A couple weeks ago, it was reported that Kevin Costner was being considered for a key role in Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot. Well now Warner Bros. has confirmed that the actor has closed a deal to play Jonathan Kent, Clark Kent’s adopted father. Henry Cavill is poised to play the Man of Steel, and Diane Lane recently joined the cast as Kent’s adopted mother, Martha. Regarding Costner’s addition to the cast, Snyder had this to say:

“Jonathan Kent is the only father figure Clark has ever had, the man who was there to help Clark understand what he was meant to do in the world as Superman.  Kevin will be able to communicate the quiet strength of this rural American man who raised the greatest super hero of all time.”

It looks like casting is ramping up on the film, so expect more names announced in the coming weeks. Yesterday, Zack Snyder spoke a bit about the project, saying that this flick will assume “there’s been no other Superman movies.” The currently untitled Superman reboot, produced by Christopher Nolan, is set to start filming soon for a December 2012 release. Hit the jump for the full press release.

In a not-too-surprising revelation, producer Charles Roven says that Christopher Nolan’s Batman movies do not inhabit the same universe as Zack Snyder’s upcoming Superman movie.  Here’s what Roven told Shock Till You Drop about whether the two characters would exist in a shared universe:

No. That may be in somebody’s mind but right now the Batman lives in his world and the Superman lives in his world. Those stories are those stories and we haven’t thought beyond each individual picture.

That’s not a big surprise since Nolan has decided to firmly ground his take on Batman in reality and a flying space alien who shoots heat beams out of his eyes doesn’t really fit with that.  Hit the jump for more on The Dark Knight Rises (due out July 20, 2012) and Superman: The Man of Steel (due out holiday 2012).

I would that imagine that, as Superman, each and every day could be considered “busy.”  Without question, though, today has to have been one of the most hectic in recent memory for The Man of Steel.  As you probably already know, we learned earlier today that Zack Snyder is directing the Christopher Nolan produced Superman: The Man of Steel – news which finally brings to an end the whirlwind of speculation surrounding the gig and Nolan’s seemingly endless “shortlist.”

Now, as if the Snyder announcement wasn’t enough for one day, we are seeing unconfirmed reports regarding David Goyer’s script and Kal-El’s potential foe.  For more on this as well as several Snyder quotes in regards to the film, hit the jump.

Zack Snyder is directing the upcoming Superman: The Man of Steel (Deadline).  Snyder was on a shortlist that also included Tony Scott (Man on Fire), Matt Reeves (Let Me In), Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles), Duncan Jones (Moon), and Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler).  As we’ve previously reported, the new Superman is being overseen by Christopher Nolan and David Goyer is handling the script.  It’s safe to assume that his producing partner/wife Debbie Snyder will come on board to produce.

Hit the jump for what we know about The Man of Steel and my thoughts on Snyder getting the gig.

After sticking with 3D animated motion-capture films for his last three outings, director Robert Zemeckis is poised to return to live-action with Timeless.  It would also be a return to time-travel for the Back to the Future director as Deadline reports that the pitch is based in the genre.  Warner Bros. has picked up the tent-pole project for six-figures with screenwriter Mike Thompson (Love Happens) handling the script.

Deadline reports that Zemeckis is also “rumored to be kicking the tires on such live action projects as Superman.”  Other directors rumored to be on the short list for the upcoming superhero flick include Darren Aronofsky, Tony Scott, Matt Reeves, Jonathan Liebesman, Duncan Jones, and Zack Snyder.

Zemeckis is currently at work on Yellow Submarine based off the 1968 Beatles movie/album of the same name.  His last live-action film was 2000′s Cast Away.

As reported here yesterday, acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky is on the list to possibly direct the next cinema visage of Superman. Last week Aronofsky was thrown into the prospective list of directors with Duncan Jones, Tony Scott, Matt Reeves, Zack Snyder and Jonathan Liebesman.  According to The Hollywood Reporter, Ben Affleck was also in the pile of possible directors.   Apparently he discussed helming Superman: The Man of Steel last week, but is no longer pursuing it. THR stated that Affleck has (obviously) gained some heat with his critical and commercial hit The Town.

What I want to know is, who yanked on Affleck’s cape and dragged him back to Earth?  The Hollywood Reporter is claiming Affleck backed out.  If he did, it probably was a wise choice on his move.  With 2007’s Gone Baby Gone and now The Town, Affleck has some solid critical and monetary success under his feet and his career is flying again. Was the gamble of overseeing one of DC Comics most iconic properties not worth his current momentum, or did Nolan sprinkle some kryptonite on Affleck?

Do you think he was smart to remove himself from the list of directors, or has he made a huge mistake?

It seems as if Darren Aronofsky is the latest to join The Man of Steel directorial sweepstakes being conducted by producer Christopher Nolan.  Last week, we reported that Tony Scott, Matt Reeves, Jonathan Liebesman, Duncan Jones, and Zack Snyder were meeting with Nolan as potential candidates to helm the David Goyer script.  Today, sources are claiming that Nolan and wife/co-producer Emma Thomas have also been in touch with Aronofsky regarding the empty director’s chair.

At first glance, an Aronofsky/Nolan team-up is certainly an intriguing one in that each is an incredibly talented filmmaker known for his own auteur creative style.  Hit the jump for more on the story including why their greatest assets may be more curse than gift in this particular scenario.

