Man of Steel
File:Official poster.jpg Teaser poster for San Diego Comic-Con International
Directed by | Zack Snyder
Produced by | Christopher Nolan Emma Thomas Charles Roven Deborah Snyder
Screenplay by | David S. Goyer
Story by | David S. Goyer Christopher Nolan
Based on | Superman by Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster
Starring | Henry Cavill Amy Adams Michael Shannon Kevin Costner Diane Lane Laurence Fishburne Antje Traue Ayelet Zurer Christopher Meloni Russell Crowe
Music by | Hans Zimmer[1]
Cinematography | Amir Mokri[2]
Editing by | David Brenner
Studio | Legendary Pictures Syncopy Films DC Entertainment
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates | June 14, 2013 (2013-06-14)[3]
Country | United States
Language | English

Man of Steel is an upcoming American superhero film directed by Zack Snyder, produced by Christopher Nolan and scripted by David S. Goyer. Based on the DC Comics character Superman, the film will be a reboot of the Superman film series, portraying the character's origin story. The film stars Henry Cavill in the title role, with Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Michael Shannon as General Zod.

Development of Man of Steel began in 2008 when Warner Bros. Pictures took pitches from comic book writers, screenwriters and directors, opting to reboot the franchise. In 2009, a court ruling resulted in Jerry Siegel's family recapturing the rights to Superman's origins and Siegel's copyright. Also, Warner Bros. did not owe the families additional royalties from previous films and if they did not begin production on a Superman film by 2011, then the Shuster and Siegel estates would have been able to sue for lost revenue on an unproduced film. Nolan pitched Goyer's idea after story discussion on The Dark Knight Rises. Snyder was hired as director in October 2010. Principal photography started in August 2011 in West Chicago before moving to Plano and Vancouver. The film is scheduled to be released on June 14, 2013, in conventional, 3D[4] and IMAX theaters.[5]

## Premise[edit]

Clark Kent is a journalist in his twenties who was adopted as a child by Jonathan and Martha Kent after he was transported to Earth from the dying planet of Krypton. Raised with the values of his adoptive parents, he feels alienated because of his unique super abilities and struggles to find his own place in life. When the world is attacked, he becomes the hero named Superman to protect the Earth and its people.[6]

## Cast[edit]

- Henry Cavill as Clark Kent / Superman: A Kryptonian sent to Earth by his parents as an infant to survive the destruction of his homeworld Krypton. He is raised by Kansas farmers and becomes Earth's greatest superhero, Superman. Cavill was cast as Superman,[7] making him the first non-American actor to be cast in the role.[8] Cavill was on the shortlist for the 2006 film Superman Returns, but lost the part to Brandon Routh.[9] Dylan Sprayberry was cast as 13-year-old Clark Kent while 11-year-old Cooper Timberline was cast as the 9-year-old Clark Kent in June.[10][11]
- Amy Adams as Lois Lane: Reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper and love interest of Clark Kent and his secret alter-ego.[12][13] Adams was selected from a list of actresses that included Olivia Wilde and Mila Kunis.[14]
- Michael Shannon as General Zod: A Kryptonian general and megalomaniac, with the same superpowers as Superman. Viggo Mortensen was considered for the role.[15]
- Russell Crowe as Jor-El: The biological father of Superman. Sean Penn and Clive Owen were also considered for the role.[16]
- Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Van: The biological mother of Superman and loyal wife to Jor-El. Julia Ormond had previously been announced as cast, but dropped out.[17] Connie Nielsen was in negotiations for the role before Ormond was cast.[18]
- Laurence Fishburne as Perry White: The Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet and the boss of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Fishburne is the first African American to play Perry White in a live-action film.[19]
- 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 man who raised the greatest superhero of all time."[20]
- Harry Lennix as General Swanwick[21][22]
- Antje Traue as Faora
- Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy[21][23]
- Richard Schiff as Dr. Emil Hamilton[24][25][26]

## Production[edit]

### Development[edit]

In June 2008, Warner Bros. took pitches from comic book writers, screenwriters, and directors on how to successfully restart the Superman film series.[27] "I told them, it?s not that bad. Just treat Superman Returns as the Ang Lee Hulk," comic book writer Mark Waid explained. "The Incredible Hulk has proven the audience will forgive you and let you redo the franchise."[28] Comic book writers Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, and Brad Meltzer also pitched their ideas for a reboot. Morrison's idea was similar to his work on All-Star Superman, while Waid's was akin to Superman: Birthright.[28] Mark Millar, teaming with director Matthew Vaughn, planned an epic 8-hour Superman trilogy, each installment released a year apart, similar to The Lord of the Rings.[29][30] Millar compared it to the Godfather trilogy, in which it would chronicle the entire life of Superman, from the early days of Krypton to the finale where Superman loses his powers as the sun starts to supernova.[31] August 2009 saw a court ruling in which Jerry Siegel's family recaptured the rights to Superman's origins and Siegel's copyright in Action Comics #1.[32] In addition, a judge ruled that Warner Bros. did not owe the families additional royalties from previous films. However, if they did not begin production on a Superman film by 2011, then the Shuster and Siegel estates would have been able to sue for lost revenue on an unproduced film.[33]

