Henry Cavill Named New Superman

British actor Henry Cavill will star a Superman as well as Clark Kent for Zack Snyder‘s reboot of the Superman franchise, WB has announced.

The new iconic superhero, Cavill,  is fairly unknown actor (for me at least). He was considered for the part of blockbuster roles of Batman, James Bond and even the previous version of Superman. The young performer is perhaps best known for playing the character of Charles Brandon in The Tudors.

Speaking of that, director Snyder (300, Sucker Punch) enthusiastically told reporters

In the Pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary [Pictures] 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 was close to getting the role for 2006's Man of Steel. Despite, Brandon Routh, a native Iowan, deals Superman's Midwestern origins. The last time this happens; Cavill address was so much nearer to Kent because Cavill came of age in the Channel Islands, where the Superman team just went with Clark Kent.

As you may or may not know, the male leads now acting in the Superman, Batman and Spider-Man film franchises were all grown up in the UK (except new Spidey Andrew Garfield was born in L.A. before moving as a baby kid). It is also interesting to note that Cavill is around 6 foot 1 inches and is shorter than his recent Superman ancestors: Routh is 6'3” and the late Christopher Reeve was 6'4”. But Cavill is the same height as Kirk Alyn, the first man ever to play Superman who appeared in the late-'40s Superman movie serial.

It's just a rumor at this point, though some had guessed Thomas John Patrick “Tom”Welling (best known for his portrayal of Clark Kent in the CW series Smallville) was among those  to be in the running for the big-screen role.

The Nolan/Snyder “Superman” is scheduled to be released in December 2012 and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

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