The Good Citizens of Metropolis: The Casting Thread

[Deck Rickard]

Can’t believe I never thought of Gleeson for Luthor. I like it.

 

[Vaibow]

I've always liked the look of Lewis Tan - feels like a version of Jim Lee's superman unchained

 

[BobJM]

SUPERMAN
dir. Chloé Zhao

Clark Kent / Superman: Nicholas Hoult, 32

Lois Lane: Ariana DeBose, 31

 

[Vaibow]

I've always wanted an asian Lana lang, the name really suits it... Lana Condor, coincidentally as an example.

It's funny because the more you think about Lois, her personality, the more she suits an actress of colour - there's something strong about a woman of colour in that profession and I feel like, whilst many actresses would be great, it just adds a hint of emotion to the role Adriana Debose for sure, also I feel Zoe K has opened a pathway for more - I'm glad Nolan didn't use her now - much to his lack of vision for the role.. what we got now, in hindsight was extremely bland and one dimensional... She's great with Rob.

Miles Teller still is my idea pick for Superman.

 

[BobJM]

SUPERMAN
dir. Chloé Zhao

Clark Kent / Superman: Nicholas Hoult, 32
Lois Lane: Ariana DeBose, 31
Lana Lang: Margaret Qualley, 27

VILLAINS
Lex Luthor: Corey Stoll, 45
John Corben / Metallo: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, 31
Winslow Schott / ‘Toy Man’: Jonah Hill, 38
Bruno Mannheim: Paul Ben-Victor, 56

SUPPORTING
John Henry Irons: Quincy Isaiah, 25
Perry White: Paul Giamatti, 54
Ron Troupe: Rob Morgan, 49
Jimmy Olsen: Tony Revolori, 25

SMALLVILLE
Martha Kent: Laura Linney, 58
Jonathan Kent: Tim Robbins, 63

KRYPTON
Jor-El: Richard Armitage, 50
Lara Lor-Van: Sandrine Holt, 49

ADDITIONAL
Dr. Emil Hamilton: Courtney B. Vance, 61
Mayor Reeve: Sakina Jaffrey, 60
Bibbo: Stephen McKinley Henderson, 72

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

Nice. I still like Jesse Plemons for Parasite.

 

[BobJM]

Yeah, that works. Plemmons is a great actor.

 

[Vaibow]

I can get down with Hoult... but I feel it won't be your typical superman...

 

[Deck Rickard]

I think Hoult would be great (no pun intended). I’ve liked him in pretty much everything I’ve seen him in. And Ariana DeBose as Lois? HELL YES.

 

[BobJM]

Hoult just keeps getting more built. He’s not the lanky young actor he was 10 years ago in X-Men: First Class.

I think he could absolutely be your typical Superman. Just having him be Reeves’ second choice for Batman gives me even more confidence that he could carry a film on his shoulders.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Hoult just keeps getting more built. He’s not the lanky young actor he was 10 years ago in X-Men: First Class.

I think he could absolutely be your typical Superman. Just having him be Reeves’ second choice for Batman gives me even more confidence that he could carry a film on his shoulders.

Yeah. Truth be told, I was rooting for him over Pattinson back then (Pattinson did great obviously but I was a bit unsure about him when casting was going on). I hope he’s still on WB’s radar. He could make a great Superman; he’s a very versatile actor.

 

[BobJM]

Yeah. Truth be told, I was rooting for him over Pattinson back then (Pattinson did great obviously but I was a bit unsure about him when casting was going on). I hope he’s still on WB’s radar. He could make a great Superman; he’s a very versatile actor.

Oh see, I was the opposite lol. I always like Hoult but thought he was a bit too 'soft' for Bruce Wayne / Batman. I always saw him as more of the boy scout / Clark Kent-type.

And after seeing West Side Story and her latest SNL appearance, I can't get enough of Ariana DeBose. She'd be a great Lois.

The first thing I did when I walked out of The Batman was start to think about what a complimentary Superman series would look like...

