The next Superman film is going to happen. The script has been written. It’s been stated that both, Jonah Nolan and David Goyer, are the frontrunners to direct it. Christopher Nolan will “godfather” the movie’s making. Lots of actors have been rumored for the part of The Man Of Steel. Still, there are many fans out there who want Brandon Routh to come back and reprise his role once again. Could Routh stage a fan-supported comeback and become Superman once more?
Talking with the actor at a round-table interview for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Routh said that he has not yet heard anything about the Christopher Nolan-David Goyer written reboot, but would love to play the character again.
“I certainly would [love to play Superman again]. As much as I say I’m working to shake that off or shake it up, I certainly don’t want to extinguish or get rid of it because it was a great honor and I would love to be able to return as that character.”
When told about an internet groundswell supporting his return, Routh said that he wants it to “turn into a tsunami,” adding “I think the brothers Nolan are both very talented and so that makes it a different kind of film that would be than Bryan’s vision, which I think was a very nice film that I’m very proud of.”
I’m all for the Nolan/Goyer reboot, but I’d have to say that I like this idea. Routh was great in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. Yes, the movie wasn’t that awesome, but it wasn’t Routh’s fault. He came in, and did an outstanding job. Yup, I’m all for the idea of Routh coming back for The Man Of Steel.
Could this happen? Would WB accept this and offer him the job once more? Does a reboot imply that all actors need to be new? What do you guys think; want Routh back?
Rumor is that Zachary Levi is up for the role. That sounds pretty good to me.
I liked Routh as the Clark Kent character but I thought he was unimpressive as the counterpart Superman. I have watched him in a few things now and Routh just doesnt impress me at all, he was the most boring character on tv series (Chuck) I have ever seen.
I am up for recasting
This page of commenst amuses me. I can’t imagine Christopher Nolan being allowed to bring anything new and fresh to Superman without people like you guys tearing him down for daring to mess with Superman and his 70 years of history. That’s why Supes will always be a failure to me – his fans won’t let him change and adapt for a new generation without calling the almight comics fury down on anyone who dares to do something different with him. IOW Nolan will be forced to everything we’ve seen before so cue origin story, oh my gwash, he’s got a sekrit identity, Luthor making life miserable for him and oh wow, like we didn’t see this coming, kryptonite used to weaken him *yawns* Been there, done that got bored.
I wish Nolan would put his talents to something else intelligent like Inception or bring a different, more contemporary hero to the big screen.
Yes, bring Routh back!
There aren’t many actors that have the physical presence that works for Superman. Routh did. I’d much rather they cast him than a new actor, reboot or not.
I would love nothing more than for Routh to come back as Supes, however if they are going in a completely new direction they are probably going to want to distance themselves from the previous films.
I would have to have more info concerning the plot to make a more informed decision. If team Nolan casted Routh today, I would be pumped. But if they go another way, I will completely understand…
I WANT HIM BACK!
It’s not like his career is booming lol.
Unless they get the cajones to actually hire Jon Hamm as Superman then I have no problem at all with Routh coming back. He was easily the best part of Returns and it wasn’t his fault that the movie was a soap opera at best. Just plaese give him something to punch this time.
I say just let Routh do it. He is the perfect fit.
Routh is the man! Just a great Superman. I am sure he can bend the character as needed. Just how much to they want to change Superman anyway? Change him into another character altogether until he is not Superman?
I think it would be great to see Routh return as Superman. They do all this searching for unknowns to play the roles of Superheros, and I think they did a great job at casting Routh. Now I will be the first to admit that Routh could have used a little work with his performance, I’m just comparing Christopher Reeve’s warm personality in all his Superman films versus how Supes was portrayed in Superman Returns.
Also if we are comparing the whole, well… if Routh returns to play Superman it will just seem like a sequel to Superman Returns. I find it a little more weird to have actors like Chris Evans take on the role as Captain America, especially when he was the Human Torch in F4. Or having Ryan Reynolds take on Green Lantern when we already saw him as Deadpool. The filmmakers could have easily found other actors to take on the characters.
