If they off him an assload of money I think he'll take the slap.
I would like to see Tom Welling as Superman and I would love for the movie to be a continuation of Smallville. Yes, it's not the best show out there, the writing is often questionable and you can really see the limited budget, but those are problems that could easilly be solved by the jump to the big screen.
Of course the movie has to work on its own, so I would only reuse a few actors from the show, Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole. Everyone else has to go, Allison Mack and Cassidy Freeman could appear in minor roles (depending on what happens to Chloe and Tess in season 10, I'm not sure they're going to survive), but I don't want Lex, Lana, Kara etc. anywhere near the movie and as much as I like Oliver, there's no place for a second, more experienced superhero in a Superman movie, maybe in a second part, but not in the first.
Of course the movie has to work on its own, so I would only reuse a few actors from the show, Tom Welling, Erica Durance, Michael McKean and Annette O'Toole. Everyone else has to go, Allison Mack and Cassidy Freeman could appear in minor roles (depending on what happens to Chloe and Tess in season 10, I'm not sure they're going to survive), but I don't want Lex, Lana, Kara etc. anywhere near the movie and as much as I like Oliver, there's no place for a second, more experienced superhero in a Superman movie, maybe in a second part, but not in the first.
Not necessarily. Producers aren't always strictly loyal to a single interpretation of a fictional character. Most of the major talents who created the DC Animated Universe have gone on to create or produce DC-based shows in incompatible continuities -- Bruce Timm on the DVD movies, Alan Burnett and Stan Berkowitz on The Batman, Glen Murakami on Teen Titans, James Tucker on Legion of Super Heroes and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Paul Dini on Krypto the Superdog, etc. I think the people who produce shows based on comic books are fully aware that they don't own the characters, that they're just taking something that's been around for decades and offering one variant interpretation of it.
Meanwhile... I just watched the extended cut of Superman: The Movie, wanting to reassess it (and to refresh my memory since the Donner cut of Superman II is coming up in my Netflix queue), and it made me wonder more than ever why anyone would think Brandon Routh was a worthy successor to Christopher Reeve, let alone in a film that was supposed to be a rough continuation of the same continuity. Reeve did a masterful job playing a Clark/Superman who was corny in a very Silver Age way yet completely sincere and charming about it. He had this utterly self-assured amusement, this enjoyment of the little joke he was having with his dual identity, that was nonetheless totally good-natured and innocent, not condescending or mocking in any way. It was a splendid interpretation of Superman, and of course he did a fine job differentiating Clark and Superman. Next to that, Routh was just... one-note. He didn't convey that same spirit or charm or humor at all. He didn't inhabit the role as effortlessly and comfortably as Reeve.
Of the candidates on the list (the ones I'm familiar with), Bomer's the only one that I think could come close to that same kind of charm. Maybe Barrowman could capture the wit, but he tends to come off as a bit full of himself, something Superman would never be.
And I'd have to say he's not worth any amount of money. There shouldn't be a $100 million big screen disaster version of Smallville, whether it's merely perceived or actual. But it isn't even worth speculating about since we know the Nolans are smarter than that and won't go the Welling route.
J
Jetfire
Guest
Maybe we will get a series of SMALLVILLE made for TV movies with Tom as Superman. 
Having just seen "The Count of Monte Cristo", I definitely think Henry Cavill looks the part (he even has that big superhero chin!), but I don't know how good of an actor he is. His role in the movie was quite small (he did well, though).
If Routh isn't back, then Bomer's the only one who looks anything like the comics character- he has the right chin for it.
I'll never get why anyone would think Routh looks like Superman. He looks more like Spock or Sherlock Holmes to me. His face and voice seem totally wrong for Superman to me.
Bomer definitely has the face, especially the eyes. The only strike against him is that he's a little short for the part, 5'11" or so, but if they cast a small Lois, it shouldn't be a problem.
Bomer definitely has the face, especially the eyes. The only strike against him is that he's a little short for the part, 5'11" or so, but if they cast a small Lois, it shouldn't be a problem.
J
Jetfire
Guest
I think Christian Howard could pull it off, he has less goofy look than Routh.
He is an unknown and I am not sure going with a TV star is good.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2ZXSzaUIBQ[/yt]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2ZXSzaUIBQ
He is playing Ken.
He is an unknown and I am not sure going with a TV star is good.
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2ZXSzaUIBQ[/yt]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2ZXSzaUIBQ
He is playing Ken.
Hmm yeah, I still don't see it, but rather than rehashing that again, to each his own. If only some kind of serum was made for enhanced acting skills, I would be on board for Welling. Although I guess we would have a steroids in professional sports-esque debacle going on in Hollywood, but imagine the possibilities!
A BIT?! That has to be the under-statement of the decade! If he was any more full of himself, you'd see the top of his head poking out from his mouth every time he opened it ...
I take Barrowman as being full of himself in a cheeky kind of manner...but yeah I don't really see him as Superman. Outside of Brandon Routh my choice is still Mathew Bomer.
+1 Matthew Bomer all the way
I watched Superman Returns again last night, and I think Routh is amazing in the role, especially given what he had to work with. He honours the performance and character of Reeve, while making it his own by expanding what came before. He had so many wonderful moments as both Clark and Superman, and captured it all with grace and charisma.
I'm with T'Baio here.
Any complaints about Routh's performance may be blamed in large part on the screenwriters for Superman Returns. Routh didn't have two continuous minutes of memorable dialogue anywhere in the film, and it is not his fault.
Disagree. He was as charismatic as a turnip.
I'm not saying anyone's at "fault." Routh is a perfectly adequate actor, and I'm sure there are roles he'd be well-suited for. I just cannot for the life of me look at him and see Superman, let alone a Superman that's supposed to be the same one Christopher Reeve embodied. That's not a slur against him as an actor or a person, it's simply a description of my reaction to him in the role.
Although if I were to play the blame game, I'd pin it more on the direction than the writing. Pretty much every actor in the film was directed to underplay the hell out of it, to the point that it became lifeless and sluggish. I also feel it was a fundamental mistake to attempt to tie this film to the Donner Superman, because it suffers mightily by comparison. (I've critiqued the Donner film/s in the past, but I've just recently re-viewed S:TM and have found myself seeing it in a more positive light and recognizing what an achievement it was. And certainly a large part of that was Reeve's casting, and I'm sorry, but Routh is simply not in the same ballpark.) They should've started from scratch and created something new so that they wouldn't be competing against 30 years of expectations and memories.