Movies

Superman: Man of Steel

[Last Updated: May 21, 2013]

Title: "Man of Steel".

Release Date: June 14, 2013 (USA).

Cast & Crew:
Director: Zack Snyder
Producers: Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder
Executive Producers: Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips
Story: David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan
Screenplay: David S. Goyer
Musical Score: Hans Zimmer

Clark Kent/Superman: Henry Cavill
Lois Lane: Amy Adams
Jonathan Kent: Kevin Costner
Martha Kent: Diane Lane
General Zod: Michael Shannon
Faora: Antje Traue
Jor-El: Russell Crowe
Lara: Ayelet Zurer
Perry White: Laurence Fishburne
General Swanwick: Harry Lennix
Colonel Hardy: Christopher Meloni
Emil Hamilton: Richard Schiff
Young Clark Kent: Cooper Timberline
Teenage Clark Kent: Dylan Sprayberry
Teenage Lana Lang: Jadin Gould
Teenage Pete Ross: Jack Foley
Teenage Whitney Fordham: Robert Gerdisch

Story:
In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is a young twenty-something journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond his imagination. Transported years ago to Earth from Krypton, a highly advanced, distant planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question 'Why am I here?' Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark discovers having extraordinary abilities means making difficult decisions. When the world is in dire need of stability, an even greater threat emerges. Clark must become a Man of Steel, to protect the people he loves and shine as the world's beacon of hope - Superman.

Teaser Trailer #1A (Jonathan Kent):

Teaser Trailer #1B (Jor-El):

Trailer #2:

TV Spot #1:

You Are Not Alone:

Trailer #3:

TV Spot #2:

TV Spot #3:

TV Spot #4:

TV Spot #5:

UK TV Spot:

Walmart Featurette:

Trailer #4 - "Fate of Your Planet":

What's Happening With the Next Superman Movie?

Who is in charge of the film?

Zack Snyder is director. Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay was 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 on June 14, 2013, the new Superman movie will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Q: What do we know about the script?

A: Christopher Nolan and David Goyer told the LA Times:

"It's very exciting, we have a fantastic story, and we feel we can do it right. We know the milieu, if you will, we know the genre and how to get it done right."

"He [David Goyer] basically told me, 'I have this thought about how you would approach Superman,' " Nolan recalled. "I immediately got it, loved it and thought: That is a way of approaching the story I've never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way."

"We're producing the [Superman] film and David Goyer had a terrific take on the story," Nolan told MTV News during the 2010 ShoWest convention. "I've been working on the story with David, and he's going to go off and write it, and we'll see where it goes."

In January 2013 David Goyer told Access Hollywood, "I'm really proud of it. I never thought I'd be doing a Superman film. The only possible way to top Batman is to tackle Superman, who's the grandaddy of all the superheroes. I think the movie is going to be the right movie for the time. I'm happy that movie is going to be coming out this summer because I think it's the kind of movie that the world needs right now. He's an unabashed hero."

Q: What has been said by director Zack Snyder?

A: Zack Snyder (of "Watchmen" and "300" fame) is directing the new Superman movie.

He told EW.com, "I've followed Superman over the years," he says. "I wouldn't say I was a huge devotee, but I've kept an eye on the character in the pop culture, and as the pop culture has regarded him, for the past 10 years, especially. I think there's a real opportunity here. He's in the perfect place to do something." When asked to elaborate, he says: "Think of where Batman was when Chris took that on earlier in the decade. I think Superman is in a very similar place, in terms of being available and in terms of his relationship to where the culture was at that time. Superman is right there. He's ready. And can I be any more cryptic?"

Asked if he's ready to take on another comic book franchise that will be eagerly anticipated - and intensely, obsessively scrutinized - by fans, Snyder says: "All I can is that this is super-awesome, and I'm super-excited, by every aspect of this. He's Superman. He's the king of the superheroes."

Q: Will the next movie be a sequel to "Superman Returns" or a reboot?

A: The Wall Street Journal posted an article that reveals that the Superman franchise is confirmed to be rebooting. "'Superman [Returns]' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," said Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned." "Had 'Superman [Returns]' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of [2008] or 2009. But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman."

