UK actor Henry Cavill is the new movie Superman… which means that Spider-Man, Batman and Supes are now all British
“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognised and revered character of all time,” says Snyder, “and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros. Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield.”
Cavill completes a hat trick of British actors playing the holy triumvirate of American superheroes, following Christian Bale as Batman and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man.
Now, you’d have expected a huge outcry from outraged Americans at the very thought of a non-American Supes (and indeed, certain news outlets – including the BBC – were claiming it was a “controversial" decision) but, in fact, most of the internet reaction from fans has been positive; we’ve had a quick look through a dozen or so forums, which is hardly scientific, we admit, but the overwhelming range of response is a thumbs up. There are some ranting dissenters, of course, and a few people affronted at the idea, but they are in a minority. A poll on Comic Book Movies shows that 0ver 80% of voters don’t care what nationality the actor is, as long as he’s good. And the fact that he’s incredibly good looking certainly seems to be helping Cavill’s case for certain posters.
Prior to being announced as the next actor to play the Man of Steel, Cavill had been in talks with both Brett Ratner and McG about playing the character when they were planning Superman movies, but both of those projects fell apart and ultimately became Superman Returns . Recently he was asked about whether he would still consider taking on the role, replying: “Very much so. I’m a fan of the character, and it depends on the script and the director, though not in that order necessarily.”
Meanwhile, Deadline quotes a Warners insider as saying, “[Cavill]’s got an amazing quality. He doesn’t look too much like Reeve and Routh but he’s big and strong and he has a very modern feel to him… We’re really going to try and make Superman as contemporary as possible.”
