Brandon Routh is SUPERMAN

By: Patrick Sauriol
Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2004
Source: Variety

Now Variety is reporting that it's practically a done deal that Brandon Routh will be the next actor to play SUPERMAN and all that's left is for Warner Bros. to make it official. The trade magazine's report comes three days after the news first broke on three movie websites. For his part, Routh and any of his family, friends or business associates are keeping their lips tightly sealed or issuing a "No comment" to any members of the press that ask if it's true.

Another bit of gossip got confirmed as well when Dan Harris, one of the two screenwriters on the film, talked to an outlet called Glare (which was then picked up by Chicago Sun-Times columnist Cindy Pearlman.)

"We're not going to do the origin story again. Our view is if you're over 25 years old, then you've seen the Reeve films and that's Superman to you," Harris is quoted as saying in the piece. "If you're under 25, then you watch TV's SMALLVILLE and that's Superman to you."

Further details also emerged: "He'll begin in his late 20s. He lost his powers in SUPERMAN 2 and now he has the powers back. But something has happened because he's been away for a long time."

But not all of the previous SUPERMAN films will be used as the story canon for the new movie. "We're taking off from the first two SUPERMAN films with Christopher Reeve," the writer goes on to explain. "We use his history and then move on with big twists and great special effects."


Harris also said that Bryan Singer had wanted to involve former Superman Christopher Reeve in the production of his new film before his sudden death earlier this month. "It would have been so nice to have Chris be a part of the new film as an adviser. Who knows what his title would have been, but we know Chris would have loved being involved. Being Superman meant so much to him."

Finally, the article mentions that production on SUPERMAN RETURNS will start in four weeks.


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