Movies News
‘Man of Steel’ Countdown: Get Caught Up with the Latest News in the World of Superman
With a mere 18 weeks until the theatrical release of Man of Steel, the news has been flowing steadily, complete with merchandising, magazine spreads, pictures and the announcement of a new trailer.
Comicbookmovie.com learned that a new trailer will hit theaters in early to mid-April. The first three trailers (counting the two similar teasers voiced separately by Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner) have been well-received and excited many fans and moviegoers. So far the themes explored have been largely personal to the life of Clark Kent/Superman. Perhaps it’s time to move on to tease other aspects, such as life on Krypton before the baby Kal-El was sent to Earth, or the world’s reaction to making first contact with an alien race. We’ll find out in April. No word yet which films it will be attached to, so stay tuned.
The Rating
The MPAA has bequeathed a rating of PG-13 for Man of Steel, specifically for “intense sequences of sci-fi violence, action and destruction, and for some language.” This is hardly surprising since most modern superhero films receive a similar rating. Plus it will only be the second film by Zack Snyder with a rating below R. As a major trending topic on the fan message boards, only a handful have been complaining about not wanting to take young children to the theaters. Most have been happy to know that the film will indeed have “intense sequences of sci-fi violence” and “action and destruction.” This was a common complaint about Superman Returns in 2006 which dealt with Superman’s relationships, had a smaller amount of action, and he never actually threw a punch.
Toys and Merchandise
Variety reports that demand of Man of Steel merchandise is already on par with the requests for Dark Knight Rises materials from the same time last year. Warner Bros. has joined forces with Mattel, Rubie’s Costume Company, Thinkway Toys, Sideshow Collectibles, Kotobukiya, SquareEnix, Neca, Jakks Pacific, Funko, Cardinal Industries, Noble Collection and more. Several toys have already been announced and some of them give us further clues about the film that have not yet been announced.
Among the many figures and sets announced are three Lego boxes. “Metropolis Showdown” will include Superman and Zod figures. “Black Zero Escape” will have both of those, plus a Lois Lane. But the new hint is in the “Battle of Smallville” set, which as expected will have Superman, Zod and Faora, as well as Colonel Hardy who is played by Christopher Meloni. The surprising addition is “Tor-An,” who has not been announced for the film itself. In the comics, he was a Kryptonian member of the Military Guild from the “World of New Krypton Saga” in 2009. He was a sleeper agent secretly infiltrating Earth as the CEO of Empire Communications Network.
It is unknown if he is simply a name to be included in the Lego set. He may or may not be in the film and there’s no telling how much of his existing backstory will be part of the plot. He may even be the man in the motion-capture suit from the leaked photos.
Our first look at Jor-El also comes from the action figure. He appears to be wearing a suit similar to Superman’s under intricate Kryptonian armor. On a side note… stay tuned to Movies.com in the coming months for the set-visit report. His armor will be an important part of the discussion.
First Picture of Amy Adams as Lois Lane
Although we’ve only seen her briefly in the trailers, Desde Hollywod released the first official picture of Amy Adams as Lois Lane. She can be seen here in black and white holding an iPad, apparently in the offices at the Daily Planet. Although Adams has received negative feedback for looking so different from what some consider to be a “classic” image of Lois, she certainly looks right in this image.
Cameos
Rumors continue to abound as it has been suggested that previous stars may make cameo appearances in Man of Steel. It seems unlikely given that director Zack Snyder and screenwriter David S. Goyer have stated in interviews that their intention is to make a film that treats Superman as if no other films have come before it. If there are cameos, who will be chosen?
One possibility is a digital Christopher Reeve, which sounds too farfetched to be real, but this fan video of Henry Cavill as Clark Kent riding his bicycle in Chicago during filming last year may prove otherwise. In the background of the shot, a man can be seen dressed exactly the same way that Reeve was dressed in the opening sequence of Superman III. This is clearly a specific decision and not a mere accident. Is it merely an homage, or will he be digitally made to look like Reeve in the finished film?
Worldwide Websites
The official Man of Steel website from Warner Bros. has updated its sites to include most countries and languages as well as release dates. If you live outside the U.S. or will be traveling this June and still want to catch the film, be sure to check it out.
Superman Lives!
Filmmaker Jon Schnepp has put together a KickStarter campaign to finally tell the story of the never-made film Superman Lives. In the years between Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987 and Superman Returns in 2006, several false starts almost brought a new Superman to the silver screen, but none of them were filmed. Superman Lives was the only one that nearly reached production. It would have been directed by Tim Burton and starred Nicolas Cage and Sandra Bullock. Although we expect the film would have been too weird and separate from everything that came before for fans or general audiences to appreciate, there’s a chance that by today in 2013, it could have been a cult classic. Who knows.
The KickStarter campaign is asking for help with funding for the documentary and Schnepp has posted the following video to outline what will be included. I for one can’t wait to see it.
What toys and merchandise would you most like to see this summer?