Forums: jason lee as superman /john malkovich as lex luther

I think that Jason Lee is an amazing actor, but not The Man of Steel. Malkovich would make a pretty cool Luthor too. The only problem with some of your choices is that the celebrity status of some of the actors would make the roles seem like caricatures, not characters. There is a difference. To me, Jor-El especially, should be unknowns. Same with Superman's parents on Earth. Jack Black would be funny, but once again, might draw you out of the film. Then again, Spider-Man lost none of it's essence because of big names like Maguire, Dafoe, and Kirsten Dunst. Must I always contradict myself?

Marlon Brando could have another Cameo as Jorel. It's not that much screen time afterall, and Ed Norton should play Luther. He's the last choice I heard about and his the BEST actor of this generation!

Hmm...as much as Ed Norton is my favorite actor, I think he's too young to play Luthor. I never would have thought of Malkovich, but I think he's a great choice. As far as Superman goes, the only actor who has recently caught my attention as would fit the role well was Eric Bana, although I'm not sure how well it would work being known as TWO superheroes.

Ed's not to young, but the problem is he LOOKS that way so I agree ;)

Malkovich is an excellent choice.

Yeah, I wasn't clear enough. I don't know how old he is, but he looks too young for the role. Thats all.

I don't like the idea of Christina Ricci playing Lois. Her head is too round. Dont' get me wrong I like her and all, but Lois should be drop dead gorgeous, not 'cute'.

Shannyn Sossamon I could see or Claire Forlani.

I think that Jennifer Connelly would make an alright Lois, if she wasn't already in The Hulk. As far as Superman goes, that's a touchy subject. It would be hard to find someone to fill a role the Chris Reeves filled out so perefectly IMHO.

How about Jerad, the subway guy? J/K

I don't know much about the comics, but I know what I like from my film conversions. Dark and edgy. Superman is a fairly bland hero, but if he had to beat a really dark psychotic villain without killing him then it could be an emotionally intense film. Norton would be perfect for that villain.

But Luthor was never very dark. In fact, the grimmest storyline comes from Action Comics #775. It involved a group known as The Elite, that takes down evil-doers in a "shoot first" kind of way. Then, when the public starts to side with The Elite, Superman's plight is worsened when they basically kick the sh*t out of him. Then, the book gets to a point where Superman hits an all time low, when everyone, even his loved ones, begin to doubt him. He sees no other options, and the begins to systematically kill every member of The Elite. Well, not really, but that does sound alot darker, doesn't it? For all the details, go ahead and pick this one up, or find someone who has it. Fleshed out a bit, it wouldnt make a bad Superman flick. But, casting is going to be a huge problem.

But Luthor was never very dark. In fact, the grimmest storyline comes from Action Comics #775. It involved a group known as The Elite, that takes down evil-doers in a "shoot first" kind of way. Then, when the public starts to side with The Elite, Superman's plight is worsened when they basically kick the sh*t out of him. Then, the book gets to a point where Superman hits an all time low, when everyone, even his loved ones, begin to doubt him. He sees no other options, and the begins to systematically kill every member of The Elite. Well, not really, but that does sound alot darker, doesn't it? For all the details, go ahead and pick this one up, or find someone who has it. Fleshed out a bit, it wouldnt make a bad Superman flick. But, casting is going to be a huge problem.That's exactly my point. Superman as a character is kind of naff. It would make it better if they took advantage of his refusal to kill, by making Luther a true psychopath instead of camp, almost Bond villain. It would added urgency to Supermans trying to find away to stop him, without killing him. May not please his fans though.

How about Jerad, the subway guy? J/K

Where did we get this guy? Sh*t, that was funny!

Yeah, that was pretty good. I kind of passed it over though because I was just flying through and was caught up in the geeky moment of casting a Superman movie. But a dark storyline isn't really what Superman needs, I don't think. It would be easy to create a script about his refusal to kill, but in the long run, it would be one of those half-developed ideas because all of them would be so jumbled. Batman has always been the dark, gritty anti-hero to Superman's bright, sunny, Metropolis inhabiting superhero. I only mentioned the Elite storyline because you spoke of a "dark" storyline, and that one would provide the most interesting debacle for Superman to encounter. But still, it's nowhere near as dark as anything you'd find in another comic.

