Brandon Routh will get Superman Screentest

But also the repeated fan cries that despite not liking Superman Returns all that much, they still want to see Brandon Routh take on the role.

International Friend Kalelship tipped me off to a few articles about the Superman Reboot and the first of which talks about the potential that Brandon Routh will get the chance to prove himself.

DCWarnerbros.com says:

Nolan has acknowledged that Routh certainly looks the part, and will offer him a screentest. In discussing the prospect of casting him, he is worried about the general audience thinking the reboot has anything to with Superman Returns. There will be a difference in how they approach the characterization as well. Singer for example, kept Clark Kent similar to the Donner interpretation. Nolan wants to try something different and offer Clark up as the new “talent” and will be more competition than an undercover hero. That is right Byrnes fans, gone is the bumbling Mr. Kent.

Now this by no means says that Routh will get the gig.

Remember that they CHOSE Routh to begin with because he looked and portrayed the part a certain way. The Nolan Reboot will take a different approach to Superman – which the reboot needs – and will have Kent be a confident and talented journalist. This adds a completely different feel to the character while both the mild mannered reporter and Superman will be confident characters with a strong presence.

Bumbling gee-golly Kent was easy to dismiss as a connection to the Man of Steel, but while this new take on Kent will have him noticed a lot more, he has to get noticed for different things for those glasses to trick anyone.

Routh will have to audition as though he had never played Superman before, and hopefully if he can convince Nolan, he can convince viewers that this film is not tied in any way to Superman Returns.

As much as I want to see Routh as Superman, that connection to Superman Returns would be obvious and detracts from the point of Rebooting it. But if he gets picked and can convince me this isn’t the same Superman, I might be overly curious to see him try.

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42 thoughts on “Brandon Routh will get Superman Screentest

  1. 2 for 2 on your Jonah not directing Supes story and this one. It seems Routh is not ruled out by Snyder. Could be a good thing, though I think someone else will still get the role.

  2. I agree with a comment made above by CHRIS….perhaps it could be similar to SUPERMAN 3….not the story line but the concept. Lets not have Lois Lane or Lex Luthor in this one. We already know that we arent getting another origin story….its only just a SEMI REBOOT. Bringing Routh is still plausible and it can be explained to the fans that the bumbling KENT has transformed into a confident one …perhaps Perry White has advised that he get some “therapy” or maybe he just makes a conscious decision to be a different person…more outgoing etc. people in real life change in this way all the time…..and we all know that the Bumbling KENT facade is just an act anyway. ROUTH could still get the part and have it all still make sense without confusing anyone if its been explained in the film which is entirely possible since NOLANS films are all about dissecting the character and teaching the viewers who these people are internally …. ROUTHBOOT!

  3. I liked Routh in Superman Returns but the story leapt too far away from what I think would have been deemed acceptable by fans.

    Routh should continue to be Superman and Sam Hunington was an awesome Jimmy Olsen. The rest of the cast was average and they didn’t need Jason Lane [superkid] in the movie.

    I suspect we will get a new actor as the Man of Steel but I would not mind if Routh returned.

    Many older movies had the main actor and even actors reprise roles in more modern takes of films ie the Hammer Dracula Classics, certain Frankenstein flicks, and let’s not forget that the old George Reeve Superman TV Series even used the same Lois as the Kirk Alyn Serials, I think in season 2 of the GR Series.

    So I won’t count Routh or even Welling out [if he too auditions] but they will have to compete against other talent, such as unknown actors vying for the role.

    May the best Supermann win.

  4. As much as id love too see Tom welling/Smallville or Brandon take on the role its just not gonna work it would be too confusing too fans or anyone.

    If there gonna do it right, do it fresh with a new face/story/concept.

    Having said that They could easily give Smallville a facelift and it could still be amazing :)

    1. Yes, the producers kept saying they didn’t want to make Smallville in to Super boy but that Justice Society episode was awesome, and a bunch of characters ware wearing costumes and capes. I think it’s time for Smallville to show Clark as Sup and continue the show that way.

  5. Also as i had mentioned above about the comics books of Superman, since this is a superman movie, WHY do these movie people have to re-invent the wheel when it comes to the actual story? in some cases it works, & sometimes it doesnt. a big trend now in the movie industry (besides sequals, trilogies, etc) is the use of books as stories into movies (ie: potter, twilight, narnia) SOOOO, how about making some comic book story issues the main plot for the movie? if hollywood is bound & determined to make sequels & such (as i am 50/50 towards) why not use good comic book stories like (in the superman as an example) kingdom come, or for the comic book geeks that would know of the single issue story “for the man who has everything” since that is considered one of the greatest superman stories ever told. or pick & chose from the silverage, goldenage, john byrne era, or modeern comic stories. just a thought.

  6. i think mr. routh deserves to get a serious chance to play superman.

    1.) it has been 4yrs or so since superman returns so he is more mature. ive heard people say he was too young and too baby faced. im sure his face has “filled out” enough since then. 2.) he is actually a fairly big man with decent muscle structure and demeanor (alot more so than …say ….nicholas cage).

