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Preview by: Jack Foley
A RELATIVELY unknown actor has been cast as The Man of Steel
in Warner Bros Pictures upcoming Superman epic, which is to be
directed by X-Men helmer, Bryan Singer.
Twenty-five-year-old Brandon Routh, a native of Iowa, will step
into the shoes made famous by the late Christopher
Reeve, in the highly-anticipated action adventure.
The announcement was made on Friday (October 22, 2004) by Jeff
Robinov, President of Production for Warner Bros. Pictures, who
predicted a very bright future for the franchise.
The choice echoes the deicision to cast Reeve in the original
Superman movie, given that he was also an unknown name at the
time.
Routh was chosen for the role of Superman following an exhaustive
search that spanned the United States, United Kingdom, Canada
and Australia. Thousands of candidates were interviewed before
the final selection was made.
He does have a number of television credits to his name, including
One Life to Live, Gilmore Girls, Will & Grace and Cold Case,
and recently completeed his first feature role in the upcoming
film Deadly, starring opposite Laura Prepon.
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Commenting on his choice of star,
however, Singer stated: "Contrary to speculation, it was
always my absolute intention to hire an unknown for this role.
"Brandon is an extremely fine actor who possesses the physical
qualifications of Clark Kent/Superman. But he also embodies the
legacy and history of this character in a way that makes me certain
he’s the right choice."
He was backed by Robinov, who added: "We respect and appreciate
the intense interest that our fans around the world have in Superman,
and we went everywhere in search of a talented actor who would
represent his look, character and presence.
"We think Brandon is a gifted young performer who can re-energize
this iconic character and excite new audiences about the legend
of Superman."
The as-yet-untitled Superman movie is expected to begin principal
photography in Australia early next year for release in summer,
2006.
It will be produced by Jon Peters, Bryan Singer and Gilbert Adler
from a screenplay by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. No other
casting has been announced.
But in a further endorsement of the project, Alan Horn, President
and Chief Operating Officer of Warner Bros., added: "We are
so pleased to have put this extraordinary team of filmmakers and
talent together and to be moving forward with a project we’ve
all anticipated so much.
"I think we’re going to make a Superman movie that
all of us can be very proud to bring to our audience around the
world."
With Warner Bros. already revelling in the rejuvenation of Batman,
thanks to Christopher Nolan, in 2005, don't bet against the Man
of Steel dominating the box office come 2006.
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