We got our first look at Henry Cavill as Superman earlier this month, but so far not a lot has been revealed/leaked about the plot. We know Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora, but that’s pretty much it.

Well ComicBookMovie recently came across an open casting call for Man of Steel looking for “local people to work as background artists” in Vancouver, and it contains what appears to be an official plot synopsis.

Here’s it is in full:

In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves

This seems to confirm Man of Steel will be an origins story. I’m not sure whether we need one, but Warner Bros. will be hoping to start a new trilogy will Henry Cavill, so starting at the beginning makes sense if they’re expecting more films.

What do Superman fans think of this (somewhat vague) synopsis?

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Filming on Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel is now under-way and some set images of Henry Cavill as Clark Kent appeared online earlier this week, so to reduce the risk of someone snapping Cavill in his red and blue costume Warner Bros. have released a polished image of the new Superman.

One noticeable change to the costume compared to previous films is the darker shade of blue, something which could hint at the tone of the reboot. They’ve also got rid of the red underwear, which I approve of. It is 2011 afterall.

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from superhero costumes it’s that they always look better in motion, but as a ‘first look’ it looks pretty good.

The movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Russell Crowe will take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, with Julia Ormond playing Superman’s Kryptonian mother. Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

Man of Steel‘s release date was recently pushed back to June 14, 2013. What do you think of the costume?

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According to Entertainment Weekly Laurence Fishburne, best known for his role as Morpheus in The Matrix trilogy, has been cast as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.

Perry White was previously played by Jackie Cooper in the 70s/80s, and Frank Langella took on the role in Superman Returns. The character is known for being a tough but fairminded boss, something Fishburne won’t have any problems pulling off.

The movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Russell Crowe will take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, with Julia Ormond playing Superman’s Kryptonian mother. Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

Man of Steel‘s release date was recently pushed back to June 14, 2013, however filming is currently under-way.

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Warner Bros. had previously intended to release Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot in December 2012, but now the studio has pushed Man of Steel back to a June 14, 2013 release.

The decision could be a smart one, as December 2012 is already pretty crowded with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, The Lone Ranger and Django Unchained all taking key dates. However last week Znyder brought in his 300 writer Kurt Johnstad to re-write the script, so the release date change could be a sign things aren’t going so smoothly.

The movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Russell Crowe will take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, with Julia Ormond playing Superman’s Kryptonian mother. Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

The June 2013 date means Superman will be joining Iron Man 3 (May 3) and Thor 2 (July 26) as the superheroes of the summer. So far Man of Steel has no major competition, but that will no doubt change as studios continue to adjust their summer 2013 slate.

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With Zack Snyder now occupied until December 2012 with Superman: Man of Steel Warner Bros. have been searching for someone else to direct Xerxes, the prequel to 300 Snyder and Frank Miller have been working on for the past few years.

Well now according to Deadline the studio has narrowed the search down to two directors, and they’ve decided to keep the 300 brand by renaming Xerxes to 300: Battle of Artemisia.

The two directors in contention are Noam Murro and Jaume Collet-Serra. Murro’s only movie to date is Sarah Jessica Parker’s rom-com Smart People, but don’t judge him too quickly as he was behind the recent campaign for the Halo video game. Plus he is a five time DGA nominated commercials director and won two Golden Lions at Cannes. 20th Century Fox also hired him last year to develop Die Hard 5.

Jaume Collet-Serra recently directed Unknown starring Liam Neeson for Warner Bros, and has previously helmed Orphan (2009) and House of Wax (2005). We all need to start somewhere.

300: Battle of Artemisia will be shot in a similar style to 300, so whoever is hired will need to have an eye for slo-mo shots and be capable of working with lots of green screen.

Last year Frank Miller revealed a few details on what the prequel will involve, and who we can expect to show up:

The time frame begins 10 years before ‘300? and the story starts with the Battle of Marathon” … “The lead character is Themistocles, who became warlord of Greece and built their navy. The story is very different than ‘300′ in that it involves Xerxes search for godhood. The existence of gods are presupposed in this story and the idea is that he is well on his way to godhood by the end of the story. With Themistocles I have a character who is almost the dead opposite of Leonidas in that Themistocles was a lying, conniving, brilliant, heroic figure. He was nicknamed ‘The Subtle Serpent’ and he always manages to do the exact right things that will result in him benefiting greatly.”

