New Superman Movie in 2004

Variety Magazine on the New Superman Says:

The studio is in talks with Neal Moritz (The Fast and the Furious, XXX, S.W.A.T., Stealth) and Gilbert Adler (Ghost Ship, Starsky & Hutch, Constantine) to produce the film.

The picture has not been greenlit, adds the trade, nor is McG set to direct, although he did indeed test six actors last week for the role. It has not been decided which actor will be fitted for spandex and sent to Australia, where location scouting is about to begin. Among candidates said to have tested are Jason Behr (Roswell), Henry Cavill (The Count of Monte Cristo), Jared Padalecki (New York Minute) and Michael Cassidy.

Jon Peters, a co-producer of the original "Batman" film series who has been shepherding the Superman revival going back to the Burton-Cage incarnation of 1998, officially will remain involved as a producer but is not likely to be a fixture.

The current J.J. Abrams-scripted version of Superman has been somewhat streamlined to a budget that hovers around $200 million. The film still revolves around Superman's battle with Lex Luthor and a mysterious killer from Krypton who has come to hunt down the Man of Steel.

Warner Bros. Entertainment chairman-CEO Alan Horn and production president Jeff Robinov are expected to decide soon on whether any of McG's candidates will get the starring role.

Sci Fi Wire says

After several highly publicized false starts, Warner Brothers is putting the final pieces together for its upcoming Superman film, which could begin production in late 2004, Variety reported. Location scouting has already begun in Australia, and producers Neal Moritz (Fast and the Furious, XXX) and Gilbert Adler (Constantine, Ghost Ship) are in negotiations with the studio to produce, the trade paper said.

Although director McG is not officially attached, he tested six actors last week for the lead role, including Jason Behr (Roswell), Henry Cavill (The Count of Monte Cristo), Jared Padalecki (New York Minute) and Michael Cassidy, Variety reported.

Previous attempts to launch the film with directors such as Tim Burton and Brett Ratner failed to get off the ground due to creative differences with studio executives. The current script, written by Alias creator J.J. Abrams, is budgeted for $200 million, but the project has yet to be green-lighted. The film will revolve around Superman's battle with Lex Luthor and a mysterious killer from the planet Krypton who has come to hunt down the Man of Steel, the trade paper reported.

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