During story discussions for The Dark Knight Rises in 2010, David S. Goyer told Christopher Nolan his idea on how to present Superman in a modern context.[34] Impressed with Goyer's concept, Nolan pitched the idea to the studio,[34] who hired Nolan to produce and Goyer to write based on the financial and critical success of The Dark Knight.[35][36] Nolan admired Bryan Singer's work on Superman Returns for its connection to Richard Donner's version, but stated that the new film would not have any relationship with the previous film series.[37]

### Pre-production[edit]

Guillermo del Toro, with whom Goyer worked on Blade II, turned down the director's position on the reboot because of his commitment on a film adaptation of At the Mountains of Madness,[38] while Robert Zemeckis was also approached.[39] Ben Affleck, Darren Aronofsky, Duncan Jones, Jonathan Liebesman, Matt Reeves, and Tony Scott were considered as potential directors,[40] before Zack Snyder was hired in October 2010.[41] Casting began the following November.[42][43]

### Filming[edit]

Principal photography began on August 1, 2011 at an industrial park near DuPage Airport under the codename "Autumn Frost".[44] Zack Snyder expressed reluctance to shooting the film in 3-D, due to the technical limitations of the format.[45] Filming is expected to last for two to three months.[46] Production took place in Plano on August 22 to 29.[44][47] Filming then took place in the Chicago Loop from September 7 to 17.[44] Vancouver Film Studios and Chicago are other shooting locations.[48] According to an interview with Michael Shannon, filming would continue until February 2012.[49]

### Post-production[edit]

Hans Zimmer initially denied popular rumours that he would be composing the film's score.[50] However, in June 2012, it was confirmed that Zimmer will in fact be writing the film's musical score.[51] To completely distinguish Man of Steel from the previous films, the iconic "Superman" theme by John Williams will not be heard.[52][53][54] Weta Digital, MPC and Double Negative (VFX) will provide visual effects for the film.[55][56][57]