 

[Deck Rickard]

Oh see, I was the opposite lol. I always like Hoult but thought he was a bit too 'soft' for Bruce Wayne / Batman. I always saw him as more of the boy scout / Clark Kent-type.

And after seeing West Side Story and her latest SNL appearance, I can't get enough of Ariana DeBose. She'd be a great Lois.

The first thing I did when I walked out of The Batman was start to think about what a complimentary Superman series would look like...

For real, DeBose is amazing and I hope to GOD she drops out of that stupid Kraven movie so it doesn’t hurt her chances at appearing in a real superhero film.

Yeah, I wish WB would entrust someone with the Superman franchise who has the vision and the respect for the character the way Reeves does with Batman.

 

[BobJM]

For real, DeBose is amazing and I hope to GOD she drops out of that stupid Kraven movie so it doesn’t hurt her chances at appearing in a real superhero film.

Yeah, I wish WB would entrust someone with the Superman franchise who has the vision and the respect for the character the way Reeves does with Batman.

I don’t think the Kraven commitment would have any bearing on future DC appearances but it’s a good point you make. I guess I don’t know the size of the role.

Still, plenty of cases past & present with actors/actresses appearing in multiple franchises. Barry Keoghan, prime example.

As for a director, I do think Chloe Zhao could be interesting. Eternals didn’t set the world on fire but I think she can capture the essence of Superman his effect on the world around him. I don’t want it to be Superman in the vein of The Batman, but rather a true adaptation of Superman. Bright color and morality stories.

 

[flickchick85]

Based on Nomadland and Eternals, I don’t think Zhao’s sensibilities fit Superman at all, tbh. We need someone who will embrace the fun and childlike wonder with great zeal. And not like they were forced to (which was the feeling I got from the levity in Eternals).

The last thing I want is another po-faced, self-serious take on Supes.

 

[Deck Rickard]

Yeah I like Zhao but I don’t think the superhero genre is her thing. Although the biggest problem with Eternals (IMO) was that it tried to juggle too many characters and it didn’t leave time to do much with them that was interesting. Perhaps she would do better with a solo superhero story. That said, I don’t think she’s right for Superman.

I would, however, hire her Eternals costume designer in a heartbeat for Supes. I really liked their look of their costumes and it would be interesting to see what they could do with a Superman suit.

 

[BobJM]

Based on Nomadland and Eternals, I don’t think Zhao’s sensibilities fit Superman at all, tbh. We need someone who will embrace the fun and childlike wonder with great zeal. And not like they were forced to (which was the feeling I got from the levity in Eternals).

The last thing I want is another po-faced, self-serious take on Supes.

I thought Eternals had plenty of fun to be found amongst the larger-than-life stakes but to each their own. I know that movie wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But I thought Zhao and her team were able to bring great visuals too that didn’t need to be bogged down with heavy filters & slow motion.

The main characters all had emotional arcs which proceeded to their logical conclusions (with the exception of Kingo IMO). And each Eternal had their own tethers to humanity in way that I feel wasn’t captured in any of Snyder’s attempts. Had Zhao only needed to focus on a handful of the included cast, I think the story would have been all the more strong. Luckily Supes is a solo character.

That being said, I’m sure there are plenty of filmmakers that can deliver a super Superman film.

 

[Deck Rickard]

How about Bryce Dallas Howard? Her work on The Mandalorian and Boba Fett has been stellar. She seems to have a good handle on delivering character-driven action and spectacle.

 

[Vaibow]

Oh see, I was the opposite lol. I always like Hoult but thought he was a bit too 'soft' for Bruce Wayne / Batman. I always saw him as more of the boy scout / Clark Kent-type.

And after seeing West Side Story and her latest SNL appearance, I can't get enough of Ariana DeBose. She'd be a great Lois.

The first thing I did when I walked out of The Batman was start to think about what a complimentary Superman series would look like...

