When is a casting story not a casting story? When it’s Deadline’s latest rambling exclusive that the search for the next Superman to head up Zack Snyder‘s “Superman: Man Of Steel” is underway. While the piece runs down pretty much every name that has been rumored for the part over the past little while right down to Jon Hamm, who recently laughed off reports, there are a couple of nuggets of new info in there.
Firstly, filmmakers will be looking for someone between 28 and 32 (or really, someone who at least looks that old). This is definitely way off the 35-40 mark Armie Hammer mentioned, making it seem like a recent decision make Clark Kent a little big younger in the reboot. Also, a factor in casting will be the planned June 2011 start date for the film, one that Warner Bros. is more or less legally locked into due to rights issues. As most programs for the fall schedule shoot over the summer, this means TV series regulars are likely out of the running.
Of course, the search will be exhaustive with the studio expecting to look at “hundreds of young actors.” And you what that means — endless contender stories for the next couple of months as publicists and agents try to position their clients for the gig. It will pretty much be the “Spider-Man” casting process all over again. Ugh. Here’s hoping the first person they look at is so amazing they don’t have to consider anybody else because we don’t know if we have the stamina for this.
At any rate, someone is going to wear the tights — eventually — as the film prepares to fly into theaters in December 2012.
