As news broke only days ago that Prince of Thieves star Kevin Costner is being considered for the role of Superman’s adoptive father; Jonathan Kent; in the upcoming Superman reboot, The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that Lord of the Rings star Viggo Mortensen could be up for another major role; the coveted General Zod.
Subtitled The Man of Steel, the new film will be a complete reboot of the franchise; with David S. Goyer (Batman Begins) having written a screenplay, from a story conceived by producer Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) and himself, that is said to thoroughly modernize the tale of the classic alien superhero.
Most film fans and comic book readers will know that Superman (who goes by the name of Clark Kent, and acts as a mild mannered reporter, when not out fighting crime), follows the tale of an alien baby who was forced to abandon his home-world, and grows up on Earth attempting to hide his abilities of super-speed, super-strength, super-hearing, etc. from the general public, and often dons a natty red and blue costume; which he wears when fighting crime, and using his powers for good.
Henry Cavill (The Tudors) has been cast as the new Superman, in the Zack Snyder (300) directed picture that is reported to re-introduce the classic villain General Zod; an evil alien from Superman’s home-world Krypton, who last appeared on the big screen in 1980s Superman II; but may be portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in the new movie.
Whilst nothing has been confirmed yet; there are a number of possible names to take on the now highly coveted role, and Mortensen hasn’t even entered negotiations to take on the part (he’s currently still negotiating to appear in Snow White and the Huntsman); he remains a person of interest that is supposedly top of the wish list (much like Costner for his potential role), and one to watch.
Snyder is also meeting with several actresses for three coveted female roles in the movie; which we now know will not be an origin story (as it’s assumed by the creators that pretty much everyone already knows the basic story of Superman), and is due to be released in December 2012.