    2. why is everyone saying if its a reboot (including mr, nolan & wb execs) it has to be completely different? look at superman 3 & 4 (granted they dont hold a candle to 1 & 2) but for the devil’s advocate it had the same actors & actresses for the most part. but they really didnt have a sequential story. ie: superman 3 didnt have lois lane, or even lex luthor & didnt fall after #2. WHY cant the next Superman be just a single storied movie…like episodes of start trek the next genereation or more to the POINT “the adventures of Superman” comics and have 2 or 3 (or more) single storied movies. NOT ALL the comic book issues where story arcs that HAD to follow a 6 or 12 issue run (or in this case 3 movie arc). Alot were just single story adventiures contained in the mythos. Id like to see a well written superman movie that may not need a sequel or a trilogy but just a good single movie in & of ITSELF!!!! HOLLYWOOD has FORGOTTEN this.

    Granted i’d like to see 2 or more superman movies made (hopefully with Brandon Routh) but i dont recal that there was a Shawshank Redemption 2 or a Schilder’s list 2…both great movies but the story was self contained in 1 movie.

    1. All of these arguments apply better to Tom Welling.

      1) No one “deserves” the job more than the guy who has put 10 years into the role. And he is grown up now and looks like mature comic book Superman come to life.

      2) The Star Trek comparison only works when you take the cast of the TV show and let them star in the movies, as the Star Trek franchise successfully did.

      1. your interpretation of comment 2 was incorrect. even star trek the original series had individual self contained episodes. whether or not the cast was the same is irrelevant as far as the storyline . & i would say tom welling is a good clark kent (& wouldv been a good superman if the wb producers hadnt made him do everything superman has done BEFORE he even takes on the mantle of superman) but most hollywood productions made with “at the moment” popular actors from wb tv shows unfortunately become crap. its not the actors fault, but the studio”s?writers as they want to keep the “bubble gum pop” image with that actor….for the teens.

    2. They are calling it a reboot because well… IT IS.

      They are starting over fresh and ignoring any of the previous films.

      The first 4 Superman films WERE part of the same franchise. Lois Lane wasn’t part of the story in Superman3 but Margot Kidder does play Lois, albeit briefly before Clark goes on his adventure in Smallville. But it was still a sequential story in the franchise. Kidder returns for the poorly done Superman 4.

      The person who “deserves” the role will be the guy who can play the part the way they want to do the movie. Tom Welling didn’t ONCE play Superman, he played Clark Kent. And placing Welling in the role would make it feel like a Smallville film and would be harder to overlook than Routh playing the part in a reboot BECAUSE he has played a related role for 10 years.

  7. Someones playing nice and thats about it…..SHIT I’m suprised to even hear this. this is just for the fans. He aint gettin’ the job again. he can thank Singer for this.

  8. I believe the source of this so sounds good to me. superman-v.com was great, glad to see one of their own with a little place on the web to share scoops.

  9. While I think Routh is completely capable of portraying Clark more seriously, I think the fact that they are going in a different direction bodes poorly for him. This smells like a throw away to fans to say “hey we gave your guy a shot”… and then ultimately recast.

    This is fine because this shift completely augments the duality of the character. The dichotomy, or trichotomy of Kal-El, Clark and Superman was something I think Donner and Singer based their stories on, and I think Singer would have taken this idea further in a sequel.

    Nolan seems as though he is merging Clark and Kal-El, and eliminating the subtle, seemingly invisible Clark for something closer to present day Smallville Clark.

    Knowing this, I am completely at ease with the idea of recasting, even though I love Routh in Returns. Should they end up casting Routh in the reboot, it would be because he blew Nolan away and then I would be all the more excited about the project.

    1. @” Nolan seems as though he is merging Clark and Kal-El, and eliminating the subtle, seemingly invisible Clark for something closer to present day Smallville Clark.”

      Nolan has not and will not give anything away of what he will do with Sup. The only thing he has said is that they will approach Sup In a way that is viable to today’s world. Remember in BB & TDK, Bruce has put on this charade that he is a rich playboy that wouldn’t care if Gotham burned in flames as long as he has his Millions and on the flip side The Batman has to be the Dark Justice Vigilante. Nolan will do the same for Sup. If anything he will finally find a way to make sense of the nobody knows Kent is Superman because of the glasses thing.

      1. Im confused…you said “Nolan has not and will not give anything away” and then went on to tell me what Nolan is going to do with the character…which is it?

        I was simply giving my thoughts in response to what the original post says about where Nolan intends to go with the character in contrast to Superman Returns, I didnt just pull it out of nowhere.

      2. He said he was going to make it more real, that’s saying something without giving away any specifics. What I am saying he is going to do is based on the way he has done with the Batman Films. This post is Quoting a website, not Nolan directly. I know you are giving an opinion, I’m giving an opinion on your opinion.. I think I said it right.

