Superman : Man of Steel - Zack Snyder [juin 2013]

By Jeff "Doc" Jensen.

Hollywood's new Man of Steel, Henry Cavill had to pass the Laugh Test. To wit: Could he wear the Superman suit without anyone giggling? And not just any Superman suit. To shoot his screen test last month, the 27-year-old British actor donned a replica of the costume Christopher Reeve wore in director Richard Donner's classic 1978 film. By today's standards, those sky blue spandex threads with the iconic S shield on the chest look dated-and hence an effective yardstick for the team now charged with making Superman fly for 21st-century moviegoers. "If you can put on that suit and pull it off," says director Zack Snyder, "that's an awesome achievement."

As an assistant helped him into the suit, Cavill was feeling less than super. He certainly has the face for Superman-solid chin, defined cheekbones, piercing eyes, dark hair. He's also 6'1"and radiates intelligence, maturity, and all around good guyness, though he's too humble to say so himself. But Cavill worried that the rest of him wasn't up to snuff. He had recently lost the muscle tone he gained to playa loin cloth warrior in the mythic fantasy Immortals, due this November. "All 1could think was, Oh, God, they're going to look at me and go, 'He's not Superman. Not a chance,'" recalls Cavill, best known for playing Henry VIII's buddy Charles Brandon on Showtime's The Tudors. "The actor inside me was going, 'You're not ready! You're not ready!'" Snyder saw something different. "He walked out and no one laughed," says the director, a geek pop idol for his work on Dawn of the Dead, 300, and Watchmen. "Other actors put that suit on and it's ajoke, even if they're great actors. Henry put it on, and he exuded this kind of crazy-calm confidence that just made me go, 'Wow. Okay, this is Superman.'''

And with that, Superman's Hollywood re launch is up, up, and almost away; shoot on the as-of-yet-untitled Warner Bros. film begins this summer under Snyder, producer Christopher Nolan (Whoes two batman flicks have grossed nearly $1.4 billion at the box office worldwide), and screen writer David S. Goyer, who also wrote Batman Begins, three Blade films, and Dar kCity. The result of their collaboration, due late next year, will be a must see event, one the studio hopes will leave audiences in a must-see-more mood.

Of course, this all-star Superman project isn't the studio's first bid to return the paterfamilias of comic-book superheroes to pop culture prominence. In 2004, Warner Bros. tapped Bryan Singer-whose first two X-Men movies helped launch the modern era of superhero cinema-to restart the franchise following an infamously epic series of false starts. But Singer's emo-hued homage to Donner's movies, Superman Returns, starring newcomer Brandon Routh, proved to be a costly stall: It had a reported budget of $270 million but grossed only $391million globally. Back to the drawing board.

Warner Bros. didn't have to look far for a promising new take. In February 2010,
Nolan pitched a new approach to Superman developed by Goyer, addressing the character-introduced in 1938 by creators Jerry Siegeland Joe Shuster-in a modem context while staying true to his origins and essence. Last fall, Nolan hired Snyder, another Warner Bros. favorite, to direct. Snyder says the movie will emphasize the man in Superman, presenting a slightly older version oft he icon than we've previously seen on screen. He declined to comment on the film's plot, its villain (rumored to be General Zod, the escaped Phantom Zone baddie played by Terence Stamp in Superman and Superman II), or the design of Supe's new suit-except to say that it won't be a Reeve replica.

Whatever form the new story takes, Hollywood insiders believe a successful new Superman must answer two big questions: (1) Can an extraterrestrial demigod seem approachable to mere mortals? and (2) Will a culture hooked on Dark Knights and glib Iron Men buy into a more old-fashioned brand of heroism? "'Truth, justice, and the American way' is a pretty goody-goody point of view in a society more cynical about that kind of thing," says one prominent producer. "That's part ofthe puzzle they need to figure out: How do you make that point of view cool?" Snyder is already on the case. "We get that people perceive Superman as a naive Boy Scout;' says Snyder. "Does that character have a place in the modem world? 1think that's a legitimate question, and it's the focus of the work we're doing."

A major piece of that work is now complete: finding an actor who can express the next-gen Superman's masculinity, gravitas, and empathy. Henry Cavill was raised on the small British island of Jersey with limited time for pop culture beyond TV and computer games. The acting bug bit during his years at boarding school, and ever since he was 17, "I've been chasing the career around the world." In addition to four seasons of The Tudors, he appeared in such films as 2002’s The Count of Monte Cristo, 2007’s Stardust, and 2009’s Wood Allen comedy Whatever Works.

Snyder says he would have cast Cavill in his 2007 film 300, except the actor was holding out for another job: becoming the next 007. "I came very close," says Cavill. "The choice was between a younger Bond and a Bond closer to his 30s, which is to say, Daniel Craig." Cavill disputes reports that he was also a contender for Batman Begins ("At least, nobody was talking to me about it") but confirms he was a top candidate for an earlier version of Superman (to have been directed by McG) that fell apart in 2004. "But here 1 am, seven years later. Got ya!" he says with a triumphant shake of the fist. "It was wonderful to have a second stab at a job-and as a wiser, older, more experienced actor."