Let's just get some really good makeup people and bring back Gene Hackman. He was God.

Here's my take:

They should go with Brendan Fraiser as Supes.
Yeah, the guy has made some POOR film choices, be he's got the "Golly-gee wilacker" thing that the red, white, and blue boyscout would need. Plus, if any of you have ever seen George of the Jungle, he can certainly get the build for it.

As for Lex... bare with me on this one... I'd go with Nic Cage. He can play edgy enough to make a REALLY interesting Luther without taking him TOO campy or TOO dark. Just the right amount of inbetween for that role.

I don't agree that Lois should be drop dead gorgeous. She should be pretty, but in a plain, almost mousey sort of way. Claire Forliani (sp) would work for me... Keep the glasses from Mall Rats, not too mcuh make-up, and I think she'd work well.

Jimmy Olsen: Matt Doran (Mouse from The Matrix)
Newpaper Editor: whoever said Kevin Spacey.. GENIUS CHOICE!! I agree 100%.

But honestly, I don't know that a Superman film would work nowadays. Supes was the post WWII symbol of an optomistic America. We're such a jaded society now, I just don't know that people would buy a big boyscout anymore. Sure, the opening weekend box office would be HUGE, but after that, you'd see a RECORD fall-off.

Hmmmm... it'll be interesting to see if Weiner Brothers ever REALLY gets this film off the ground.

~ Kerouac

Claire Forlani...*drools* yeah, I can see her as Lois.

Mouse as Jimmy Olsen, great choice!

Brendan Fraser would be a good choice for Clark, but I can't get Reeves out of my head as Supes, he was just too damn perfect for the role.

Kevin Spacey is a nice choice as Perry, but I dunno...

I don't see Ed Norton as Lex, it would have to be something older-looking. Cage is an interesting choice (specially since he was on the front seat for the Supes role), I think he would look psychotic enough. Malkovich would be tempting, but he may look TOO psychotic...

What's so wrong with optimism nowadays? Part of the reason why people are so pessimist nowadays is because we are flooded with gritty and dark. We NEED guys like Supes to come back from the dead!

p.d. aren't Otis and Ms. Teschmacher (sp?) made up characters for the movies?

What's so wrong with optimism nowadays?

Absolutely NOTHING is wrong with optimism... I'm all for it. I just think that the inherent optimism in Supes is what will turn people off, that's all. Personally, I'm love to see society get a nice jolt of pure, unadulterated optimism. Realisticly though, it just won't work anymore.

If they had a Supes movie that came out right after 9/11, THEN it would have broken every f*cking film record. But now, with our boys dying in Iraq every day (in increasingly alarming numbers) optimism is a tough sell for people.

~ Kerouac

I think Supes should be played a relatively unknown actor. But it just doesn't make sense for the box office. Superman just isn't as popular today as he was because of the reason Kerouac gave about being a post WWII hero. Today a majority of people go to movies becasue of the actors that star in them. And us, as movie fans do the same. But, we also go to films for the story or the idea. If a movie looks interesting to me I go see it. Who is in the staring wole doesn't make a difference. As an example I would use I Am Sam. I cannot stand Sean Penn or the majority of his body of work but a prieview made me want to see this. I enjoyed to show. On the flip side I did go to see Vanilla Sky because of Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz, I still dont get this movie and most likely never will. I go to the movies to be entertained. Nothing fancy. I like the stories. If I get caught up in the who is playing who I'm in for a big disapointment and I hate to waste seven bucks on a poorly written film even though it had the top actors in the industry in it. If star power made a good movie than the Clooney Oceans Eleven would be an oscar winner.

Oh come on...Vanilla Sky was not THAT hard to get.