So my final thought is to give Routh another shot. That is unless they can find some phenomenal unknown, that looks fantastic as Superman and can really bring something magical to the Clark Kent/Superman roles.
Hmmm…Welling….ah hell, now I’m torn again. I would support either, it would lend credibility and stability for tyhe next stages of the franchise/s….Routh might need to bulk up just a tad…lol….Ok, I’m gonna stop over-analyzing this.
I thought he (Routh) did a Yeoman’s job as Supes! I would fully support his return in the Reboot 100%. The faults of SR was not his, it was the screenwriters. I would however like to see a less “goofy” Clark in the next one. Not quiite the 70’s “bumbling alter-ego”. So, two very strong Thumbs-Up for Brandon Returns!
am i the only person who found routh horrible as superman? superman was a guy with a chiseled face in the comics and with reeves (perfect casting) routh was meh. he was great as clark kent because he didnt look strong enough to be A superman.
How ’bout Tom Welling? He does a great job in Smallville, and this will be the last season so it would be a good transition.
Why don’t they ever use ROUTH to voice Superman in any of the DC Animated movies? That would certainly be one cool way of keeping Routh as Superman in the public’s eye. Actually, I think they should use Keaton for some animated work too (as Batman).
I loved Routh as Superman… I thought he succeeded in making us believe in the character and that he was a nice successor to Christopher Reeves. And, even if the story would take a different direction, I think it would be nice to have him come back and create some kind of continuity!
You know the one thing Singer did get right with Superman Returns? He didn’t cast Tom Welling, because Welling is already associated with Smallville. Just like Routh is already associated with Superman Returns.
Okay. In theory, Brandon Routh Supey can go do some errand, and accidently land in a DC alternate Earth, swap with that Earth Supey and confuse everyone, drive people bonkers. We are all happy campers now, aren’t we? Or was Superman Returns a cruel prank by the Mytzlyplk?
There’s several ways to restart by bringing Routh back. I wouldn’t mind if he was. However…
This isn’t a supporting character like M from James Bond or a time travel story with Spock Prime. This is the main character. I would have to lean towards a “no” to Routh. When I factor in a few other areas, I lean towards no. Does Kent have be a guy that doesn’t fit in to current culture? No. If this a reboot and other roles are recast, such as that of Lois Lane, an acting chemistry also alters. Brandon Routh could probably do it alright, but the odds are against him.
And if there’s a Lex Luthor, no more land grabbing. Show up, get out and give Bizarro or Parasite the stage (or whoever is there)
he Donner film was magic in its day. The Singer film paid homage to that. Nolan should consider keeping only one holdover from the previous Superman films, and that is the heart pounding John Williams score at least during closing credits. (Casino Royale kept the Bond theme, after all)
Again, I would not mind Routh back in the Blue Tights, but I am skeptical on it.
I don’t get the praise for Routh. He is a terrible actor. I have a hate for all things Superman Returns, but I’ve still seen some of Routh other films. He sucks in them. If Nolan is doing this I only see him going for a great actor.
On another note, this has got to be the best quote ever…
“I think the brothers Nolan are both very talented and so that makes it a different kind of film that would be than Bryan’s vision”
From that he is saying having talent implies it will be a different film, so what does that say about Singer?
Only good thing he could say about Returns that it was Nice. If my 3 year old drew some stick figures, I’d tell him it was nice.
Would you have wanted Val Kilmer or George Clooney to play Batman in the Chris Nolan films? Probably not.
It would be strange for Routh to play the Clark Kent/Superman character in a completely different way than what he did in Superman Returns. It would be better just to hire a different actor.
Val and George became to old to play the character. Routh is still young and with a different take on the character the audience would see its a different Superman than before and get over it. The same way we are able to suspend disbelief and accept when a different actor takes over an already existing character in a story line (Holmes in begins to Gyllenhaal in Dark Knight.)