That experience came in handy during his two-part audition. Last October, he was asked to read some scenes written specifically for the tryout. He came back in January for a screen test and proved he could sell the suit and an American accent. Snyder declines to identity everyone who auditioned for the role, but volunteers that his second choice was True Bloods; Joe Manganiello. "Joe's a great guy. 1really liked him;' says Snyder, adding that it came down to a gut decision. "It was about seeing a quality that inspires this inexplicable, mysterious, cool emotion that says, 'That's my guy.'"

Two weeks after Cavill's screen test, Snyder gave him the life-changing call. "I told him that I had some good and bad news: He needed to start working out." Cavill was home alone in his London apartment at the time. He tried calling his girlfriend and his parents-but he couldn't get through to anyone. "I was like, 'This is ridiculous! I've just been given the biggest job in history, and nobody's picking up their bloody phones!'"

Soon it's Cavill who'll be hard to reach. He's about to begin getting Super ripped at Gym Jones, a fitness boutique specializing in building action-hero physiques. And the actor says he is eager to get into his own Superman suit. "Even during the audition, even amid my anxiety while wearing the older model, I had this extraordinary feeling: ‘Wow. I’m wearing the cape. I’m wearing the S’. Extraordinary.” he says. “I cant wait to do it for real.”

Viggo Mortensen on Warners' Radar for 'Superman' Villain (Exclusive)
Producer Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder eye actor as "person of interest" for reboot.

Now that British Henry Cavill is set to play the Man of Steel, the search is on the fill out the rest of the cast of Warner Bros.' big-budget Superman reboot. Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that producer Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder are zeroing in on an intriguing actor to play the villain: Viggo Mortensen.

Mortensen, who is still in negotiations for Universal’s Snow White and the Huntsman, is said to be at the top of the list to play General Zod, the evil and super-powered scientist who was portrayed by Terrence Stamp in 1980's Superman II. If Mortensen's Snow White deal doesn't close, that would potentially free him up to make Superman. Or Universal and Warner Bros. could work out his schedule and enable him to do both.

Sources say no talks have commenced and that Mortensen is just a "person of interest," much like Kevin Costner is for the role of Jonathan Kent. The actors aren't the only ones considered for their respective roles, though they are the ones most seriously talked about.

Snyder is in the midst of meeting actors for not only the role of Zod and Kent, but the three female parts well. Given the Nolan pedigree with the Batman films and the tenpole nature of a Superman film, the roles are considered some of the hottest and most-desired in town.

Warner Bros. had no comment

hollywoodreporter.com

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Warner Bros Sets Diane Lane For Superman's Adopted Mother, Martha Kent

BURBANK, CA, March 2, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Oscar-nominated actress Diane Lane will play Martha Kent, the only mother Clark Kent has ever known, in the new Superman movie to be directed by Zack Snyder.
Snyder stated, “This was a very important piece of casting for me because Martha Kent is the woman whose values helped shape the man we know as Superman. We are thrilled to have Diane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination.”
Lane will star with Henry Cavill, who was recently announced as the new Clark Kent/Superman.
Lane earned an Academy Award nomination for her performance in the 2002 drama “Unfaithful.” She most recently starred in the family hit “Secretariat.” She next stars in the HBO feature “Cinema Verite,” opposite Tim Robbins and James Gandolfini. Lane’s long list of film credits also includes “Nights in Rodanthe,” “Hollywoodland,” “Must Love Dogs,” “Under the Tuscan Sun,” “Perfect Storm,” “My Dog Skip,” “Chaplin,” “The Cotton Club” and “A Little Romance,” to name only a portion.
Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.
Slated for release in December 2012, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Superman a trouvé son ennemi

Michael Shannon incarnera le général Zod dans Man of Steel, nouvelle mouture des aventures de Superman réalisée par Zack Snyder (Watchmen, Sucker Punch).

L'acteur de 37 ans, connu pour ses performances intenses dans des productions modestes, admet être nerveux à l'idée de reprendre le rôle mémorablement interprété par Terrence Stamp dans Superman II (1980).

Snyder, quant à lui, s'est félicité de son choix: «Zod n'est pas seulement le plus grand ennemi de Superman, mais aussi le plus significatif parce qu'il a une connaissance de Superman que les autres n'ont pas. Michael est un acteur puissant qui peut projeter à la fois l'intelligence et la malice du personnage.»

Produit par Christopher Nolan, Man of Steel a pratiquement finalisé sa distribution: Clark Kent sera joué par Henry Cavill, vedette de la télésérie The Tudors, les parents du superhéros seront campés par Diane Lane et Kevin Costner, et Lois Lane aura les traits d'Amy Adams.

Le film devrait prendre l'affiche en décembre 2012.