Scenes from a Marfield
Few projects have had as much trouble reaching the big screen as \Superman Returns."" The fifth installment in the ""Superman"" franchise has been in pre-production since the 1990s, but a revolving door of directors, writers and actors has kept the concept of a new ""Superman"" film bogged down in artistic differences. Numerous directors ranging from Tim Burton (""Batman"") to McG (""Charlie's Angels"") were at one point tapped to direct, and the role of the man of steel has been said to have been offered to everyone from Ashton Kutcher to James Caviezel of ""The Passion of the Christ.""
After it looked as if the film was permanently stuck in production limbo, Director Brian Singer (""X-Men"") was inked in as the director, and a relative unknown named Brandon Routh has been tapped to suit up as Superman. It also appears that Kevin Spacey is close to signing on as Lex Luthor, though nothing can be for certain until a contract is signed and cameras start to role. Assuming Spacey says yes, that leaves the project with one more major character to cast: the role of Lois Lane.
Latest Internet rumors report that the choices have been narrowed down to four leading actresses, the first of which is Elisha Cuthbert (""The Girl Next Door""). It's difficult to see Cuthbert in the role of Lois Lane, as she's largely identified at this point as playing a porn star and an underage harlot (""Old School""). That's not to say she would fail in a role that relies less on sex appeal, but at this point in her young career it's hard to imagine.
Next on the rumored audition roster is newcomer Evangeline Lilly, whose only major exposure comes from the TV series ""Lost."" Lilly has the right look for the part, but her relative inexperience may hurt her chances. Then again, the role of Superman was given to someone with no preexisting celebrity status, so maybe the filmmakers will use the same strategy in casting Lois Lane.
The third candidate is Kate Bosworth, who has starred largely in youthful fare such as ""Blue Crush"" and ""The Rules of Attraction."" The deciding factor in Bosworth's chances may be her performance in Kevin Spacey's new Bobby Darin biopic ""Beyond the Sea,"" which may raise both her celebrity bargaining power and her respectability. Bosworth is only 21 years of age, but that could work to her advantage if director Singer wants a more youthful Lois than past films in the franchise.
The final candidate on the rumor docket is Claire Danes, and it's hard to imagine that she wouldn't get the part. Danes has an elegant beauty about her, but it isn't overly attention grabbing in the same way as someone like Cuthbert. Danes has also more than proven her acting abilities, taking on a wide array of projects ranging from ""Igby Goes Down"" to ""Les Miserables."" Her performance in ""Terminator 3"" was one of its few bright spots, so it's also clear she can be trusted in a big budget summer movie. The notion of Claire Danes as Lois Lane gels much better than the other three actresses, and it would be surprising if she wasn't offered the part (whether she'd accept is another guess altogether).
All of this, of course, is still unconfirmed. Given the history of this project, anything could happen, though it seems things are finally in motion now that Brian Singer has signed on and Superman himself has been cast. ""Superman Returns"" is slated for a summer 2006 release. We can only cross our fingers Claire Danes is on the cast list.
Dan's column will run in a bonus, Thursday edition. Contact Dan at ddmarfield@wisc.edu.
