# Cast the new Superman movie **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294 "2004-08-11T01:27:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/1 "2004-08-11T01:27:26Z")
I coulda sweared that there was already a thread about this, but a search from the past few months turned up nothing. So the rumors going around say that Bryan Singer is looking into casting Tom Welling (of “Smallville”) as Superman in the new movie. _This is a bad idea_. Welling is passable as a young Clark Kent, but a) the guy’s just not a good actor, and 2) he’s way way too much of a pretty-boy for an adult Superman. I’m a fan of “Smallville,” but when they first announced it I thought he was too much of a pretty-boy for the _young_ Superman. So my pick for the adult: [George Eads](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0247040/) from CSI. His schedule just opened up recently, so he’d be available. And the few times I’ve watched that series, I keep thinking, “How did Superman get bumped back down to forensics?” Plus, he’s got comic book experience, because he does the voice (and is clearly the model for the character) for Captain Atom in the new “Justice League Unlimited” series. So what do y’all think? For the record, I don’t think they should cast Jesus, either. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/2 "2004-08-11T01:47:11Z")
Josh Hartnett(Halloween H20, the Faculty, Pearl Harbor). He’d need a wig because his natural hair is all wrong for the part, but I think he could play the nebbish Clark Kent and be heroic as Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/3 "2004-08-11T01:52:53Z")
He’s a little older than the ideal age, but I’ve been saying for ten years that BRUCE CAMPBELL would be perfect. He has classic matinee-idol good looks, the requisite square jaw, dark hair, he has good comic timing and delivery, and he can play an action hero or a nebbishy nerd. As for the rest of the cast, I wouldn’t mind seeing Kevin Spacey as a smart and confident Lex Luthor, and Dana Delany as a sexy Lois Lane (she even did her voice in the animated series!). ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/4 "2004-08-11T02:14:25Z")
Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor is brilliant. I like Bruce Campbell as Superman if they ever do a movie out of _The Dark Knight Returns_ or _Kingdom Come_. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/5 "2004-08-11T02:41:43Z")
Clark Kent: I’ve always thought a guy like Brendan Fraser could do a good job with the part. Josh Hartnett isn’t a bad thought though. I’m uneasy about Bruce Campbell though. Someone else I have in mind is [Craig Bierko](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0081572/) Lex Luthor: I’m not sure I could do any better than Kevin Spacey. My mind is drawing a blank but how about Christopher McDonald. Lois Lane: Winona Ryder maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/6 "2004-08-11T03:38:08Z")
I think Brendan Fraser would make a great Clark Kent, but I can’t see him as Superman. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/7 "2004-08-11T03:56:11Z")
> [@Johnny Bravo](#): > > I think Brendan Fraser would make a great Clark Kent, but I can’t see him as Superman. Oh, I definitely can. Brendan Fraser is actually the perfect choice, and the one I was coming in here to suggest. He can play the nerdy Clark Kent character well – all he needs to do is channel the character he played in “Bedazzled” and he’s set. As to Superman…well, he’s got the chin. Truly great superhero actors only really need a strong chin. 🙂 As to the people who suggested/refuted Tom Welling…how should I put this gently? Welling has traditionally been very disrespectful of the Superman lore, and in particular the costume. He’s gone on record that he doesn’t want Superman to fly, or wear (IIRC) that “skin-tight gay costume.” Since he obviously feels this way, I say casting him is a bad idea. A friend of mine put it best when comparing Superman and Batman: Superman is really Clark Kent sometimes pretending to be Superman. Batman is really Batman sometimes pretending to be Bruce Wayne. Find the guy that can play the nerdy, unsure-of-himself Clark Kent, and you can worry about making him Superman later. ---
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/8 "2004-08-11T03:59:06Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > For the record, I don’t think they should cast Jesus, either. ::Lightbulb above head:: I’ve got it. [Jim Caviezel](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001029/) as Superman. Or maybe [Tim Daly](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0004857/), if he’s still young enough looking. But if they cast Ben Affleck, I’m going to start leaving alfalfa and sugar cubes out for the Four Horsemen’s mounts, for when they stop by. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/9 "2004-08-11T05:29:43Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > As to the people who suggested/refuted Tom Welling…how should I put this gently? Welling has traditionally been very disrespectful of the Superman lore, and in particular the costume. He’s gone on record that he doesn’t want Superman to fly, or wear (IIRC) that **“skin-tight gay costume.”** Since he obviously feels this way, I say casting him is a bad idea. (bolding mine) Hmmm. I can’t imagine his casting session with Bryan Singer is going to go over all that well. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/10 "2004-08-11T15:48:01Z")
Bruce Campbell as Superman/Clark Kent, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, and Dana Delany as Lois Lane are all good suggestions. However, I really like the _Smallville_ cast, and wouldn’t mind seeing them make a movie with them, so long as they wait a while after the show ends. By a while, I mean at least 5 years before they even start shooting. I’d also like to see them continue in the vein of the show. How about we call the movie _Metropolis_? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/11 "2004-08-11T16:15:51Z")
