Man of Steel: What We Know So Far

by Helen Earnshaw | 6 April 2013

Man of Steel

It has been seven years since we saw Superman last grace the big screen but this summer the he is back in Man of Steel.

Henry Cavill takes on the role of Superman while Zack Snyder is in the director's chair and Christopher Nolan is serving as producer.

Nolan has already had huge success with one D.C. Comic character so to see him team up with Snyder is super exciting.

We have had a couple of great trailers to enjoy and still the movie has been kept pretty quiet. So we take a look at what we know about the film so far.

- The franchise is being rebooted

Christopher Nolan had so much success with this with his Batman trilogy that it doesn't come as a surprise to see them do the same with Superman.

So yes we are going to see an origins story once again but it will be interesting to see writer David S. Goyer's take on events.

- The story will be rooted in reality

Man of Steel is going to have a realistic edge as Clark Kent is set to battle doubts within himself as he questions his purpose.

More than ever we are going to see the human aspects of Kent’s character as he asks ‘what is my journey?’ And ‘what is my purpose?’

This side of the story is demonstrated in the most recent trailer as Jonathan Kent - played by Kevin Costner - tells Clark that only he can decide his destiny.

- General Zod is the villain

It was decided pretty early on in the production process that General Zod was set to be the baddie of the movie - a role played so iconically by Terence Stamp in Superman and Superman II.

This time around it is the fantastic Michael Shannon who will take on this role and he told Total Film ‘He’s not a villain anymore than any other general fighting to protect his people. He doesn’t like to just hurt people and steal the diamonds he’s focused on being successful at his job’.

- Lex Luthor may appear

There has been a rumour going around that the character of Lex Luthor may make an appearance in the movie.

There was also some suggestion that he is going to be a rather egotistical and cold character - but none of this has been confirmed.

- The costume has had a little upgrade

We have seen many images and footage of Henry Cavill and the very observant may have noticed that there is no sign of the iconic red undies.

Yes the 21^st Century makeover to the costume, that I have to admit I really like, has seen the undies made redundant despite the fact that director Zack Snyder fought to keep them.

Snyder admitted that he was keen to keep this aspect of the costume but finally had to admit defeat as the costume designs developed.

Overall Man of Steel looks like it is going to be one of the movies of the summer that is not to be missed.

If you haven’t seen the trailer yet then you really should check it out as it looks set to balance stylish elements of a blockbuster with great character development.

Zack Snyder is an incredibly visual director and has made some great looking movies over the years. Couple that with Nolan’s blockbuster expertise and you really do get the feeling that we are in for a treat.