Summer 2013 Preview: ‘Man of Steel’

With the triumph of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy still fresh in the memory, DC Comics are looking to repeat that success by rebooting their other flagship hero: Superman. There have been several live-actions Superman films in the past, only two of which are really any good, with the most recent outing being the disappointing Superman Returns in 2006. So it would appear that Clark Kent’s filmography has plagued him more than a curry made of Kryptonite, but that could all be about to change this Summer when Man of Steel is released.

A Batman Begins-style reboot, the film will tell the origin story of Superman, who was sent to Earth as a baby from his home planet of Krypton. We will presumably then follow our hero through his awkward adolescence as he learns to control his superpowers (and there are a lot of them!), ending with him as the finished article, cape and all.

Man of Steel boasts an impressive ensemble cast, with young British actor Henry Cavill donning the red and blue in the lead role. Cavill won’t be short of any father-figures either, with veteran actors Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner and Laurence Fishburne all on board. Amy Adams plays love-interest Lois Lane, with Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Shannon starring as the villainous General Zod, a role previous played by Terrence Stamp in Superman II.

Cynical movie-goers out there will tell you that a star-studded cast is nothing new to the Superman franchise, and cannot guarantee the film’s quality. This may well be true, but Man of Steel has an ace up its sleeve: the team behind the camera. Not only does the film have a more-than-capable director in Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300), but also the story and script were penned by David S. Goyer, screenwriter of the Dark Knight Trilogy. Still not convinced? Well DC and Warner Bros. real secret weapon is the man himself, Christopher Nolan, who produced Man of Steel and acted in a ‘godfather’ role to guide it to the same standard as his Batman saga.

Could this finally be the film worthy of Superman’s awesome powers? DC will hope so, because with Batman now out of the picture and Marvel’s Avengers monopolising the superhero scene, they could certainly use a homerun when Man of Steel steps up to the plate.

Man of Steel is released in the UK 14^th June.