HENRY CAVILL COMMENTS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF PLAYING SUPERMAN
So, let’s talk a little Superman. The big blue boy scout has a lot riding on his shoulders these days. Now that Christopher Nolan is finished playing in Gotham City’s sandbox, Superman is the key link between the past and future of Warner Brothers. Director Zack Snyder, screenwriter Jonathan Nolan, and actor Henry Cavill are at the steering wheel — in the rearview mirror is the plentiful critical and financial bounty reaped by “The Dark Knight” trilogy, and down the dark road ahead, is the uncertainty of launching a Justice League of America film. At this point, Warners does not have the luxury of introducing the members of the League in solo movies, and build up to a monumental chapter in geek culture history, as Marvel did with The Avengers.
Nope, it all comes down to the Last Son of Krypton. If the upcoming Superman reboot, Man of Steel fails to soar at the box office, the planned Justice League movie could be a very dicey move. Think about it: if Man of Steel is rejected by moviegoing audiences, how is Warner Brothers going to sell them on a superhero team up film that features someone new playing a beloved character (Batman), a character that they flat-out hated (Green Lantern), a character they may no longer care about at all (Superman), and three other characters (Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Aquaman) who have never appeared on the big screen before, and who are often the butt of jokes as old as Yoda’s underwear?
Let’s face it, this Superman reboot is not a sure bet — not by a longshot. The teaser trailer, which was shown to millions at the beginning of The Dark Knight Rises, was endlessly mocked on the Internet for being too somber and pretentious, and “Clark Kent joins the cast of The Deadliest Catch” jokes flourished. Director Zack Snyder can produce beautiful and dynamic imagery, but he’s been an abject failure when it comes to injecting his films with heart, meaning, and compelling narratives. The movie also has to wash out the sour taste in moviegoers’ mouths from Bryan Singer’s misguided and polarizing homage to the Richard Donner Superman films, Superman Returns, which will be a scant seven years old when Man of Steel hits theaters next Summer. There’s also the fundamental question as to whether the character is still relevant in these modern times. Does the world still need Superman? And even if it does, is the Superman we are going to see from Snyder and company the one we need? And lastly, there’s this worrisome quote from our new Man of Steel, Henry Cavill:
I think this approach is a critical mistake on Warner Brothers part. I don’t think anyone wants to identify with Superman; I think they want to idolize him. They want to be in awe and smile and have fun watching this fantastic, colorful hero fly through the air and punch giant robots through buildings. I know that I don’t want to see a gritty, grounded, “real world” Superman movie. I want to see a bright, optimistic superhero spectacle like The Avengers. We should have seen this in the Man of Steel trailer, but instead we got Zack Snyder doing his best Terence Malick impression.
At any rate, in the same Cineplex interview, it seems that Cavill at least understands the gravity of the situation and the responsibility of strapping on the cape of the greatest superhero of all-time:
Man of Steel opens on June 14th, 2013. The questions remain: Will you be there, and will it be any good?
About the Author
