I liked Superman Returns. Despite its flaws, I thought it was a good story and a great setup for a new Superman franchise – reestablish the characters, give them some weight, then come back with an action-packed movie. But alas, the second movie never came and we find ourselves once again bracing for another “reboot” for the Man of Steel. Personally, I thought Routh was a great Superman/Clark Kent, and had he been given the chance to throw down with a bigger villain, he could have handled the job, but it looks like he won’t be getting the chance.
Early reports had Routh at least in the running to return as Supes, but either those just weren’t true, or Nolan and Snyder have just decided to go a different direction. According to Deadline:
Warner Bros, producer Chris Nolan, and director Zack Snyder have begun to cast a “wide net” to find the next Man of Steel. Insiders tell us the studio is open to creating a star as it reboots the Superman franchise: specifically, that the actor will either be a discovery or on TV but likely someone who isn’t well known yet. And he’ll be in the age range of 28-to-32. The studio expects to look at hundreds of young actors before making a decision.
Of course, along with this you already have some relatively unknown actor names being thrown around, including your standard CW stars that always seem to make it on to these types of lists. I swear, no matter what superhero casting is announced, not long after you start seeing Jensen Ackles name pop up – there must be a huge group of 14 year old fangirls out there pimping this guy for every superhero role imaginable; but I digress.
I am a little disappointed that Routh won’t get another chance to wear the cape again, but I have enough faith in Nolan and Snyder to do some solid casting for this film.
Production on Nolan and Snyder’s Superman film is slated to begin next June.