◄◄ Man of Steel ►► - Superman makes a Return in STYLE

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Man of Steel is an upcoming American superhero film under the development of Zack Snyder, Christopher Nolan, and David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Superman, the film will be a reboot of the Superman film series. Using Chicago as a backdrop, and with production to be based in west suburban Plano, the film entered principal photography in August 2011, for a planned theatrical release on June 14, 2013 by Warner Bros., which also includes IMAX venues.

Man of Steel

Directed by Zack Snyder

Produced by Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven, Deborah Snyder

Screenplay by David S. Goyer

Story by Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer

Based on Characters by
Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster


Starring

Henry Cavill

Amy Adams

Michael Shannon

Cinematography Amir Mokri

Studio Legendary Pictures, Syncopy Films, DC Comics

Cruel and Unusual Films

Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures

Release date(s) June 14, 2013

Country United States

Language English

Budget $175 million (Estimated)



Cast

Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman:

An alien infant sent to Earth by his parents from his dying planet Krypton. He is raised by Kansas farmers before growing up to become Earth's greatest superhero. Cavill was cast as Superman, making him the first non-American actor to be cast in the role. Cavill was on the shortlist for the film Superman Returns, but lost the part to Brandon Routh.


Amy Adams as Lois Lane:

Reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper and love interest of Superman / Clark Kent. Adams was selected from a list of actresses that included Olivia Wilde and Mila Kunis.
Michael Shannon as General Zod: Once a Kryptonian Military General who led the army on Krypton who turned renegade aiming to take over the planet and replace the Ruling Council with himself.
Antje Traue as Faora: The man-hating right-hand-woman and second-in-command to General Zod who tried to help him overthrow the Ruling Council on Krypton.


Russell Crowe as Jor-El:

The biological father of Superman and one of Krypton's most gifted and successful scientists who predicted the destruction of his planet. Sean Penn and Clive Owen were also considered for the role.


Julia Ormond as Lara Lor-Van:

The biological mother of Superman and loyal wife to Jor-El. Connie Nielsen was in negotiations for the role before Ormond was cast.


Laurence Fishburne as Perry White:

The Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet and the boss of Clark Kent and Lois Lane.


Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent:

The adoptive parents of Superman. Director Zack Snyder said of Costner "Kevin will be able to communicate the quiet strength of this rural American man who raised the greatest superhero of all time."


Harry Lennix as General Swanwick


Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy

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Michael Shannon is General Zod; Zack Snyder's Superman Officially Titled MAN OF STEEL

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Zack Snyder is adding to the amazing cast of his upcoming Superman film by including another Academy Award nominee in the mix. Michael Shannon, nominated for his supporting role in Revolutionary Road, has been cast in the role of General Zod. Terence Stamp infamously played the part in Superman II, embedding the iconic phrase "kneel before Zod!" into the public consciousness.
Snyder had this to say about casting Michael Shannon:

Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.

I'm incredibly stoked for this news because Shannon is one of my favorite working actors. He's done some amazing work in HBO's "Boardwalk Empire," and he's my early favorite to take home the Best Actor Academy Award in 2012 for his performance in Sundance favorite Take Shelter.
Read the full press release below - which confirms the long-rumored title Man of Steel - and be sure to let us know what you think about Shannon as Zod in the comments!
BURBANK, CA, April 10, 2011 – Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures announced today that Michael Shannon will star in the role of General Zod in director Zack Snyder’s new Superman film, titled “Man of Steel.”
Snyder stated, “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”
As General Zod, Shannon will go toe-to-toe with Henry Cavill, who plays the new Clark Kent/Superman in the film. The main cast also includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent.
Michael Shannon was honored with an Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sam Mendes’ “Revolutionary Road,” with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Shannon was most recently seen in the award-winning HBO drama series “Boardwalk Empire,” from executive producer Martin Scorsese. He will next be seen in Sony Pictures Classics', "Take Shelter," from director/writer Jeff Nichols.
Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder are the producers of the film. The screenplay is being written by David S. Goyer based on a story by Goyer and Nolan. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.
“Man of Steel” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

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Michael Shannon Talks Superman at RiverRun 2011 - YouTube

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Diane Lane Reads New SUPERMAN Script and Talks about it

As you know, Diane Lane will be playing Martha Kent in Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman film Man of Steel, a role I think she is perfect for. In a recent interview with E! she reveals that she has only read the script once, and she had to do it in a locked room. She also gave a little hint at how far back in Superman's life the movie will go.

I read the script under lock and key. I was locked in a room with the script and was only allowed three hours with it. I nailed it into my memory. I'm really excited. I'm really not allowed to talk much about it, I think, but it does cover the entire range of years, from infancy on.