      3. I dont think what the website says (whether its true or not) is out of line with your opinion on the reality aspect of the story, so Im not disagreeing with you there… I am however taking the opportunity to speculate on the casting and the possible dircetions we can logically deduce that Nolan may go with the character moving forward… Otherwise, what are we doing here?

  10. All the arguments for and against also apply to Tom Welling. Several months after Superman Returns opened, Warners commissioned a marketing study on SR to get a better idea of its reception and direction for a sequel. Part of it was a multiple choice “Who is your Superman?” listing all the actors to play him and also “Who should have starred as Superman in the film?” as both multiple choice and open-ended. Tom Welling was the answer to both questions by large margins. He even beat Christopher Reeve!! (thanks to the younger demos) Lots of folk who were unfamiliar with Smallville were still aware of the concept. They vaguely knew that out there was a show about future Superman and were predisposed to having “future Superman” become the Superman of the movies. Be aware that this segment of folks had no idea of continuity, Elseworlds, or blah blah blah. They only knew that tv’s “future Superman” becoming movie Superman made sense to them.

    Now there are several moderating factors to this result. Firstly, it was at the height of Smallville’s popularity or public familiarity. However, it was also at the height of Superman Return’s popularity, just coming off a massive multimillion dollar ad campaign, and Welling still beat Routh and everyone else by a large margin. Still, the results of a marketing study done over four years ago doesn’t necessarily reflect what the results of a study done tomorrow would do. A lot can change in a couple of years and the study is already out of date. However, Warners, like all companies places more weight on marketing studies it has PAID for than less rigorous circumstantial evidence like internet polls and blog articles. The very fact that they paid for it makes executives and companies want to rely on the results, even if those results may not be timely. It’s a corporate mentality thing.

    I would guess, although no study has yet confirmed it, that the majority of the public is willing to go along with almost any new actor who Nolan approves of (barring a Nic Cage fiasco). The audience is well conditioned to understanding what a reboot/fresh start is, and its necessitating new actors.

  11. I really hope that Routh gets the part, he’s the perfect look for Superman. I’m sure in the years since he did Superman Returns he’s brushed up on his acting a bit more. I feel that if you have only Routh, and none of the other actors from the previous installment, who is acting completely different with a whole new group of people in a new environment then it won’t just feel like a sequel to Superman Returns. I certainly wish the guy the best of luck on knocking it out of the park with his screentest!

  12. It would be smart to go with Routh as long as he can provide the characterization they want. He is an actor so obviously he has the ability to change his take on the character. I mean the look of Superman does not really have to change. Think of all the different incarnations of the character over the years. Routh really does LOOK like Superman and if he can sell a cool modernized version of Clark Kent I think he can impress Nolan and land the role. Rodney saying he likely won’t get the role is assuming that Routh doesn’t have the acting chops to play Nolan’s Superman. I think Routh will prove him wrong.

    1. I am not saying he hasn’t got acting ability. But even Nolan admits that even a far more seasoned actor would have a hard time playing the same role differently enough to convince a director that this same face is not the same character.

      Everything is stacked against him getting this role. They are willing to give him a shot at it, which is very cool of them. But I bet no matter how well he does it, all it will take is seeing another actor audition for it that does it just as well and didn’t just star as Superman in a movie.

      People said Reeve was going to be hard to replace and Routh comes along and its Reeve who?

      Just sayin.

      1. Superman has had to reinvent himself countless times and it has worked well. There is only so much about Superman a writer/director can change. At the core of it all Superman will always be the good guy with traditional values, the same as he always was. The cool more hip Clark Kent will not be difficult for Routh to pull off. So unless Nolan wants a completely different look for Superman than Routh has more going for him than some people think.

      2. i think routh should be superman again, he did well in superman returns..i understand that nolan wants to start fresh but they really should stick with brandon being superman in the next movie.

    2. I agree with Rodney, Nolan would not want any aspect of the “Superman Returns” movie in his version of Sup. If someone is giving Routh a chance it’s the Studio Execs. because the fans have made it clear they like Routh so much, but it’s not Nolan and he has the final say on this.

      1. As long as they don’t go the Tim Burton Scissorhands version of Superman, I’m in for this. I’d love to see Routh get the chance to play the character again… Returns never really grabbed me but Routh really embodied the man of steel. There’ve been a number of Batmans in my life but all of them had the mask… Superman doesn’t so the look of the guy is important.

    1. I would think that if they want to minimize audiences making concetions to the last movie, it would be the same to the TV show. Cast Welling and people will think it’s a movie version of Smallville.

  13. Maybe Matthew Vaughn was right. Superman is the greatest superhero, I hope they don’t fuck this up again. If they do I will lose some faith in all superhero movies.

  14. I wish him luck, I liked him in Returns but I agree a reboot needs new facies, only expection to this was for James Bond, M is still played by Judi Dench but she’s not a main character like Superman is

    1. Kate will not be in this.

      None of the existing actors from Returns are even being offered roles as this is a reboot of the series. Routh is the exception to the rule and he still likely wont get the role.

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