Superman, Thy Name Is Jim

In a recent post, I mentioned that there’s a new Superman reboot in the works, overseen by Christopher Nolan (‘The Dark Knight’, ‘Inception’) and directed by Zack Snyder (‘300’, ‘Watchmen’). While this definitely counts as a dream team, especially considering Mr. Nolan’s success in reinvigorating the Caped Crusader (that’s Batman for the non-fans out there), speculation has already begun regarding the most important factor of all: Who will (or can) play Superman?

According to Comingsoon.Net, actor Arnie Hammer (‘The Social Network’), who has apparently “made a lot of people’s Superman fantasy-casting lists”, reports that the studio may be seeking a more mature (35-40) actor for the role. As the interviewer notes, this could be taken as a sign of hope that Jon Hamm (‘Mad Men’, pictured below) could be up for the part.

While I think I could buy Mr. Hamm as Superman, I am not quite convinced he could pull off a Clark Kent. This is an important factor when casting the Man of Steel, because it means that the actor needs to be able to alternate between the almighty king of the superheroes and a clueless geek at the drop of a hat, as Christopher Reeve accomplished with ease in the classic ‘Superman’ films decades ago. Actors who could fill Mr. Reeve’s shoes aren’t too common in Hollywood either, as was made painfully obvious in Bryan Singer’s watchable entry ‘Superman Returns.’

I could dance around the subject, but instead I’ll just say it: Jim Caviezel should play Superman.

Best known for ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ and recently starring in the independent sci-fi adventure film ‘Outlander’ and AMC’s mini-series ‘The Prisoner’ alongside Sir Ian Mckellen, Caviezel has appeared in just about every genre. His portrayal of Christ in ‘The Passion’ and Edmond Dantes in ‘Monte Cristo’ are of particular interest. As Dantes, Caviezel takes audiences on a whirlwind adventure of love and betrayal, and his strength of character carries the whole plot (along with an exceptionally despicable villain in co-star Guy Pearce). As for ‘The Passion,’ Caviezel’s casting was perhaps the most important factor in the success of the film, more so even than Gibson’s directing, and that strength of character will be a necessity if Nolan and Snyder want to be successful in reintroducing the "Last Son of Krypton" to a modern audience.

Now that’s a Superman. Sure, he might not have Jon Hamm’s chin, but neither did Brandon Routh (who wasn’t a great Superman by any means, but few could doubt Mr. Caviezel would have been a superior choice).

As for playing Clark Kent, Caviezel has such a traditional outlook on life that you’d think he’d been born in Smallville himself. Superman needs humility to complement his power, and Caviezel is as humble as they come. His ability to alternate between meek and powerful as an actor was made evident in 'Monte Cristo', which also showed us he can rock a cape in his role as the Count. In his personal life he’s an outspoken Catholic, and there’s more than a little Christology in the original Superman films for him to develop, which I’m sure he could accomplish beautifully.

And just imagine his future resume: “Have played both Superman and Jesus.” What more could an actor wish for?

UPDATE: It looks like Snyder and company will be pursuing an unknown actor for the role. So in that case... Caviezel for Jor-El!!