Rising British actor Henry Cavill has been cast as Superman in Zack Snyder’s upcoming reboot Man of Steel, with the director releasing a statement today to confirm the news. Cavill is best known for his work on the television period drama The Tudors, while his feature credits include The Count of Monte Cristo (2002, dir. Kevin Reynolds), Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005, dir. Rick Bota), Tristan + Isolde (2006, dir. Kevin Reynolds), Stardust (2007, dir. Matthew Vaughn), Blood Creek (2009, dir. Joel Schumacher), Whatever Works (2009, dir. Woody Allen) and the upcoming action fantasy Immortals (2011, dir. Tarsem Singh). Cavill has a prior history with Superman; he was under consideration for the role when McG and Brett Ratner were attached to Superman Returns (2006), losing out to Brandon Routh when Bryan Singer came on board, while he was also a contender for franchise reboots Batman Begins (2005) and Casino Royale (2006).
In his statement, Snyder said: “In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.” The film is gearing up for production in Vancouver, Canada with a likely summer start date and a hefty budget of $175m. Christopher Nolan produces from a screenplay by Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, all of whom are set to have a busy couple of years with Snyder’s Superman: Man of Steel and The Dark Kight Rises occupying their slate.
Superman is set to hit the skies once again when Man of Steel arrives in December 2012. Meanwhile /Film have already received a rather impressive mock-up of Cavill in the red and blue which you can check out here.
Originally published January 30, 2011. Updated April 10, 2018.