In October 2010 Zack Snyder told French site, Filmsactu.com, "As I already explained, the film will be focused on the early days of Superman. It will not have links with the other films. This will not be a remake. Again, even though I can't talk about the story, I can assure you that this new Superman will not be based on any particular comic book."

In March 2011 Snyder told the LA Times, "Literally, the one thing that everyone can start to think about is that we're making a movie that finally goes with the approach that there's been no other Superman movies," Snyder said. "If you look at 'Batman Begins,' there's that structure, there's the canon that we know about and respect but on other hand there's this approach that pre-supposes that there haven't been any other movies. In every aspect of designÊand of story, the whole thingÊis very much from that perspective of respect the canon but don't be a slave to the movies."

Q: Who are the main cast members?

A: Henry Cavill has been cast in the role of Superman/Clark Kent.

"He just did a great job with the material that we had him try out, so it was a win-win situation," Snyder noted about Cavill's audition. "He's definitely - without saying what our Superman is - it. He knows how to do what we needed him to do."

"There was a big, giant search for Lois," Snyder said. "For us it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it."

"I think the thing you realize when you look at Diane and Kevin, in our decision to cast them so far, you sort of get a sense of how tonally we're looking at the movie, and what you realize is that those guys are serious actors, and we're taking this seriously in terms of the tone of having those guys. You're talking about having a situation where whatever the action is or whatever the drama of the movie is, our first priority is to make sure it's rendered in the most realistic way we can get at."

Snyder stated, "Zod is not only one of Superman's most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don't. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role."

Laurence Fishburne has been cast as Perry White, Editor-in-Chief of the Daily Planet newspaper.

Q: Will any of the cast members from "Superman Returns" be in the next movie?

A: No.

Q: What will the next movie be titled?

A: The movie is titled "Man of Steel".

Q: Why do I keep hearing they want to make the next Superman film darker?

A: This idea originated from an interview with Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov by The Wall Street Journal who wrote:

Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as "The Dark Knight." Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.' DC properties. "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it," he says. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well.

Q: Who will be the villain(s) in the next movie?

A: General Zod will be played by Michael Shannon. It is unknown at this point in time if any other villains (other than Zod and Faora) will appear in the movie.

Q: When will the next Superman movie be released to cinemas?

A: The official release date for the USA and Canada is June 14, 2013.

The official website has a page listing the worldwide release dates for the film. While most countries, like the USA, Canada, Jamaica, Mexico, India, Indonesia, and the UK will see the movie premiere on June 14, 2013. Fans in Egypt and the Philippines will get to see it first, with the movie being released there on June 12, 2013. Many other countries, like Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Lebanon, and the United Arab Emirates, will get to see it on June 13, 2013. Fans in Australia have to wait until June 27, 2013.

Q: Where did they film the new movie?

A: The movie was filmed on location in the Chicago, Illinois area and Vancouver, Canada and at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

TorontoSun.com reported that Canada missed out on hosting the bulk of production of the new Superman movie due to a lack of military hardware being available.

Superman: Man of Steel will be filmed in the Chicago area instead of Alberta, Lindsay Blackett, the province's minister of culture and community spirit confirmed. "From what I understand (the production) needed aircraft carriers and the Canadian military doesn't have those. They needed attack helicopters and things like that and we just don't have them and the U.S. was willing to give them whatever they wanted."

Some filming took place across August/September 2011 in Plano, Illinois (west of Chicago) where they filmed scenes set in Smallville.

Q: What promotional material has been released to date?

A: The first official image (the bank vault image shown above) was released in August 2011. The official movie logo (at the top of this page) was released in March 2012. Footage from the film was screened during Comic-Con 2012 and a silhouette poster was released at the same time (July 2012). The two versions of the teaser trailer (displayed on this page) were released to cinemas with "The Dark Knight Rises" in July 2012. An online poster (showing Superman in handcuffs) was released online on December 4, 2012. A theatrical trailer running 2 minutes and 20 seconds (displayed above) was released online on December 11, 2012 and with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" from December 14, 2012.

If you have any other questions not covered above feel free to email me.

Steve Younis