Casting the ultimate Superman movies

Well, I wrote a couple of blogs about how to inject a little life into a Superman movie (parts 1, 2, & 3), but the closer we seem to be getting to a new Superman movie, the less we know about it. With any luck, Bryan Singer will not be invited back for a sequel, nor will Brandon Routh. Apparently Kevin Spacey is still signed on, if they want him (although he's probably on pay or play, so he gets paid either way).

In any case, rather than talk about the series thematic strengths or most relevant characters, I thought I would play Hollywood and cast the movie myself... hell, I'll cast the next several. So here are my choices for the ultimate Superman movies.

The Director - Steven Spielberg

Who better to portray the greatest American icon than America's most iconic filmmaker? Now, I'm not a huge Spielberg fan in general, but I have to imagine that no one could do it better. Whatever your thoughts about the new Indiana Jones film, I haven't heard anything against Spielberg's directing. Unlike Lucas, he can tell an action story as well as he ever could.

Maybe Spielberg wouldn't be interested if he couldn't produce it through Dreamworks, but if not, you could go with Peter Jackson, who obviously loves to work on big, iconic epics. Or the Wachowski brothers whose ending to The Matrix looked like a backdoor Superman pitch while Speed Racer proved that they can work in vibrant colors for an all-ages audience.

The Writer - William Goldman

For the script, I'd go with award winning writer William Goldman (The Princess Bride, All The President's Men, Chaplin, The Stepford Wives). He already wrote a Shazam! script, so I bet he'd be willing to do Superman.

One thing really going for Goldman is his age. He would have been seven years old when Superman came out. How many great screenwriters remember what Superman was like in the very beginning? Probably not too many. But most importantly, he knows how to write a strong script with a tight structure.

Other possible writers Nicholas Meyer, who revitalized the Star Trek franchise with Wrath of Khan. He is great with characterization and big, science fiction adventures. Lawrence Kasdan is another writer known for his characterization, but also for the last two Star Wars movies. You know, the ones that had good dialog.

Comic writer, Mark Millar, best known for the Wanted comic upon which the movie was based, has written award-winning Superman comics and wants nothing more than to write the movies. As a comic writer, he would be far more experienced with the Superman mythos. He wrote the amazing Superman: Red Son. Actually, they should team him up with Grant Morrison who, as of about a week now, is one of the official DC superhero movie consultants. Morrison wrote the modern classic All-Star Superman and has collaborated with Millar before.

The Musician - John Williams

Hands down. He did the original Superman movie, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Harry Potter, and just about every memorable score ever. No choice. You go with the best.

Superman / Clark Kent - Tom Welling

I never said I was going to be original! I never would have suggested this a year ago, but Welling has really grown into the role, so much so that I can't imagine anyone better. He has all of the awkward charm of Clark Kent along with the self-assured gentility of Superman.

He was 24 when he took the role as a sophomore in high school which means he's 32 now... the perfect age to play the adult Superman.

The only pitfall they need to avoid is making it a Smallville movie. This would restrict them to "established continuity" which would be a needless straight jacket the production of this film. People are smart enough to figure out that there are multiple interpretations of a character.

Lois Lane - Erica Durance

Another one ripped straight from Smallville, but I have never seen a Lois Lane performance that was more engaging, complex, and true to the comics. Erica Durance perfectly captures the fast talking, fast living reporter who is moving too fast to see who mild-mannered Clark Kent really is.

Come to think of it, Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher, and Kate Bosworth all did a pretty horrible job. Lois always either seemed ditsy or like a bitch. Probably the best actress previously was the original, Noel Neill, from the serial and TV show.

Its hard to explain what I like about this feisty character so, check out this clip of Clark and Lois from Smallville and see if you can see it too.

Jimmy Olsen - Michael Cera

You know, I was going to disqualify him for being too old... then I found out he's ten years younger than Tom Welling and Erica Durance, so let's go for it! As I said before, Michael Cera is perfect for the role of Superman's pal. His quirky, awkward sense of humor perfectly fits everyone's favorite photographer. And since audiences like him anyway, when you put him in danger, people will care.

Perry White - Martin Sheen

This was a hard one to cast and it's always been the most overlooked role in Superman, but Perry White is the old wise man of the Daily Planet crew. He's the one that challenges them and supports them.

Since J. Jonah Jameson was such an effective character in the Spider-Man movies, it seems important that Perry White be effective as well... but in a different way, obviously. So I decided to cast The West Wing's Martin Sheen in the role, as someone who can be both admirable and frightening... sometimes at the same time. I see him as a man who thinks of himself as preserving the integrity of print journalism when no one else is. Why are Lois, Clark, and Jimmy his favorites? Because they are serious and ethical reporters.

Ma & Pa Kent - K Callen & Eddie Jones

My favorite Ma & Pa Kent (AKA Martha and Jonathan) were the ones from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. They might be too old to play Tom Welling's parents, but this is a role that you can cast to unknown actors. You just want ones that are charismatic.

Often in the Superman mythos, Jonathan Kent dies before Clark becomes Superman, but I always saw more storytelling potential if both of his parents are alive. Is this idea based on the Freudian presumption that you need to kill your father to become a man?

Lex Luthor - Clancy Brown

Perhaps the second most important role next to Superman himself. So far, like Batman before Begins, we have only seen the goofy Lex Luthor in the films. It's time to see the diabolical Lex Luthor... the Lex Luthor who became President Luthor. The Lex Luthor whose genius and ego are equal to Superman's strength and humility.

Although Kevin Spacey could play this, after the last movie, I'd like the role to move to someone new... ish. This is another bit of unoriginal casting as Clancy Brown played the role of Lex Luthor in Superman: The Animated Series as well as Justice League... but damn, he did it well. And you want to talk about scary? Check out Highlander, Shawshank Redemption, and Carnivalé. Clancy Brown can epitomize evil.

Check out this clip if you don't believe me.

Brainiac - Patrick Stewart

The other thing that clip should have taught you is that Brainiac would be an awesome villain to star in the next film. Lex is played out as the main antagonist, but he would be incredible as a supporting character ready to stab you in the back the moment it is most advantageous.

Brainiac would be a fantastic villain and I think Locutus himself should play the role. Patrick Stewart is really excellent at playing villains, particularly cerebral ones. Brainiac could serve almost as an abstract father figure... the only other survivor of Krypton. But ultimately, Brainiac represents cold, computer logic over human compassion and that is where the conflict comes in.

Darkseid - James Earl Jones

For the big, booming voice of pure evil, I would like to see the man who originally defined "the dark side." James Earl Jones (you know, there is no proper way to abbreviate his name) would not only provide the perfect voice, but the visual basis for a character who would be best portrayed in CGI at eight or nine feet tall. Stick a bunch of ping-pong balls on him, and he could model all of the action... which is more than he ever did for Star Wars.

More than anything, I just think you need a colossal threat for Superman, and who is a big enough threat for the greatest, most powerful hero ever? A dark God.

But just in case old J.E.J. isn't interested, you could go with the animated series voice of Michael Ironside or The Matrix's Lawrence Fishburne or another Star Trek captain, Avery Brooks.

General Zod - Gerard Butler

In the event that they do bring back General Zod, Gerard Butler who played King Leonidas would be a great choice. I only hope that if they make a movie around him, they wait at least three films. We really need to see some things in Superman that we haven't seen before and a remake of Superman II would send the wrong impression. You need to take us away from something before we can get nostalgic for it.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. Got any better ideas? I want to hear 'em.