I did the same thing, I was like - how would superman work in that universe... that's where I appreciated Snyders vision.... way more... as I found myself saying clark would be an under cover hero, laying low, as he knew the gov would gobble him up... then an event would happen forcing him to come out, then he would have a choice, be superman or go back to being an urban legend... which is very similar to what snyder did, however his story telling, editing, for me, made it an awkward experience...

Based on Nomadland and Eternals, I don’t think Zhao’s sensibilities fit Superman at all, tbh. We need someone who will embrace the fun and childlike wonder with great zeal. And not like they were forced to (which was the feeling I got from the levity in Eternals).

The last thing I want is another po-faced, self-serious take on Supes.

Nice, I totally agree.

My top two, for the reasons you shared - Brad Bird and Marc Webb.

 

[BobJM]

How about Bryce Dallas Howard? Her work on The Mandalorian and Boba Fett has been stellar. She seems to have a good handle on delivering character-driven action and spectacle.

That’s a pretty great idea. I always feel we missed the boat getting a Ron Howard directed Superman.

Wow. I think I like that a lot.

 

[Vaibow]

Hoult just keeps getting more built. He’s not the lanky young actor he was 10 years ago in X-Men: First Class.

I think he could absolutely be your typical Superman. Just having him be Reeves’ second choice for Batman gives me even more confidence that he could carry a film on his shoulders.

I honestly don't think they will go with 'typical' superman... in the sense that, and don't get me wrong, I want 'typical' superman.... I feel like, they won't make this a super hero film, it will lean more to a political drama type, with reporters, news outlets and geo political affairs.. as the back drop.. which, I feel they would do, in the same way The Batman isn't so much a super hero movie, but a detective story... if that makes sense, like, they will find the human angle... and the realistic take... again I could be wrong, but I just see this as WB thinking 'The Batman made bank because we humanized him' - I don't think it's a bad idea per se, it just boxes .

I was thinking about it, the original idea was a super man going up against oppression and corruption... stopping criminals....

lois was a woman in a mans world, fiesty, trying to compete and hold her ground.. these days, that's not so much of an issue, however a woman of colour in a mans world, predominantly white, that's the fiery, strong attitude the concept of lois displayed and is a good reference.. that's why I love the choice of Debose - she can display that and it can make a good substory...

I like the idea of Kal El being depowered and at the beginning of his superman journey, in the sense that as he ages, he gains more powers... that's cool... I like that idea..as he grows, the stories grow and he gets stronger... plus it allows the first intro to be more personal.. imagine a crazy strong young man, that runs into fires, lifts up cars, stands in front of a bullet... imagine he was never told of his heritage either... so there is no talk of aliens etc - he just knows he was adopted, then Johnathon shares more.

I had this idea, where similar to man of steel, he helped out where he could, he was just in right place at right time, or could get across the city in time... he was an urban legend... on tiktok, grainy footage, but no one really believed it... it's so easy to fake it... the media called it a fake...

Then one evening, Clark is in smallville about to wrestle in a charity match, he planned to wrestle in a home made wrestling costume, the smallville wonder - complete with cape (for the entrance) and a mask... it's the typical superman suit, think lois and clark, new adventures of superman... he then get's alerted of something and he just darts out before the match... and the final 3rd act takes place, with him in that suit... it's raining so his hair is slicked back... he looks like classic superman... red pants.. that's to me, how that suit works... and then that's how he is exposed to the world.. is it a hoax? Daily planet is about to find out...

Sequels explore that idea.

 

[flickchick85]

How about Bryce Dallas Howard? Her work on The Mandalorian and Boba Fett has been stellar. She seems to have a good handle on delivering character-driven action and spectacle.

I could dig it!

 

[The Lazarus Pit]

After seeing The Batman, I want someone like Matt Reeves who is a fan of the character. There have to be some solid directors that are Superman fans.

 

[Lithium]

I've always liked the idea of Hoult as Lex. Could be a younger, definitive take on the character that mirrors Superman as they grow in opposite directions.

 

[flickchick85]

I could certainly buy him as Lex before I could buy him as Superman tbh.