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Superman Casting: Younger Or Older?

J

Jetfire

Guest
Why has the casting for Superman always someone younger...even with fans???

Brandon Routh was like 25-26
Christopher Reeve 24-25

Even with Lois...

Kate Bosworth 22ish
Margot Kidder around 29 so that isn't bad.

These characters I thought were ment to be 30 something and the actors playing should be 30 something or older???

If a Superman movies is made in the near future and it is a reboot...should the casting be younger or older???

:borg:
 
Jetfire said:
Why has the casting for Superman always someone younger...even with fans???

Brandon Routh was like 25-26
Christopher Reeve 24-25

Even with Lois...

Kate Bosworth 22ish
Margot Kidder around 29 so that isn't bad.

These characters I thought were ment to be 30 something and the actors playing should be 30 something or older???

If a Superman movies is made in the near future and it is a reboot...should the casting be younger or older???

:borg:
Click to expand...
Depends on which part of Superman's career the movie takes place in. Superman: The Movie takes place at the start of hos career, Superman Returns a few years later. So he can be anywhere from early twenties to about thirty.
 
I would definitely prefer an older, George Reeves-style Superman, but I don't really mind the younger ones. I thought Routh looked damn cool in the costume, and would have loved to have seen him continue.
 
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or better yet

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Jetfire said:
Why has the casting for Superman always someone younger...even with fans???

Brandon Routh was like 25-26
Christopher Reeve 24-25

Even with Lois...

Kate Bosworth 22ish
Margot Kidder around 29 so that isn't bad.

These characters I thought were ment to be 30 something and the actors playing should be 30 something or older???

If a Superman movies is made in the near future and it is a reboot...should the casting be younger or older???

:borg:
Click to expand...


That's interesting. Kidder and Reeve just seemed a lot older, and more mature than Bosworth and Roush who seemed like high school kids in a play. I'd like to see actors in their 30's. Superman should have some of the gravitas, and Lois should have some of the savvy, that comes with a little bit of age.
 
They'll always go with someone younger for these reasons:

1.) Younger actor = longer he can continue playing the role.
2.) Younger actor = less well known i.e. cheaper.
3.) Younger actor = (typically) stupid and will sign just for the opportunity.
 
Younger actors also appeal more to younger viewers, who are the primary movie audience and most valuable tv demographic.
 
Not to mention that it's easier for a young guy to keep himself in superheroic shape. That's not to take away from the 30 and 40 something Jackman, Craigs or Bales who have gotten themselves in fantastic shape for their various roles. But the older they get, the harder that's going to be to maintain it.
 
^ Or you just do what they did for Bale when he took the role of Batman - agree to pay him a million dollars to get in shape before he even signs the contract (yes that happened). He had lost almost his entire musculature for The Machinist and they paid him that amount to get back into healthy shape.
 
Jetfire said:
Why has the casting for Superman always someone younger...even with fans???

Brandon Routh was like 25-26
Christopher Reeve 24-25

Even with Lois...

Kate Bosworth 22ish
Margot Kidder around 29 so that isn't bad.

These characters I thought were ment to be 30 something and the actors playing should be 30 something or older???...
Click to expand...

Actually, the rule of thumb has long been that Clark is "about 30 years old", which means he became Superman in his early to mid 20's.

The example above of a very old Superman is a serious departure, and is really a one-shot thing. Don't believe it's even in continuity with the regular comics. Just sort of a "What If?" story.

For quite a while now (believe it still holds, although continuity was recently "tweaked") the story's been that Clark left home when he finished high school, and traveled the world for seven years, taking college courses online, before deciding to go home and find a way to use his powers in public.

This led of course to the creation of a "new" version of Clark (whose looks had changed quite a bit and people hadn't seen in years anyway), and Superman.

If he was 18 when he left home, this would place the creation of Superman when he was about 25.
 
^
I always thought he put on the suit at 30?

still, if he's 25 when he puts on the suit getting someone 30-35ish to play him would be better than getting someone who is 25 but looks 18. IMHO.
 
Smart comic book writers never actually pin down the characters' ages. That's just asking for trouble, especially as decades go by and the heroes never really age. You don't want some overeager fan going "Well, if he turned 21 in 1986, then he must be 44 now . . . ."

Better to just keep it vague. Superman is in the prime of life. Just leave it at that.
 
Greg Cox said:
Younger actors also appeal more to younger viewers, who are the primary movie audience and most valuable tv demographic.
Click to expand...
That's so much bullshit. Or are you telling me that Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Jason Statham, Clive Owens, Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, or pretty much any other exceptionally popular actor are all flukes? :rolleyes: And I pulled every single one of those names just out of thin air. I could keep going and list a fuck ton more than any popular "younger actor," especially on any poll you find on the internet about who people (most of whom are young) would want to see in specific genre roles.
 
I think nowadays the studios just see too much potential in having a hot young hunk in the Superman role. Plus there probably aren't a lot of older, more established actors who would WANT to take on that burden.
 
Checkmate said:
Greg Cox said:
Younger actors also appeal more to younger viewers, who are the primary movie audience and most valuable tv demographic.
Click to expand...
That's so much bullshit. Or are you telling me that Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Jason Statham, Clive Owens, Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, or pretty much any other exceptionally popular actor are all flukes? :rolleyes: And I pulled every single one of those names just out of thin air. I could keep going and list a fuck ton more than any popular "younger actor," especially on any poll you find on the internet about who people (most of whom are young) would want to see in specific genre roles.
Click to expand...
Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Christopher Lee, and Ian McKellen are bad examples. They all get work but it's not like any of them are the main star of any really big movies.
 
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