I honestly didn't think they would go back and retell the whole origin story of Superman again. After all, we've seen it done several times already, and it's burnt into our memories. I guess we'll see another re-imaging of it. She went on to talk about her work on the film Hollywoodland and how it relates to the Man of Steel.

When I worked on Hollywoodland, I got to experience sort of the behind the scenes of what it was like for the people who were making the television series that I grew up watching, so it's all very inbred in my mind. But this is going to be a whole reinvention. A visitation and a reinvention.

The film also stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner and Michael Shannon as Zod, and it's scheduled to hit theaters in December of 2012. I'm very excited to see how this movie turns out.

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Short Official Plot Synopsis for SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL?

A short plot synopsis for Zack Snyder's Superman: Man of Steel has leaked online and it gives us a little insight into what we might be able to expect to see in the movie. This is what The Baseline Studio System list as the official synopsis for for the film...

A young reporter named Clark Kent roams the world covering various news stories. When he is compelled to use his secret powers to intervene in a crisis in West Africa, he returns to Smallville to learn more about his origins and the hero he was born to be.

This is very similar to the plot of the comic book Superman: Birthright which was previously believed to be the plot of the new movie. In that story, Clark Kent is a freelance reporter in his early twenties, covering news stories around the world. At one point he's forced to use his super powers. This results in Kent returning to Smallville to learn more about his alien heritage and make the decision to become Superman.
Now this synopsis could be just a new rumor resurfacing, but Bleeding Cool vouch for this plot summary's accuracy saying,

It looks to me like Warner Bros. registered some details of the film, most likely with casting services who fed it to Baseline, somehow, but have since decided to play coy. I’d be prepared to make a reasonable sized bet on the above being the film’s story.

I don’t think it’s locked, I just like the odds. A lot.

Well, seeing how Snyder is having the cast of the cast of the film read the script in private room under lock and key, I'm not so sure if they would release anything on the films story yet. Sure the studio may have given this summary to some casting services, but that still doesn't mean it's the films true synopsis. They have to give the casting services something, so why just not give them the plot that was previously leaked just because?
Of course there is the chance it could be real, and if it is great! It's not a bad storyline to follow. I guess we won't know until something confirmed is released.

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Antje Traue cast as MAN OF STEEL female villain

Zack Snyder's Superman reboot, Man of Steel has cast German actress Antje Traue to star alongside Michael Shannon as the villains of the reboot. Shannon is set to play General Zod and Traue will star as his accomplice, Ursa. The character appeared in the first two Superman films. Traue was last seen on screen opposite Ben Foster and Dennis Quaid inPandorum. She is currently filming the Peter Flinth-directed Nobels Testament in Sweden. Traue has been searching for a major studio role for a bit. She lost out to Alice Braga for The Rite after testing. She also met Marc Forster to play Brad Pitt's character's wife in World War Z, now The Killing's Mireille Enos has landed the role.
I think it is probably for the best that she did not land the role in The Rite, it did not end up doing well at the box office. Pandorum (seen above) was decent, but not amazing. I think she is tough and can handle herself in an action film, making her a great fit for the role. I am looking forward to seeing Man of Steel. I loved Ursa in the Superman films so it would be cool to see her on screen again.

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Connie Nielsen and Harry Lennix offered roles in Zack Snyder's MAN OF STEEL

Connie Nielsen (Gladiator) and Harry Lennix (Dollhouse) have been offered roles in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. Nielsen would star as Lara, Superman's birth mother, while Lennix would star in another supporting role, according to The Man Of Steel Fan Page. The site got ahold of a production sheet for the film that shows that the actors had been offered roles. Check out the production sheet HERE, for all the details.
Here are some more details about the character of Lara from Wikipedia:

Lara is the biological mother of Superman, and the wife of scientist Jor-El. Lara Lor-Van was Lara's full maiden name, as "Lor-Van" is the name of Lara's father. Most depictions of Kryptonian culture show that females use their father's full name as their last names before marriage, and then are known simply by their first names after marriage.
Lara's role in the Superman mythos has varied over the years, with her treatment and emphasis often depending on the decade she was written in. Earlier stories treated Lara in a lesser role compared to her scientist husband; however, stories from the 1970s onwards depict Lara in more prominent roles, with the 2004 miniseries Superman: Birthright as an example of this.
After constructing his Fortress of Solitude, Superman honored his deceased biological parents with a statue of Jor-El and Lara holding up a globe of their native planet Krypton.

No confirmation has been made yet on this casting news, but we will keep you posted. Filming is slated to begin production in August with a release date set for late 2012.