I couldn’t write a Man of Steel-related feature without mentioning the original Supes. Perhaps he wasn’t the first one to tackle the role, but he most certainly is the most dearly remembered one. Christopher Reeve was already an adept stage actor when he was cast as Kal-El, the last son of Krypton, in Richard Donner’s Superman. Needless to say, the guy nailed it, the film was a huge success, and off he went to have an illustrious career, or so they thought…
In 1995, Christopher Reeve fell off his horse and was paralyzed from the neck down. He’d already starred in quite a few movies and was by all means an A-Lister, but then his career was suddenly over, and he subsequently passed away nine years later. It was the tragic loss of a superb actor who had much to look forward to.
Brandon Routh reprised the role of Kal-El in Superman Returns years later, but it just wasn’t the same anymore. There had been talk of a curse looming over those who take on the role of Superman, but that’s just rubbish. Henry Cavill shouldn’t be worried about mere superstition — just look at how Brandon Routh and Dean Cain’s careers have flourished ever since they played the character. Oh, wait…
In all seriousness though, we think Cavill will do a fine job in the role and wish him much success.
What do you think? Will Henry succeed? Is he destined to be an A-list star?