In a Newsweek online poll asking the question "Who will be the next Superman?" Ben Affleck and Keanu Reeves are running neck and neck, each with 36% of the vote. Our other options are Nicolas Cage and Will Smith. What I know of Nicolas Cage and comic books gives me confidence that he would present a faithful portrayal of the Man of Steel; however, he is too old to be a credible Superman. I think the other three would do to Superman what Ang Lee did to the Hulk: we would not get a Superman movie. Instead we would get a Ben Affleck or Will Smith or Keanu Reeves flick with one of them dressed in tights and a cape. Frankly, I would like a "none of the above" option on the vote. Superman has enough box-office-draw power that I do not think the studios need "star power" in this movie, and I am concerned that the star power would overwhelm the Superman aspect unless they hire a relative unknown. This is the kind of expertise that has made me the movie studio head that I am.
Purely on the basis of names, Keanu Reeves has a decided advantage of those on the Newsweek list, as two of the previous Superman actors were George Reeves and Christopher Reeve (no relation, to my knowledge). Of course, that did not turn out well for either one of them. For those of you not up on your Superman history, George Reeves met an untimely demise through a gunshot that some still contend may not have been self-inflicted, and Christopher Reeve had an unfortunate accident with a horse that has left him paralyzed from the neck down. I believe the non-Reeve Supermans have fared a bit better. Kirk Alyn died in a hospital at age 88, and Dean Cain is still alive. If Elie were not en route to Indianapolis right now, this is where he would chime in with the fates of every actor to ever portray Superman, but we'll have to wait for that.
Click here to vote for who you think would do the least harm to the Superman franchise while DC comics before DC comics has to give up the franchise. More on that later.
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