Producer Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder are searching for the actor who will play Clark Kent in the upcoming film Superman: Man of Steel. Snyder is tweaking the script with David S. Goyer, who conceived the story with Nolan.
There’s no doubt that hundreds of actors will be considered before making a decision, but Deadline speculates that Mad Men star Jon Hamm, Armie Hammer of The Social Network, Joe Magnaniello from the hit series True Blood, and The Vampire Diaries star Ian Somerhalder are all major possibilities to play the Man of Steel.
Based on the actors listed, Hammer seems to be the most likely choice. Not only was he great in The Social Network; his stature, charisma, and appearance (Clark Kent does have a distinguished look) would seem the most appropriate for this role.
Of course, we don’t know who the actor will be, but we do know that he will be within the 28-32 age range and is likely to be either an undiscovered talent or an actor who just isn’t very famous yet.
Despite the fact that he’s a television actor, Hamm, who has been rumored for this role in the past, won’t be anywhere near this project if Nolan and Snyder are going for someone who isn’t famous. They probably won't head in that direction: the formula of casting an unknown as the Man of Steel has been used nearly every time that a Superman project was conceived.
The two times that the formula was challenged ended disastrously. Tim Burton once aimed to direct a film (a project that was eventually scrapped) with Nicolas Cage in the leading role, and Josh Hartnett was cast in Brett Ratner's take, which was canned when Bryan Singer stepped on board to direct. Hamm's quite famous for his role as Don Draper on the AMC hit Mad Men; he also might be a little too old to play the part, unless the angle for this project is different than we're expecting.
Whether or not Clark Kent is played by any of the gents listed, I’m still curious to see who ends up getting the part. Additionally, the casting of Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, if either is present in this adaptation (and why wouldn't they be), should be interesting to follow. Superman: Man of Steel hits theaters in December of 2012.
