WARNING: This article contains a couple of pieces of speculation that may turn out to be spoilers.
Next year will see Superman’s sixth trip to the big screen and it’s fair to say that the Warners new poster for Man Of Steel (below), like the teaser trailer before it, has been met with a mixed response, with a lot of fans worried about what tone the film will have and what kind of Superman we’re going to be seeing.
New Man of Steel teaser poster
It’s never wise to judge a film before it’s released, especially given how misleading marketing campaigns actually are (Dark Shadows being sold as an out and out comedy anyone?), but Warners seems to be doing very little to put Superman fans at ease. After all, in the comics, Superman is the beacon of light within the DC Universe. A symbol of hope. The world’s biggest Boy Scout (Trademark and ©Batman). None of which is coming across in any of the promotional material so far.
Sure there are reasons to be concerned; the much-maligned Zack Snyder is directing, that suit, the redesign of the S symbol, the use of the words “Grounded” and “Darker”. These are all valid causes for concern, but there are also reasons to get excited about the film. Here are my top 6 reasons we should be getting excited:
1) THE CASTING – Amy Adams is a great choice for Lois Lane (despite looking more like Lana Lang) and could finally see the first great Lois on cinema screens. Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent is perfect (let’s hope that leaked photo of his grave is a mis-direct – as Lois & Clark and the first 5 seasons of Smallville proved, Clark needs his Pa!). Probably the most inspired bit of casting though is Laurence Fishburne as Perry White. And that’s without even mentioning Russell Crowe, Christopher Meloni, Diane Lane, Richard Schiff and Michael Shannon.
Amy Adams as Lois Lane
2) A CLEAN SLATE – One of the biggest problems with Superman Returns was its need to tie itself into the continuity of the Christopher Reeve films (well, parts 1 & 2 anyway) instead of reinventing for a new generation. Man Of Steel doesn’t have that problem, instead choosing to dump the baggage and start a fresh continuity to build a new franchise on.
3) THE START OF SOMETHING BIGGER – It has been strongly hinted that, for the first time in the cinematic DC history (barring a couple of references in Batman Forever and Batman And Robin), that this will be the start of a Marvel-esque movie universe, incorporating other characters from the DCU and leading into the Justice League film in 2015. Why it has taken this long is a mystery, given that all of its characters (unlike Marvel’s) are housed under one studio’s roof, but if they do this right we could be seeing a lot of great DC characters getting the cinematic treatment.
The Justice League (DC’s New 52)
4) HANS ZIMMER SCORE – Sure it’s going to be strange to watch a Superman film that doesn’t open with John Williams’ famous theme, but Hans Zimmer is great choice to pick up the composers duties. If you don’t believe me, just put on his scores for Nolan’s Batman Trilogy or Inception. If he can come up with a big theme worthy of Superman then we could be in business.
5) HENRY CAVILL IS SUPERMAN – I’m one of the people who is a big fan of Brandon Routh’s Superman (arguably the best thing about Superman Returns) and was hugely disappointed that he wasn’t being given another, deserved, shot at the part (maybe he can pop up on Arrow in the part one day). I have to admit that Cavill looks good in the part, filling the suit (which I’m warming to) nicely. Also, given that he was cast as Superman when Brett Ratner was attached to (what became) Superman Returns it’s only fair that he finally get his chance in the cape.
Henry Cavill on the set of Man of Steel
6) Its SUPERMAN! – It’s important to remember that this is a film about Clark becoming Superman and finding his place in, and being accepted by, the world around him. Kind of like the Casino Royale of Superman films, filling in the gaps between Clark leaving Smallville and arriving in Metropolis.
And besides, how can you not get excited about seeing Superman on the big screen?
Teaser #1
MAN OF STEEL opens in UK cinemas on June 14th 2013.
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