Superman: Red Son is one of the most iconic Elseworlds stories ever created, and now it’s been adapted for the screen as the next DC animated movie to come from Warner Bros. Animation. Forget everything you know about America’s greatest superhero though as in this alternate universe, he’s no longer an American.
Based on the 2003 limited comic book series by Mark Millar, Dave Johnson and Killian Plunkett, Superman: Red Son explores what would happen if Kal-El’s Kryptonian pod hadn’t crashed into Smallville, Kansas but a farm in the Ukraine instead. The result is that Superman’s raised by Josef Stalin (Stalin means “Man of Steel,” after all) and becomes a key weapon during the height of the Cold War. The knock-on effect is that the DC universe changes around him, with different versions of the likes of Batman and Green Lantern turning up.
Starring in the Red Son movie is Jason Isaacs as the Soviet Superman, which is a neat bit of casting that reflects the upside-down world of the story (Isaacs has previously played Lex Luthor). Likewise, Luthor is voiced in the film by Diedrich Bader, most known for portraying Batman.
Elsewhere, Roger Craig Smith is the Russian Batman, with the rest of the cast including Amy Acker as Lois Lane, Phil Morris as James Olsen, Sasha Roiz as Hal Jordan and Paul Williams as Brainiac. A couple of DC Animated Universe veterans are also reprising their classic roles. Namely, Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman and Phil LaMarr as John Stewart.
Superman: Red Son has yet to be assigned a release date, but it’s due to drop on Blu-Ray/DVD and Digital HD sometime in early 2020. And once we get an exact date, we’ll be sure to let you know, so stay tuned.
