Krypton Factored Casting...

Deadline reports that British actor Henry Cavill appears to be signed up to be Warner Bros.' new Superman. Probably best known to US audiences for his role as Charles Brandon in The Tudors and who played Humphrey in the fantasy Stardust, he is soon to be seen in The Immortals (a new outing for the Greek legends of old, where he plays Theseus), The actor will play the iconic suprheo - and alter-ego Clark Kent - when the studio moves forward with their latest revamp of the Last Son of Krypton later this year.

 

It is not known at this point if the film will have any solid ties to the previous revamp which was directed by Bryan Singer (who left the X-Men franchise to helm it) and starred Brandon Routh. That film made a decent amount of money but received a very mixed reception from many critics who felt Superman was portrayed less as a superhero and more of a sulking absentee-father. It seems more likely that the film will make a clean break and may not even go back to the 'origin' story, presuming most of the audience now know the premise. 

Director Zack Snyder, who also directed another key comic-book adaptation Watchmen, has said in a statement that:  "...in the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognised and revered character of all time and I am honoured 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."