What’s Playing (via The Playlist) has learned from a casting agency source that Anne Hathaway is said to be a contender to play Lois Lane in Zack Snyder’s Superman: Man of Steel. Of course, this means very little considering the word “contender” doesn’t imply an offer and just means a whole slew of names are also in contention. As The Playlist’s Kevin Jagernauth points out this likely includes rumor regulars Keira Knightley, Amanda Seyfried, Natalie Portman, Abbie Cornish, Michelle Williams, Scarlett Johansson. I do like their idea of Rebecca Hall for the role much more than any of those names, though giving the role to Abbie Cornish wouldn’t be half-bad either.
Additionally, Feature Film Auditions has posted the following character breakdown for Clark Kent/Superman that’s being sent out in the search for the leading man:
“Clark Kent is a freelance reporter in his early 20’s, traveling all around the world covering various news stories. However, Kent is forced to fly back into action to attain a fleeing assassin instead of covering an ethnic conflict between the Ghuri and Turaaba clans in West Africa. Upon his return to form, Kent returns to Smallville to learn more about his origins and become the hero he was born to be.”
What’s interesting about the wording above is how similar it is to SlashFilm‘s speculative report based on a Vulture story back in October. Slash’s Peter Sciretta referred to the 12-issue limited comic book series “Superman: Birthright” written by Mark Waid and drawn by Leinil Francis Yu. He added:
In the story. Clark Kent is a freelance reporter in his early twenties, traveling the world to cover news stories. While covering an ethnic conflict between the fictional Ghuri and Turaaba clans in West Africa, he is forced to use his super powers to attain a fleeing assassin. This results in Kent returning to Smallville to learn more about his alien heritage and make the decision to become Superman.
Is it possible Sciretta was so spot on with his description it was simply tweaked a bit and is now being used as an actual working synopsis during casting?
Superman: Man of Steel is gearing up for a June 2011 start for a 2012 release.