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Following the news that Russell Crowe had signed on to play the role of Superman’s biological father, Jor-El, in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, we heard Warner Bros. were also in the process of looking for Superman’s Kryptonian mother.

Well now according to Deadline British actress Julia Ormond (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Temple Grandin) is in talks for the role.

Filming will begin next month, and the movie also stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Michael Shannon will take on the role of the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

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Here’s some interesting casting. According to Variety Russell Crowe is in negotiations to take on the role of Superman’s biological father Jor-El, previously played by Marlon Brando, in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel.

Apparently producer Christopher Nolan wanted a well known actor to play the role, and Mr. Crowe certainly fits the bill. Variety also mentions that they are looking for an equally big name to play Superman’s biological mother.

Filming will begin next month, and the movie stars Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent. Michael Shannon will take on the role of the villain, General Zod, and German actress Antje Traue has been cast as villainess Faora.

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A few days ago it was announced that Henry Cavill would be facing off against Oscar nominated actor Michael Shannon in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Today a video has emerged of Shannon talking about the casting process at the 2011 RiverRun International Film Festival. He talks about auditioning alongside Henry Cavill and his first meeting with Snyder, which he compares to an acid trip.

As well as Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent and Michael Shannon as General Zod, Man of Steel will also star Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent. Filming is set to begin later this year for a December 2012 release.

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Warner Bros. today confirmed two things Superman fans have been waiting for. The first is that Zack Snyder’s reboot will be called Man of Steel, but the most important bit of news is that Oscar nominated actor Michael Shannon will play the villain, General Zod.

Shannon received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his role in Sam Mendes’ Revolutionary Road opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and was most recently seen in the HBO drama series Boardwalk Empire.

On the casting Snyder stated, “Zod is not only one of Superman’s most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don’t. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role.”

General Zod is an evil and super-powered scientist who was portrayed by Terrence Stamp in 1980s Superman II. Wikipedia states he “possesses vast super strength, speed & stamina; various extra sensory and vision powers (including super hearing, x-ray vision, telescopic vision, microscopic vision, and heat vision); tremendous lung capacity and super breath (wind and ice); invulnerability, and flight.” The same powers as Superman, basically. It looks like we’ll see Superman engaged in a few big fights this time round.

As well as Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent, Man of Steel will also star Amy Adams as Lois Lane, and Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Martha and Jonathan Kent.

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With Zack Snyder now occupied until December 2012 with Superman there’s the possibility that Warner Bros. may find another director to take over Xerxes, the prequel to 300 Snyder and Frank Miller have been working on for the past few years.

The last we heard the studio had apparently offered the job to Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes), but nothing seems to have come of that yet. While at WonderWon last weekend producer Mark Canton was questioned on the project, and he couldn’t say whether Snyder would still be directing or not.

From SHH:

“I can’t say,” said Canton when asked if Snyder would be directing the film, “I mean, he’s got ‘Superman.’ He’s busy. We’re busy. I don’t think we’re going to wait two years. But we’ll work together with him and figure out who the filmmaker should be if he doesn’t direct it.”

Snyder is certainly involved with the project in some capacity, though, as he’ll be providing the screenplay alongside 300 co-writer Kurt Johnstad.

“We’re taking a lot of time because [Zach] really did create something that goes in the time capsule,” Canton explained, “We want to be faithful to the first one, but we don’t want to do a conventional sequel. But we’re getting close.”

Last year Frank Miller revealed a few details on what Xerxes will involve, and who we can expect to show up:

The time frame begins 10 years before ‘300′ and the story starts with the Battle of Marathon” … “The lead character is Themistocles, who became warlord of Greece and built their navy. The story is very different than ‘300? in that it involves Xerxes search for godhood. The existence of gods are presupposed in this story and the idea is that he is well on his way to godhood by the end of the story. With Themistocles I have a character who is almost the dead opposite of Leonidas in that Themistocles was a lying, conniving, brilliant, heroic figure. He was nicknamed ‘The Subtle Serpent’ and he always manages to do the exact right things that will result in him benefiting greatly.”

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