SUPERMAN Casting Has Begun

Casting has officially begun for Superman by Warner Bros, producer Chris Nolan and director Zack Snyder.

Deadline is reporting that the Warner Bros. is open to the idea of creating a new star for the reboot of the Superman franchise saying 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.

This is likely to be a long, drawn out process much like the hunt for the recent Spider-Man.  Actors like Armie Hammer, who starred in The Social Network as both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss and who was considered for the role of Batman in a Justice League film that George Miller was set to direct before getting scrapped.  The only drawback for Hammer is that he is too young and the studio has been leaning towards an older Superman.  

Warner Bros. could  choose a TV star like True Blood'sJoe Manganiello or Ian Somerhalder of The Vampire Diaries; both are in their 30's. Choosing a TV star also poses an issue because of the shooting schedule, set to begin in June, which interferes with prime time schedules.  The studio has to stay on track for that start date because some of the rights are in jeopardy in 2013.

Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer crafted the story to be produced by Warner Bros. with Legendary Pictures. Goyer is polishing his script with Snyder. Nolan and his partner Emma Thomas will share producing duties with Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder, while co-financier Legendary Pictures' Thomas Tull is executive producer.

There has been a long history of discovery with the Superman films. Both Christopher Reeve and Brandon Routh were not known well prior to the films.  The same can be said for the small screen, George Reeves, Tom Welling and Dean Cain were all discovered for their respective shows.

The attempts at using a well known actor have fallen apart.  Tim Burton was developing a Superman film with Nicolas Cage which failed because the budget became too high. Another example is the Brett Ratner version that had tried to woo Josh Hartnett into the role but was later scrapped when Singer signed on to helm.  Surprisingly Hartnett turned down the role, even though he had the potential to make $100 million for three pictures if all had been made. The new Superman is not going to see that same kind of pay day.

Who would you like to see in the role of Superman?