Man of Steel

“Iron Man 3″ and “Man of Steel” got some good-natured ribbing from comedian Stephen Colbert on Thursday’s episode of “The Colbert Report.” In the summer movie edition of his “Movies That Are Destroying America” segment, the satirist took issue with “Iron Man 3″ adding scenes for China audiences, and with Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot choosing a British actor, Henry Cavill, as its lead. Colbert began the segment pointing out that he’s always been a fan of Superman, “an incredibly handsome, glasses-wearing reporter who night after night uses his superpowers to save America.” Superman is the quintessential American hero, he said, “but they gave the part of some limey, Henry Cavill.” PHOTOS: Henry Cavill as Superman He segued into a rant about the China edition of Marvel’s new blockbuster, which involves what Marvel Studios president and “Iron Man 3″ producer Kevin […]

Long before director Zack Snyder began making “Man of Steel,” he’d heard a little piece of comic-book trivia that stuck with him: Superman’s red-and-yellow S-shield is the second-most-recognized symbol in the world, surpassed only by the Christian cross. “Whether that’s completely true or not, I don’t know, but you want it to be true. You feel like it could be true,” Snyder said. “And it’s intimidating to say, ‘We’re going to take on the “S” and we’re going to make it live again.’” Reviving the world’s first comic-book superhero on the big screen — he turns 75 this year — is no small task, despite the ubiquity of that logo. The trick, says the director, was to treat the character seriously — and to have a script penned by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, major forces behind the massively […]

It’s an auspicious occasion for the Man of Steel. Exactly 75 years ago today, Superman made his debut in “Action Comics” No. 1. Superman is celebrating his 75th birthday with a new comic book by DC Comics all-stars Jim Lee and Scott Snyder and an ambitious new film directed by Zack Snyder and co-written and -produced by Christopher Nolan, of “Dark Knight” trilogy fame. Part of Superman’s success is owed to his unique origin story as an infant refugee from the planet Krypton. Superman, known as Kal-El on Krypton, was a baby when his parents sent him to Earth to escape Krypton’s destruction. He landed on a farm in fictional Smallville, Kansas, and was raised by a farmer and his wife, Jonathan and Martha Kent. As young Clark Kent grew up, he discovered he had special abilities, and he dedicated […]

An emotional new trailer for “Man of Steel” is out, revealing the film’s take on Kal-El’s beginnings on doomed Krypton, Clark Kent’s coming of age in a place where he doesn’t quite fit in, and Superman’s ascent to heroism. “Man of Steel,” slated for a June 14 release, is directed by Zack Snyder and based on a script by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer, the writing team behind the Dark Knight trilogy, which modernized Batman and broke box-office records. The three-minute trailer is the most in-depth look Warner Bros. has released so far for the movie after months of ramping up marketing for the highly anticipated film. The trailer follows the release of a 30-second video in which General Zod (Michael Shannon) accuses the people of Earth of sheltering Kal-El and calls on them to hand him over. Following the […]

Superman villain General Zod has a message for the people of Earth in a new video promoting “Man of Steel”: Turn Superman in. The staticky video, released on the heels of last week’s TV spot, runs 30 seconds and features the arch-villain Zod, portrayed by Michael Shannon in the upcoming Zack Snyder film. “For some time your world has sheltered one of my citizens,” Zod’s digitally altered voice declares. “I request that you return this individual to my custody.” Then the general addresses Superman himself. “To Kal-El, I say this: Surrender within 24 hours or watch this world suffer the consequences,” he commands. Those consequences will likely present good fodder for action sequences for the film, which hits theaters June 14. Shannon, whose previous work includes “Boardwalk Empire” and “Revolutionary Road,” shed some light on the character of General Zod […]

“Man of Steel” isn’t flying into theaters until June 14, but Superman fans can get a glimpse of the Zack Snyder film in a new TV spot, out today. At 32 seconds, the first “Man of Steel” television spot is more or less a shorter version of the previously released trailers for the film. The ad shows English actor Henry Cavill, who portrays the film’s winsome hero, soaring in the iconic red-and-blue suit, taking the hand of Lois Lane (Amy Adams), standing in a burning room unscathed by the flames, and being escorted down a hallway in handcuffs, flanked by soldiers, all while gorgeous choral music plays and key characters provide emotional voice-overs. “My father believed that if the world found out who I really was, they’d reject me,” Cavill says in one voice-over. “He was convinced that the world […]

Superman looks good for 75. The Last Son of Krypton’s 75th anniversary coincides with the June 14 release of “Man of Steel,” easily one of the top 13 must-see movies of 2013. Superman arrived on the scene in June of 1938 in “Action Comics” No. 1, one of the most coveted comic books in history. (If you see a dusty copy of the original at a garage sale, snap it up. Only a few dozen copies are believed to be in existence. An original netted $2.1 million for actor and collector Nicolas Cage.) Quiz: How well do you know Superman? In that debut issue, Superman was introduced as a mythic hero and champion of the oppressed. The brainchild of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster proved so popular with readers that he soon landed his very own comic series. In honor of Superman’s 75th anniversary, […]

Superman is turning 75. When Superman first leaped (not flew, mind you) onto the pages of “Action Comics” No. 1 in 1938, the Man of Steel heralded the beginning of the superhero comics genre, paving the way for Batman, Spider-Man and many more spandex-wearing crime fighters. But there is only one Superman. His super-speed, super-strength and a noble devotion to truth, justice and the American way have helped make Superman the most enduring figure in comics, inspiring several landmark portrayals in television, on stage and in film, including the upcoming “Man of Steel,” in theaters June 14. “It’s precisely because we have so many dark heroes (Batman), and fraught ones (Spider-Man), that we’re aching for a big blue Boy Scout who knows right from wrong instinctively, and never wavers from the light or is sidetracked by anxieties,” said Larry Tye, who wrote […]

With “The Avengers,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and more sci-fi and fantasy films, 2012 was a landmark, record-breaking year for spectacle entertainment. But 2013 looks just as promising with a host of big, anticipated sequels — including “Iron Man 3″ and “Star Trek Into Darkness” — and such smart new offerings as “Pacific Rim” and “Elysium” on the calendar. With that in mind, here’s a look at Hero Complex’s 13 must-see movies in 2013. “Oz: The Great and Powerful” (March 8) Sam Raimi’s upcoming “Oz: The Great and Powerful” promises viewers a journey down the yellow brick road that will include a breathtaking array of dazzling visual effects. The Disney film stars James Franco as the man who will become the Wizard of Oz, and takes place well before Dorothy arrives in the faraway fantasy […]

Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel” is set to take flight June 14, and a new trailer released Tuesday offers some tantalizing hints about the anticipated superhero epic — epic being the operative word, judging from the scale of the images in the clip and its grand musical score. In terms of visuals, Snyder seems to be painting with a beautiful, muted steel brush as he tells Kal-El’s story, the striking yet subdued hues possibly speaking to the elegant influence of producer Christopher Nolan. We see young Clark Kent saving a school bus, revealing his extraordinary abilities, and his adopted father (played by Kevin Costner) cautioning him to be more secretive. But we also see Henry Cavill’s adult hero soaring into the sky — not with the same gentle lift employed when Christopher Reeve wore the iconic red cape but with […]