Why not throw in Micheal Keaton in to that list? If you had then I would have said. Absolutely! Though he would of been to old for the role.
I honestly don’t think it really matters if people initially see this as a sequel to Superman Returns. If the movie is good. Then it will do really well. If they market it as a reboot and not a sequel. Most people will be able to figure it out. Word of mouth helps. Interviews with the actors/director.
On a side note. I still think The Dark Knight Returns should be made into a movie and I would like to see Micheal Keaton play Bruce Wayne once again.
I think Mel Gibson or an older Jon Hamm would make a great Superman for Dark Knight Returns.
Routh was good in SR, but the Nolan movie is a different movie with a different take on the character, and I think Nolan will go with a different actor, because this is not a sequel to the Singer film the way SR was a sequel/remake of the Reeve/Donner film.
I hope they will portray Superman with a more human ancestry approach as oppose to the Donner version, which emphasize the Krytonian ancestry. I prefer the portrayal of Clark Kent not as a bumbling nerdy act, but more along the way of George Reeves of the 50’s show, more human, more real, tough, confident, ruggish and manly; not effeminent and sheepish the way Donner/Singer did it. I prefer Clark Kent to be the real person and Superman is only the costume or an act for him to do the superfeats that he can’t do as Clark Kent. More along the way of John Byrne 80’s reboot & George Reeves of the 50’s, which is how Superman started out in the comic.
If they go with the different take you are suggesting for Superman and Clark it would be easy for the audience to accept the same actor playing a “new” character. Its the same way we are able to accept Brad Pitt as both Tyler Durden and Jesse James without batting an eye even though he is essentially the same guy.
Tyler Durden and Jesse James were not the same character. Its simple to say they are different movies with the same actor because he isn’t portraying the same character.
Your effort to say we can see different characters played by the same actor isnt the same as saying we can see the same actor playing the same character and pretend the movies are not related.
Its painful to say it, but as much as I LOVE Routh as Superman, but I would still be seeing the film as a continuation of Returns if he was to play him.
even if Routh played him completely different?
I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit Rodney. I have full faith that if a new Superman movie franchise came about with Routh playing a new Superman differently than he played the Donner/Singer version, you would be able to tell it was a different continuity. Especially because you run a movie blog that would have multiple posts on the subject if it were to happen.
I would hope the brains of the general movie going public would be able to do the same.
I agree that Routh shouldn’t play him, but I honestly dont know where you get the idea that Reeve was effeminate. That never happened at all.
And there were two versions of Clark Kent that were shown, the Kryptonian assuming a human life Clark with confidence and ability, and the “gee golly” mild mannered reporter face he put on to distance his physical presence from Superman.
Lois, who was in love with Superman never made the connection because of his presence. Those glasses are not fooling anyone. It was the way he talked, how he acted, the unassuming way he blended in with the background to be unnoticed. No one suspected him so they never looked.
Reeve did an amazing job portraying the duality of Superman/Kent but also the gray in between when you see Superman coming out in Kent.
Superman is not his secret identity. Clark is.
I hope they let Routh give it another shot. I hope it with the white hot intensity of 1,000 yellow suns!!! He was great in Superman Returns! I think he can be even greater under the Nolans and Goyer. I think the movie going public is smart enough to understand that this would be a reboot but with the same actor. WB, Let him do it!!!
I would prefer a new actor. Nothing against Routh (though I did not like Superman Returns), I just think a fresh take on the story requires a fresh face.
I will love to see Routh comeback,and I will like to see Kevin Spacey back as well.
I loved him as Supes, but the movie was boring. I hope they pair Superman and Batman in a World’s Finest movie.
I hope so. I think he was a great Superman. He pulled off Clark Kent also. I definitely see him doing a great job in Nolan’s Superman if it is indeed going to be a darker tone.