brainiac is the most obvious choice for Superman’s 1st powerful villain. He obviously the most cerebral of the villains and a lot can be done with him being disguised as a normal human being and working the back channel deals with Lex and hashing out a big plan to brainwash and take over the planet during the 1st part of the film while the relationships and characters of Superman, Lois and Jimmy are all being developed. But Brainiac also offers far more as far as strength power and actions scenes are concerned during the 2nd half of the film once the characters are developed and the stakes have been raised. Ben Foster is my choice for Brainiac. He is one of the most underappreciated actors going today and throws himself fully into his characters. I think he could pull off the role of a strange Einstein-like scientist for certain parts while also having the intensity and rage to play in most of the action sequences between him and Superman. He’s rather small at 5’9” compared to Cudmore’s 6’6” but I like that he seems rather normal in height and appearance and he can be made to look a little bigger and bulkier once the action sequences between him and Supes really start to kick it into high gear.
Suit design:
Obviously the suit needs some updating for today. I didn’t mind the Superman Returns suit but I wasn’t a huge fan either. I hated the baby blue and maroon. Part of Superman’s appeal as a character is his flash and excitement when you see the Blue and Red bolt go by you. They need to be bright and standout. I really like the design pictured above which I have seen several times on different websites. It does away with the ugly underwear that is no longer needed in favor of a much more modern belt style idea. (Although, I would add a tiny bit of yellow to that area to break up all the red and blue). I would also have the boots end just before the kneecap instead of going all the way over it. Outside of that, I really like this suit design above. I’d try to keep the cape more of a fabric that can flow and get torn as needs in the film but I would do without the spandex in favor of something that a mature man would wear. Maybe a slimmed down version of what Batman uses in Christopher Nolan’s franchise.
Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed. Don't forget to leave a comment and add some insights and feedback...