Possibly the best bad news Cavils ever had. He’s gotten the exposure he’d have wanted from Supes, now it’s just tying him down.
I have to confess I didn’t much care for Cavill‘s Superman anyway, it seemed all very dour to me and they arrived far too soon at Superman‘s ‘death’. Same with Batman, after the first film I already had enough. Why didn’t they aim for a lighter tone, something closer to Magnum P.I.? These are guys spending considerable time in costumes - if you draw them too serious they deflate like a balloon.
For Cavill though it might be a chance…
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Apparently Michael B Jordan is being considered for Supes. He’s a good actor - does a superb job in Creed and Black Panther. Interesting new dynamic with the ultimate American icon being representative of America’s darkest hour (slavery). Not that this was an exclusively American crime.
A black Superman - a terrific and interesting idea. Unfortunately hugely provocative in divisive times like these.
Will this get Middle America to embrace the DC films?
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Been expecting this for a while when it was announced that Tyler Hoechlin was returning as TV Superman for a sizeable role in the crossover, followed by Cavill being announced as lead in The Witcher on Netflix. Seems like WB are waving the white flag on making its own MCU, keeping Wonder Woman and Aqua Man in a fashion that moves them away from “shared continuity”.
Tbh, I did actually prefer that kid from Road to Perdition (as he’ll be better known round here) as Superman, so I’m kinda happy about this.
I have to confess that I feel like a hypocrite. I think Jordan as superman would be good, yet I’m not keen on a black bond!
Hard to defend, really! My only defence is that it’s about the actor - I can see Jordan making a good superman, but none of the black actors mentioned for Bond are up to it. But in truth Elba (though now too old) could’ve probably been good, so I guess there is indeed a need in me to keep bond white and male - no doubt so that I can relate to the character and relate the character as directly as possible to Feming’s.
Be interesting to see if the hardcore Supes fans react with equal horror as myself when faced with a fundermental shift in a beloved character. I hope I don’t judge them, or if I do that I can turn that spotlight on myself.
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I actually think that Jordan would have been a much better “Black Panther” - he has charisma in spades. But for me he still appears to be too young for Superman (at least the way I see Supes). Elba as Superman? C´mon, Elba could probably play any character. I loved him as Roland, too.
Jordan, right now, is a great Creed. Looking forward to part 2. Apart from that, he should move into more dramatic roles rather than get another super hero franchise. Due to his muscular physical appearance he probably will be offered more action roles. A John McClane style role could work well for him, too.
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Keep the A-listers for film, then when the TV version makes the rest work, take them away and make a more expensive, but not anywhere near as good version. DC on film REAKS of too many cooks - always has. Nolan is the only director to have had breathing room, and that was only because it was on a series they’d burnt to the ground with neon and nipples.
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I meant Elba as bond, but yeah, I bet he could do Supes too. He’s the rare combo of a good actor with great screen presence. Looking forward to the forthcoming series of Luther; I hope he use less of the disgruntled shoulder shrug to signify angst & attitude (he doesn’t need those crutches). Overall it’s a great character he and Cross have carved out.
And if they reboot Die Hard after the next one bombs (wisemans an awful director), then why not Jordan as Maclane?
Yes, because quality of the film and the amount of money it makes are totally in line with each other…
Edit: just looked it up, Live Free or Die Hard (Wiseman’s other Die Hard) is one of the best reviewed in the series, second only to the first one. That’s surprising.
I was going to say ‘damage control’ but that’s a pretty comprehensive answer.
For my money Cavill wasn’t a good Superman. He may have been better if given better material, Man of Steel always felt like a Superman film made by people who didn’t like Superman. I even heard he was decent in Justice League but MOS was bad enough for me to skip all future entries.
I’m not keen on him as Bond though, after failing to impress me as Superman he’s also failed to impress me in anything else.
Sounds like the reports of his ouster as Supes may have been exaggerated, but time will tell.
But I agree with Vanya – I don’t think Cavill has the personality/star power for Bond. IMO, he was the weakest element in Man from U.N.C.L.E. for that reason, which is an ill omen for him as 007. He was pretty good as the rejuvenated/upbeat Superman in the last part of Justice League, and I want to see him try to do more with that aspect of that character, but as Bond? No thanks.
Jordan as Batman would stretch him more I feel
It would, but a black Bruce Wayne very much forces the story in a particular direction given American history and Batman’s origins.
Guess that’s proof that reviews can’t be trusted.
In my book it’s:
Die hard
With a vengeance
Die harder
Then way way off the quality of those 3 is Live Free or Die Hard. It’s an ok action flick, but it’s not really a die hard movie.
Then there’s die hardest, which is barely even a movie, let alone a die hard movie.
It amazes me how wiseman got this gig. Whatever the reviews may say I think it’s generally accepted that his die hard was pretty sub par. Then there’s his remake of Total Recall; a turgid stinker that was if I recall seen as a very poor movie that wasted a good cast and I’d be shocked if it’s numbers were good.
But in Hollywood, ‘no one knows nothing’.
Please don’t fall for the US mainstream media hype that all of middle America are racists and thus Trump supporters. You can have conservative viewpoints, yet at the same time not have a single ounce of racism flowing through your veins.
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It’s definitely not a question of ‘all’. obviously enough. But going purely by the noise the loudest are often the most extreme.
As we’ve seen such casting suggestions tend to invite the fiercest reactions from those who are the most invested emotionally. Sadly, it’s not such a mystery how the ordinary racist will view this - not favourably - but the larger audience is quite another thing. We’ll see how welcoming or not the general response will be.
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I don´t see the US mainstream media hyping that at all. I see only balanced reporting there, in contrast to the social media craziness pouring oil into every fire.
But this is neither the thread, nor the site to have that conversation. And I definitely did not want to offend anyone, so I apologize if I have done so.
We really need good hard news on Bond 25.
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My personal experience with Superman is interesting. Whatever mental progress I make towards liking the character always seems to eventually revert to ‘meh’. The stereotypes associated with Superman are just too strong, and I find other characters more interesting. Playing through Insomniac’s Spider-Man PS4 game rammed that point home to me, even something as simple as web swinging around the city. I tell myself ‘this can be dangerous, it takes skill and it looks spectacular. Simply flying around would be boring’.
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That’s interesting. For me, the allure of Superman lies in all those elements which in the last two decades are often considered bland.
I like that Superman is not about darkness or bitterness but goodness and hope. I enjoy that his abilities are removed from any human being, while he still tries to fit in and has developed a persona which is the opposite of his otherwordlly powers in Clark Kent.
He truly is the hero. No shades of grey. No cynicism. No irony. It says a lot about current times when people snicker about his “boyscout”-behaviour.
Trying to steer this back to “News on Bond 25”: I think Cavill has the quality Reeve also had - showing a pureness, a good-naturedness in his appearance.
Is this something Bond needs? I would argue: yes! Every Bond actor had it to some degree, and I believe MovieBond at least has to signal to the audience that he is not malicious, not constantly in self-doubt or wrestling with demons. He has decided he wants to save people from evil. He’s reliable. He has no superpowers, of course, but in that way he is, IMO, like Superman.
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