Christopher Nolan has begun to meet with directors for the upcoming Superman reboot, The Man of Steel.  The short list of possible directors includes Tony Scott (Man on Fire), Matt Reeves (Let Me In), Jonathan Liebesman (Battle: Los Angeles), Duncan Jones (Moon), and Zack Snyder (Watchmen).  Not much is known about the film other than Nolan will be serving as a “godfather” to the project and that David Goyer has written the script for the film, which addresses the character of Superman in a modern context.  Hit the jump for my thoughts on these choices.

A couple of days ago we reported on the rumor that Warner Bros. was considering Jon Hamm for the role of Superman in their upcoming reboot, The Man of Steel.  Sadly, it seems it was too good to be true.  Hamm appeared this morning on Live with Regis and Kelly while promoting The Town and denied the news.  The actor said, “It’s sort of news to me.”  He continued, “If that’s something that the powers that be are thinking about, I hope they get in touch with me. We can maybe discuss it.”  I think I speak for most of the internet when I say that I hope the powers that be get in touch with him too.

With production set to start on The Man of Steel sometime next year, I’m sure we will know who WB wants to wear the iconic costume in the next few months.  In the meantime, we can only keep wishing that Hamm’s name is on some executive’s list as a possible choice.  You can watch the clip of Hamm addressing the rumors after the jump.

Here’s a rumor that you should take with a grain of salt.  According to TMT, Warner Bros. is “seriously considering” Jon Hamm (Mad Men) to star as Superman in their upcoming planned reboot, The Man of Steel.  Christopher Nolan will act as “godfather” for the film, with screenwriting duties going to Jonah Nolan and David Goyer; the film is set for a 2012 holiday season release.  Hit the jump to read my thoughts on Hamm  as Superman, along with what we know so far about the project.

Contrary to yesterday’s online rumor, trusted sources have told us that Chris Columbus has NOT been offered the chance to helm the next Superman movie.  Yesterday’s rumor was just one of those cases of a titillating story catching fire and igniting intense speculation.  And it wasn’t the craziest rumor ever.  Columbus is known for putting together big franchise pictures (the first two Harry Potter movies; Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief).  But Columbus hasn’t been offered the opportunity to put together Superman’s next adventure on the big screen.

The new Superman movie, tentatively titled The Man of Steel, is being written by David Goyer (Batman Begins) with Christopher Nolan producing.  Hit the jump to learn more about where the film movie currently stands.

In the new issue of Empire Magazine [via Nolan Fans], Christopher Nolan, who is “godfather-ing” the next Superman movie, said that David Goyer had figured out a way to address the character of Superman in a modern context.  Said Nolan:

It was the first time I’ve been able to conceive of how you’d address Superman in a modern context I thought it was a really exciting idea. What you have to remember about Batman and Superman is that what makes them the best superhero characters there are, the most beloved after all this time, is the essence of who they were when they were created, when they were first developed. You can’t move too far away from that.

Setting aside the point that Batman and Superman are the “best” superhero characters, I believe Nolan is right that you can’t forget the context of when a superhero was created.  In the case of Superman, it’s an immigrant story (the parents of creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster were immigrants).  For my thoughts on what Goyer could do with The Man of Steel, hit the jump.

Speaking to investors, Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Barry Meyer revealed that they were “nearing” a greenlight on The Flash.  According to Heat Vision, Meyer also spoke about their other superhero properties.  He repeated that Christopher Nolan’s Batman 3 was set for July 20, 2012 and that the new Superman movie—produced by Nolan and written by David Goyer (Batman Begins) and rumored to be titled The Man of Steel—was scheduled for the 2012 holiday season.

Meyer also revealed that the studio was had films for Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Mad Magazine characters in development.  Hit the jump for what we know about all of these projects, including Steve’s interview with rumored Flash director Greg Berlanti (Life as We Know It).

Christopher Nolan is notoriously coy about his upcoming moves, but interest in said moves has reached a fever pitch as of late, once it was announced that the auteur director would not only return to follow up on mega-success The Dark Knight, but he would “godfather” the new Superman reboot (tentatively titled The Man of Steel) as well.  Although Nolan still shies away from utter transparency, he spoke with LA Times, and shared more on what the future holds for Batman and Superman than I ever thought he would at this stage.

After the jump, look for quotes from the man of the hour on the genesis of his involvement in the Superman franchise, how the third film will likely be his last entry in the Batman franchise, and how Mr. Freeze will not make an appearance in the sequel.

Before we begin, consider this item to have “RUMOR” stamped across it in big red letters.  IESB has repeated some of the possibilities they’ve been hearing for the future of DC Comics in Hollywood.  The report acknowledges that some of it seems pretty unlikely, but cool enough to pass along.  First off, there’s talk that Christopher Nolan may have accepted the Superman “godfather” gig to better the chances of that his brother and Dark Knight co-writer, Jonah Nolan, would be hired to direct what is reportedly titled The Man of Steel.  On top of that, Nolan may be guiding the Superman and Batman franchises toward an eventual Justice League movie that he would helm, hinting at similar shepherding roles in the Green Lantern and (recently progressing) Flash movies.

Cool stuff indeed, but the probability that any of it comes to fruition is worth analyzing after the jump.