## Marketing[edit]

Warner Bros. and DC Comics won the rights to the domain name manofsteel.com, in use by a member of the public, as use for the film's official website.[58]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Hans Zimmer tapped to score 'Man of Steel'". Showblitz. June 18, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
2. ^ "Amir Mokri". Internet Encyclopedia of Cinematographers. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
3. ^ Davis, Edward (July 21, 2011). "Zack Snyder's Superman Film Man Of Steel Moves To June 14, 2013". indieWire. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
4. ^ "Man of Steel" to Soar into Theaters Next Summer in 3D
5. ^ "Third Batman, New Superman Part of IMAX Deal". Superhero Hype!. April 28, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
6. ^ Alt, Eric. "Want to Read the Incredibly Uninformative "Man of Steel" Synopsis?". NBC.
7. ^ "Henry Cavill to Play Superman!!". Superhero Hype!. January 30, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
8. ^ Saunders, Emma (February 1, 2011). "BBC News - Film invasion of the Super-Brits". BBC. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
9. ^ Singh, Anita (January 30, 2011). "Another British superhero: Henry Cavill to play Superman". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved March 27, 2011.
10. ^ Roop, Jason (April 9, 2012). "Richmond Fifth-Grader Lands Superman Movie Role". Style Weekly. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
11. ^ "Zack Snyder Making MAN OF STEEL ?Edgy? Like THE DARK KNIGHT". Collider.com. April 11, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
12. ^ Arrant, Chris (March 29, 2011). "Is Superman's New Lois Lane Really Too Old For The Man Of Steel?". MTV. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
13. ^ Vilkomerson, Sara (March 27, 2011). "Amy Adams to play Lois Lane in Superman". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
14. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (February 2, 2011). "Updated: Olivia Wilde Mila Kunis Also In The Mix For Lois Lane; Kristen Stewart Not Approached". indieWire. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
15. ^ Kit, Borys. "Viggo Mortensen on Warners' Radar for 'Superman' Villain (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 4, 2011.
16. ^ "Two Actors Who Were Considered For "Jor-El" In Man Of Steel Revealed!". Comicbookmovie.com. June 16, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
17. ^ "Julia Ormond Out As MAN OF STEEL?s Biological Mom!!". Ain't It Cool News. September 25, 2011.
18. ^ "Connie Nielsen Harry Lennix Rumored For Man of Steel". Screen Rant. June 15, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
19. ^ Ditzian, Eric (March 8, 2011-8). "Man Of Steel Taps Laurence Fishburne As News Chief Perry White". MTV. Retrieved August 4, 2011. Check date values in: `|date=` (help)
20. ^ "Kevin Costner Joins Zack Snyder's Superman Reboot". Pastemagazine.com. March 18, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
21. ^ a b Goldberg, Matt (August 4, 2011). "First Official Image of Henry Cavill as Superman in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel". Collider.com. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
22. ^ Kit, Borys (July 8, 2011). "Dollhouse Actor Joins Man of Steel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 26, 2011.
23. ^ Greco, Patti (June 25, 2011). "Chris Meloni Is Playing a General in Superman, Not Lex Luthor". New York. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
24. ^ "Richard Schiff joins 'Man of Steel'". Variety. January 9, 2012.
25. ^ "Richard Schiff Joins SUPERMAN: MAN OF STEEL". Collider.com. January 9, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
26. ^ "IAR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Richard Schiff Talks 'Man of Steel'". iamROGUE.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
27. ^ Wigler, Josh (March 26, 2009). "Mark Millar On His Superman Movie Trilogy: "Nothing Is Happening"". MTV News. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
28. ^ a b Vineyard, Jennifer (August 11, 2008). "How To Reboot The Superman Movie Franchise-Comic Writers Chime In". MTV. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
29. ^ Anderson, Martin (July 20, 2008). "The Den Of Geek interview: Mark Millar". DenofGeek.com. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
30. ^ Wigler, Josh (March 26, 2010). "Matthew Vaughn Says Superman Movie Discussions Were "Very Brief"". MTV News. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
31. ^ Goodswen, Dan (October 29, 2008). "Exclusive: Mark Millar Talks Superman". Empire Online. Retrieved October 30, 2008.
32. ^ Graser, Marc (August 13, 2009). "Superman co-creator's family given rights". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2009.
33. ^ McNary, Dave (July 8, 2009). "Warner Bros. wins Superman case". Variety. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
34. ^ a b "Christopher Nolan on Batman and Superman". Superhero Hype!. June 4, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
35. ^ Finke, Nikki; Fleming, Mike (February 9, 2010). "It's A Bird! It's A Plane! It's Chris Nolan! He'll Mentor Superman 3.0 And Prep 3rd Batman". Deadline.com. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
36. ^ Schuker, Lauren A. E. (August 22, 2008). "Warner Bets on Fewer, Bigger Movies". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
37. ^ Boucher, Geoff (March 10, 2010). "Christopher Nolan takes flight with Superman: "We have a fantastic story"". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). Retrieved July 5, 2010.
38. ^ Fleming, Michael (September 13, 2010). "Toronto QA: Guillermo Del Toro About Producing Julia's Eyes And Biutiful". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
39. ^ Wigler, Josh (November 1, 2010). "Robert Zemeckis On Superman Reboot: "I Passed On That Faster Than A Speeding Bullet"". MTV News. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
40. ^ Fleming, Michael (September 23, 2010). "Chris Nolan Looking for Superman Directors". Deadline.com. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
41. ^ Fleming, Michael (October 4, 2010). "SCOOP: Zack Snyder Directing Superman". Deadline.com. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
42. ^ Snider, Mike (November 26, 2010). "QA: Screenwriter David Goyer on Call of Duty: Black Ops". USA Today. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
43. ^ Reynolds, Simon (October 4, 2010). "Affleck 'was Nolan's choice for Superman' - Movies News". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
44. ^ a b c Merrion, Paul (July 28, 2011). "Superman flying into Chicago in August for filming". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved July 29, 2011.
45. ^ "'Superman: Man of Steel' 3D Still Up In The Air". Latino Review. April 1, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
46. ^ Merrion, Paul (March 28, 2011). "Latest Superman movie arrives in the nick of time". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
47. ^ Guzzardi, Will (March 28, 2011). "Superman: Man Of Steel Filming In Chicago, According To Industry Sources". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
48. ^ Lederman, Marsha (December 17, 2010). "Next Superman film to be shot in Vancouver". Globe and Mail (Toronto). Retrieved December 17, 2010.
49. ^ Julian, Mark (October 31, 2011). "More From Michael Shannon On Zack Snyder's Man Of Steel And His General Zod Role". ComicBookMovie.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
50. ^ "Hans Zimmer Debunks SUPERMAN Rumor". Collider. Retrieved December 17, 2011.
51. ^ Eisenberg, Eric. "Man Of Steel To Feature The Music Of Hans Zimmer". cinemablend.com. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
52. ^ MAN OF STEEL Won't Include John Williams' SUPERMAN Score
53. ^ No ?Superman? Theme in ?Man of Steel?
54. ^ "Man of Steel" Won't Use John Williams' "Superman" Music
55. ^ "Effects Supremo Joe Letteri Says Zack Snyder Is Placing Emphasis On In-Camera Effects In 'Man of Steel'". Indiewire. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
56. ^ "Superman: Man of Steel". Retrieved July 17, 2012.
57. ^ "Double Negative: Full Project list". Text "http://www.dneg.com/projects/projects_list.html " ignored (help); Missing or empty `|url=` (help); `|accessdate=` requires `|url=` (help)
58. ^ "DC Comics wins dispute over ManofSteel.com domain name". Fusible.com. July 20, 2011. Retrieved August 4, 2011.