Puhleeze! None of these lithe pretty boys have the real physical presence to be [the big blue cheese](http://www.splash-color.com/misc/superman.jpg). It’s already a lock, the next Superman will be [THE ROCK!](http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/03/carey/table3.html) ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/12 "2004-08-11T16:31:25Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > Find the guy that can play the nerdy, unsure-of-himself Clark Kent, and you can worry about making him Superman later. Ah. Nicholas Brendan, then (Xander from BtVS). Or Wallace Shawn (so I can _clearly_ not open the lead-lined box in front of _me…_). For sheer body type: Daniel Cudmore (plays Colossus in X-men movies…). ---
**Author:** ![jeevmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/13 "2004-08-11T16:33:54Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > As to the people who suggested/refuted Tom Welling…how should I put this gently? Welling has traditionally been very disrespectful of the Superman lore, and in particular the costume. He’s gone on record that he doesn’t want Superman to fly, or wear (IIRC) that “skin-tight gay costume.” Since he obviously feels this way, I say casting him is a bad idea. I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you for a cite on this one. Particularly because Welling is on a show where he is not playing Superman. Rather, he is playing Clark Kent, and sometimes Kal-El. In fact, it’s becoming obvious in the show now that Superman is the identity invented to bridge the gap between Clark Kent the Human and Kal-El the Kryptonian. The whole premise of the show is “no flights, no tights.” If Welling says he doesn’t want the character he plays to fly or wear the costume, well, that’s in keeping with the spirit of the show and Gough/ Millar’s vision. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/14 "2004-08-11T17:26:35Z")
> [@jeevmon](#): > > I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you for a cite on this one. Particularly because Welling is on a show where he is not playing Superman. Rather, he is playing Clark Kent, and sometimes Kal-El. In fact, it’s becoming obvious in the show now that Superman is the identity invented to bridge the gap between Clark Kent the Human and Kal-El the Kryptonian. The whole premise of the show is “no flights, no tights.” If Welling says he doesn’t want the character he plays to fly or wear the costume, well, that’s in keeping with the spirit of the show and Gough/ Millar’s vision. Sorry, I wish I had a cite. I paraphrased the article I’d read, which (IIRC) was in either TV Guide or Entertainment Weekly. The comments he made might have been in line with the “no flights, no tights” rule, but the way he made it sound was that he wouldn’t have accepted the role if he was going to be expected to wear the suit. To me, that’s burning the bridge and salting the earth, but whatever. Maybe he doesn’t want to become typecast. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/15 "2004-08-11T18:56:30Z")
Dana Delany?!? What are they filming, _Superman XXIII: The Bowel Movement_? 48 years old is too old for the “young Superman” movie. It’s laughable, really. If you want cherubic redheads for the role, drag Claire Danes out of retirement. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/16 "2004-08-11T19:43:53Z")
> [@astro](#): > > Puhleeze! None of these lithe pretty boys have the real physical presence to be [the big blue cheese](http://www.splash-color.com/misc/superman.jpg). It’s already a lock, the next Superman will be [THE ROCK!](http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/03/carey/table3.html) Good lord! The only part that “the Rock” could convincingly play would be Bizarro! Or, maybe, Solomon Grundy. Rufus Sewell ought to play Superman, with - Jorga Fox as Lois Lane, Seth Green as Jimmy Olson, Allison Hannigan as Lana Lang, and Ed Asner as Perry White. As for villainss - Michael Chicklis as Lex Luthor, John Malkovich as Braniac, Steve Buscemi as the Toyman, and Wallace Shawn as Mr. Mtzyplyx! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/17 "2004-08-11T20:22:37Z")
> [@SolGrundy](#): > > I coulda sweared that there was already a thread about this, but a search from the past few months turned up nothing. [Not far enough](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=167758&highlight=eric+close) and I still say “Eric Close”. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/18 "2004-08-11T20:27:31Z")
Y’all are making the same error that every prior Superman movie has made, in casting the same actor to play both Superman and Clark Kent. Really brilliant casting would have different actors playing Superman and Clark, thus dispelling for once and for all the silly rumor that the two are the same. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/19 "2004-08-11T21:29:50Z")
[QUOTE=Art Vandelay, Architect] Good lord! The only part that “the Rock” could convincingly play would be Bizarro! Or, maybe, Solomon Grundy. QUOTE] “Can you smell what Bizzaro am not cooking!” ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2004, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294/20 "2004-08-11T21:53:16Z")
> [@astro](#): > > “Can you smell what Bizzaro am not cooking!” 😃 And Dwayne look nothing like Solomon Grundy. Grundy more overtly stocky while still having sensitive side. And more fair-skinned. And Solomon Grundy want pants, too! And a friend of mine yesterday suggested that the perfect actor to play Mr. Mtzylplyx is none other than Gene Hackman. They could do a Lord-of-the-Rings type hobbit effect to make him look smaller. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cast-the-new-superman-movie/259294.md?page=2)