Tag: Superman

This post has been corrected. See below for details. Pop quiz: Name the Broadway musical based on a comic book in which an actor playing a superhero fell from his safety harness while flying through the air. If you answered, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark,” you’d be wrong. Spider-Man doesn’t fly; he swings. The correct response is “It’s a Bird … It’s a Plane … It’s Superman,” the 1966 musical about the Man of Steel. The show boasted an impressive pedigree; it was directed by Hal Prince (who made a name for himself with “West Side Story” and “Cabaret”), with music and lyrics by Charles Strouse and Lee Adams (the team behind “Bye Bye Birdie”) and the book was written by David Newman and Robert Benton (who, more than a decade later, would co-write Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie“). For the dual ...

Homer Simpson, Han Solo and Swamp Thing may not look like royalty but look closer and you’ll see that each of them is a king of hearts. It’s Valentine’s Day and that has us thinking about the nature of love and we realized that of all the great romances depicted in pop culture, some of the most interesting and inspiring are in the fanboy/fangirl sector, the geek zone of sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes and horror. Okay, not all of them look like Bogie or Bacall (yes, Karloff, we’re looking at you, kid) but in the photo gallery  above you’ll see proof that beauty isn’t skin deep (or fur-deep, for that matter) and that the human heart cannot be denied even if happens to be in love with an alien with pointy ears. Be sure to click the “SHOW CAPTIONS” option on the gallery. And love long ...

When we spoke to Michael Shannon late last year, he had flown into Los Angeles from Vancouver during a brief break from making the new Superman movie, “Man of Steel.” Shannon began work on the film last August, wrapping the second season of “Boardwalk Empire” on a Wednesday and finding himself on an Illinois farm the next morning to begin life as Superman’s nemesis, General Zod. The movie isn’t due out until June 14, 2013, but Shannon admits it’s all most people want to talk about. And when he does talk about it, the conversation usually gets him in a “tremendous amount of trouble” with the film’s producers and Warner Bros. gatekeepers. “I got signaled that less is more,” Shannon said. “It’s kind of curious. It is Superman. So I think everybody kind of knows what happens, you know? Nothing’s ...

Just how heavy is Superman’s cape? Ask Henry Cavill, the British actor who has the weight of history, expectations and a blockbuster budget all sitting on his broad shoulders. Cavill will portray “the last son” of the planet Krypton in “Man of Steel,” the 2013 release that Warner Bros. hopes will launch a franchise to fill the void left by Harry Potter’s graduation from Hogwarts and Christopher Nolan’s pending departure from Gotham City. The film has been shooting in Vancouver but Cavill made a quick trip to Los Angeles recently to promote the film “Immortals” and he sat down with our Geoff Boucher for a lengthy interview that led to a Los Angeles Times cover story on that mythology film and the actor’s own life odyssey. There was plenty that didn’t make it into the story — most of it about “Man of Steel” — and you’ll find it ...

Are you looking for a magical gift for that special Muggle in your life? Do you need to send a wrapped present to a Time Lord in the near future? Or maybe you’re an enterprising soul who just can’t figure out the logical thing to bring to the holodeck holiday party? Well, no worries, just mind-meld with us because we’re here to save the day. Look, up in the photo gallery, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…the Hero Complex Holiday Gift Guide. Flip through the gallery image above to see the best geeky gifts around and read our review (be sure to click the “CAPTIONS ON” option). Also below, grouped by price range, you’ll find those same gift suggestions listed with handy links to help you get your shopping done at light speed. May the nog be with you. – Noelene Clark ...

In May, after 10 seasons, Tom Welling said goodbye to “Smallville” (and Metropolis) but loyal fans can revisit the world of Clark Kent, his friends, foes and lovers with the massive new collector’s DVD set that hits stores on Nov. 29. And we do mean massive — the super-sized collection costs $340 but has all 218 episodes and more than five hours of special features, all spread out over 62 discs. That’s right, 62 discs. For Welling, now 34, the decade as the Man of Steel has defined his career and adult life. “Even in the early days of the show, I approached it like I was in school and I was always going to be learning,” Welling said. “Luckily, we got people through the door who were creative and highly talented and the environment on the set was always very collective and open ...

In “Immortals,” the hyper-stylized Greek mythology movie that opens this weekend, Henry Cavill plays brave Theseus, a man who is told by gods and oracles that he has a date with destiny. Cavill can relate, in a way, because a little more than a decade ago, while he was still at a boarding school in Buckinghamshire, England, Cavill shook hands with the future. The campus of Stowe School was being used as a backdrop for the kidnap thriller “Proof of Life,” and between shots, star Russell Crowe was amusing himself by booting a rugby ball through the posts as dozens of boys at a safe distance watched with wide-eyed fascination and a bit of fear. Cavill was in the crowd and decided that they looked foolish, so he marched up to the movie star and introduced himself. “I took his ...

Michael Shannon is known for playing intense characters, including a dogged but unstable federal agent on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire” and a mentally ill mathematician in the 2008 film “Revolutionary Road.” But those could pale in comparison to his upcoming role as General Zod in the Zack Snyder-directed Superman adventure “Man of Steel.” During a recent interview with Hero Complex contributor Oliver Gettell to promote his new film “Take Shelter,” opening Friday, the actor hinted that “Man of Steel” will be a truly cosmic adventure. OG: What can you tell us about the scale of “Man of Steel”? MS: It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done. It’s massive sets. It’s literally another world. It’s the first time I’ve acted on another planet. OG: What is it like acting on a set like that? MS: As much green screen as there is and ...

Superman fans are awaiting the feature film starring Henry Cavill, set for 2013, but Sept. 26 marks the 70th anniversary of the first -- and arguably the best -- screen version of the Man of Steel: Max and Dave Fleischer's animated shorts.

The “Man of Steel” might be a man of Spandex. Images of Henry Cavill as Superman, leaked from the Plano, Ill., set of the Zack Snyder-directed reboot, show the bulked-up actor’s muscles bulging through (or perhaps built into) his costume. The hero’s new suit is already causing a stir online, with some fans worrying that the outfit makes the Last Son of Krypton look more like the Big Blue Cheese than the Man of Tomorrow. Superman’s big-screen wardrobe update coincides with his revamped image in comic books. As part of DC’s reboot, Superman appears to be donning blue jeans instead of red tights in some promotional images. But concerns over and comparisons of uniforms are par for the course when it comes to superhero franchises. Batman has gone through more makeovers in film, television and comics than Doctor Who. Catwoman’s ...