## External links[edit]

- Official website
- Man of Steel at the Internet Movie Database
- Man of Steel at allmovie

Superman in other media
Newspaper comic strips | Superman (1939–1966) The World's Greatest Superheroes (1978–1985)
Radio | The Adventures of Superman (US, 1940–1951) The Adventures of Superman (UK, 1988)
Film |
Live-action | Superman (1948) Atom Man vs. Superman (1950) Superman and the Mole Men (1951) Superman (1978) Superman II (1980) Superman III (1983) Supergirl (1984) Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) Superman Returns (2006) Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006) Man of Steel (2013)
Animation | Superman animated shorts (1941–1943) Superman: Brainiac Attacks (2006) Superman: Doomsday (2007) Justice League: The New Frontier (2008) Superman/Batman: Public Enemies (2009) Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) Superman/Batman: Apocalypse (2010) Superman/Shazam!: The Return of Black Adam (2010) All-Star Superman (2011) Justice League: Doom (2012) Superman vs. The Elite (2012) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (2013) Superman: Unbound (2013) Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) Justice League: War (2014)
Television |
Live-action | Adventures of Superman (1952–1958) Superboy (1988–1992) Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993–1997) Smallville (2001–2011)
Animation | The New Adventures of Superman (1966–1970) The Adventures of Superboy (1966–1969) Super Friends (1973–1986) Superman (1988) Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000) Justice League (2001–2004) Justice League Unlimited (2004–2006) Legion of Super Heroes (2006–2008) Young Justice (2010–2013)
Novels | The Adventures of Superman (1942) Superman: Last Son of Krypton (1978) Miracle Monday (1981) Superman: Doomsday & Beyond (1993) Lois & Clark: A Superman Novel (1996) It's Superman! (2005) Superman Returns: The Novelization (2006) Enemies & Allies (2009)
Video games | Superman (Atari 2600, 1978) Superman: The Game (1985) Superman (Arcade, 1988) Superman (NES, 1988) Superman: The Man of Steel (1989) Superman (Sega Genesis, 1992) Superman: The Man of Steel (Master System, 1993) The Death and Return of Superman Superman (Game Boy, 1997) Superman (Nintendo 64, 1999) Shadow of Apokolips Superman: The Man of Steel (Xbox, 2002) Countdown to Apokolips Superman Returns Fortress of Solitude Justice League Heroes Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe DC Universe Online Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Injustice: Gods Among Us
Other media | Stamp Day for Superman (1954) "Lucy and Superman" (I Love Lucy episode, 1957) The Adventures of Superpup (1958) The Adventures of Superboy (1961) It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman (1966) The Adventures of Seinfeld & Superman (2004) Look, Up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman (2006)
Fan films | World's Finest Superman Classic Bizarro Classic
Parodies | Captain Caveman (The Flintstone Comedy Show segment) Mighty Mouse My Hero (UK TV series) Stupor Duck Super-Rabbit Underdog (TV series) Goku vs Superman (Death Battle episode 25)
Miscellanea | "The Bizarro Jerry" (Seinfeld episode) "Can You Read My Mind" Hollywoodland Krypto the Superdog Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications "The Race" (Seinfeld episode) "The Reign of the Superman" Return of Mr. Superman "Save Me" (Remy Zero song) Steel Superman curse Superman (It's Not Easy)
See also Supergirl in other media Lex Luthor in other media

Live-action films based on DC Comics
Serials | Adventures of Captain Marvel Spy Smasher Batman Hop Harrigan The Vigilante Superman Congo Bill Batman and Robin Atom Man vs. Superman Blackhawk
Single films | Steel Road to Perdition The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Catwoman Constantine A History of Violence V for Vendetta Stardust The Spirit Watchmen The Losers Jonah Hex Green Lantern
Film franchises |
Batman |
1966 | Batman
1989 | Batman Batman Returns Batman Forever Batman & Robin
2005 | Batman Begins The Dark Knight The Dark Knight Rises
Superman |
1951 | Superman and the Mole Men
1978 | Superman Superman II The Richard Donner Cut Superman III Supergirl Superman IV: The Quest for Peace Superman Returns
2013 | Man of Steel
RED | RED RED 2
Swamp Thing | Swamp Thing The Return of Swamp Thing

Films directed by Zack Snyder
Dawn of the Dead (2004) 300 (2007) Watchmen (2009) Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) Sucker Punch (2011) Man of Steel (2013)