With the way Hollywood’s been at it these days, every news might as well be a Superhero edition. Here’s what’s been circulating so far, and let’s start with the biggest shocker of the bunch (and because I’ve always had a soft spot for the Man of Steel for as long as I can remember):

• Christopher Nolan to ‘mentor’ the new Superman movie

  

  Most of you’ve probably heard and mulled over this one. As a Superman fan, I kind of have mixed feelings about this. The first time I heard it though, I took it as good news, as I adore Nolan and that everything he touches seems to be gold (clearly I have super high hopes for Inception). To those just tuning in, it’s been widely reported that the British director of the Batman franchise has been tapped by Warner Bros. to ‘save’ the Superman franchise, so more like an ‘advisor’ instead of actually directing the movie. Superman Returns has been regarded as a ‘flop’ (despite the $391 million worldwide gross) and critical dud by critics and moviegoers alike. Perhaps because of it that Bryan Singer’s moved back to the X-Men franchise, leaving the DC hero franchise in serious limbo.

  Anyway, now that I think about it, I’m not so sure anymore if bringing Nolan to reboot (ugh, I’m so tired of hearing that word!) Superman is such a grand idea. I was going to post my thoughts but this article kind of summed up my reservations about it, especially his first point that Supes isn’t a ‘dark’ hero like Batman is. I mean, in all seriousness, he wears his underwear on the outside for crying out loud. And he represents what’s good in society with his “truth, justice, and the American way” motto, and Clark Kent is a bumbling nerd (which is what I love about him), he’s the polar opposite of the sullen, conflicted but suave Bruce Wayne.

  

  In any case, even long before the project secures an actual director, the rumor mill is spreading faster than a speeding bullet in regard to this burning question: Who should play the Kryptonian hero? Superman Returns‘ Brandon Routh’s contract has expired a while ago (though that didn’t stop him from making the most of his role in his guest stint in NBC’s CHUCK), and since WB is considering going to a whole new direction, I don’t think there’s any chance Routh will be back. Before I go on, let me just say that I actually think Routh is pretty good as Supes (particularly as Clark), but given that the movie is supposed to be a continuation of the first two of  Christopher Reeve’s version, he was simply told to ‘channel’ the late actor’s performance (a herculean task for any actor). Let bygones be bygones I guess. Some sites have started to post on Superman casting (such as  this one from The Geek Files blog and this one with some rather unconventional choices… I mean Joseph Gordon-Levitt?? Spidey maybe but Supes??). I must say I’m leaning towards The Tudors‘ Henry Cavill, who’s almost cast as Supes (he even wore the cape according to MTV movie news) that ended up going to Routh. As I said in a previous post, Cavill also lost out to Daniel Craig as Bond. Check out this fan-made Photoshop work of Cavill in the blue suit. Well, he certainly looks the part, and the fact that he was considered by Singer might give him an edge. Who knows.
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• Batman 3 in motion … hmmm, really?
  There’s probably no other film of any kind as buzz-worthy as Batman 3. Even as soon as The Dark Knight is released, the rumor mill hasn’t let off! Well, the latest ‘news’ is that Nolan will still to be at the helm as soon as he wraps Inception. According to /Film, his brother Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer (who co-wrote Batman Begins & The Dark Knight) are currently working on the draft of the untitled Batman flick based on Chris Nolan’s story idea. I don’t particularly care who the villain(s) are going to be, just so long as Nolan and the original cast are in, that’s good enough for me. 
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• James Cameron to assist Marc Webb in bringing Spiderman to 3D
  I mentioned in my last news post that (500) Days of Summer director Marc Webb has been tapped to reboot the Spiderman franchise. Well, looks like the relatively newbie director (500 Days was Webb’s debut) gets a mighty collaborator in bringing the web-ed superhero (pun intended) into the third dimension. It’s no secret that Cameron is a huge fan of the franchise, even as far back as early 90s, he even did a storyboard of it. But I guess now he’s happy enough to live his Spidey directorial dream vicariously through somebody else. Reportedly, Cameron is a big fan of Webb’s work, ““Jim loved (500) Days of Summer,” according to [Avatar producer] Jon Landau. “It’s not something that you would think is necessarily in his wheelhouse, but he really enjoyed that.”(Collider).
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• Sam Worthington is the next Bond? Say it ain’t so!
  Not another week go by without rumor of Sam Worthington in some new project. Ok, I like the guy and he’s probably one of the most promising young actors working today but seriously, must he be involved in e-v-e-r-y single project out there?! The last few months alone, he’s been rumored to be get this: Captain America, Dracula, Flash Gordon, and now… James Bond? Well, according to this article, the Aussie actor might step into Daniel Craig’s shoes as he’s delayed shooting the latest Bond film to do other projects (he’s currently filming Dream House in Toronto with Rachel Weisz and Naomi Watts). Ah, even without a Bond movie he’s still surrounded by beautiful women. Sorry I digress.
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  I’m not too keen on this idea. I think even though Quantum of Solace is kind of a mess, I still think Craig makes for a great Bond and it’s just silly to replace him after just two outings. Especially with Sam Mendes directing, it definitely has a lot of potential. As much as I like Worthington – and he may be all right in the role – I really hope this is just a pesky rumor and that the Bond producers have the good sense to think this through.
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So what do you think about any of these news, folks? I’m particularly curious what you think about the whole Superman reboot with Nolan.