Former Superman Brandon Routh was in attendance at the Chicago Comic-Con this past weekend, during which the Superman Returns star was asked for his thoughts on Man of Steel. Despite admitting that he’s yet to see the film, Routh still offered his opinion, based upon what he’s heard about the Zack Snyder-directed reboot.
“With a new born baby I have not been out of the house much to see movies, but I have heard a lot about the film,” states Routh (via ComicBookMovie). “It seems to me that they were given a note that more action was wanted. It tried to make up for what Superman Returns lacked, but at the same time what Superman Returns had perhaps Man of Steel lacked. You can’t get 100% success. To reach too far toward one crowd, you miss another audience or age group. It is difficult to be a movie executive.
The discussion then turned to Routh’s portrayal, where he commented on the pressure to live up to Christopher Reeve’s iconic take on the Man of Steel:
“I think everyone out there who was a fan of those movies was saying ‘yeah I see this new guy, but he is no Christopher Reeve’. I grew up watching those movies and Chris was my Superman, so I knew full well the challenge I had in front of me. I wanted to make sure I did justice to his legacy. That’s why I tried to bring as much of his spirit and energy to the role as I could while still doing things to make it my own. If I would have gone in and did a totally different Superman, some people would have like that, mainly people who did not know Christopher Reeve as Superman. Many more people know him in the role, so it was important that I try and bridge the gap.”
Originally published August 19, 2013. Updated December 13, 2019.
