Henry Cavill as superman

Since Action Comics #1 introduced Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s creation to the world in 1938, Superman has been the iconic superhero by which all others are judged and the character’s famed origins have become an indelible part of pop culture all over the world. Sent hurling through space as an infant from the dying planet Krypton, he is found in a Kansas cornfield by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who raise him as their son on their idyllic farm in the fictional town of Smallville.

The Kent Farm we found on a visit to the set of Man of Steel — a new reimagining of the Superman myth from director Zack Snyder— is Americana straight out of a postcard ... if it weren’t for a pod-shaped object stashed away in the basement of the garage. Amid a workshop papered over with newspaper clippings about alien visitation and sightings, the craft was etched with organic-looking lines and markings in an extraterrestrial language-including Superman’s famous S-glyph.

GOOD VS EVIL

Snyder’s film tells the story of Clark Kent’s journey to learn where he came from and what he was sent to do here on earth. Here on set, it appeared that rather than finding his origins elsewhere, Superman’s past has come home to him.

“What’s happening is some Kryptonians have come to Smallville, and what they’re doing is not good,” explained Snyder. We moved right into the heart of Smallville — actually, downtown Plano, Illinois — to talk to the director from his ad-hoc base inside a bowling alley, where he watched the action playing out on the town’s Main Street on a bank of monitors.

From inside the bowling alley, you could feel the bass-notes of military helicopters whap-whap-whapping overhead. Snyder and company called the sequence being shot on this day the “Battle of Smallville” in which Superman, played by Henry Cavill, fights to protect his home town from two powerful villains from Krypton —General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, and his second-in-command Faora, played by Antje Traue. Caught in the crossfire are U.S. military forces attempting to understand and eliminate this alien threat.

On Man of Steel, the director of the visually innovative Spartan epic 300 is teaming up with Christopher Nolan, the filmmaker who reinvented the Batman mythology in the acclaimed Dark Knight trilogy. “After Watchmen, it’s hard to make a superhero movie,” Snyder commented, referring to his 2010 deconstruction of comic book superheroes.

To now re-envision Superman —the apotheosis of superheroes, known for nearly a century as much for his essential goodness as for his super strength — was initially daunting. “I’ve always been a fan of the character, but I wasn’t sure about directing the movie. But I met with Chris and he was talking about the kind of movie that he felt we could make. He described a scene that had a lot of heart, which was between Clark and his father. It was really about how hard it is to grow up different and able to do impossible things. At the end of it, I thought, ‘Okay, that’s an interesting point of view’.”

Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel

A SUPERHERO REDONE

On the set of Man of Steel, you know you would eventually cross paths with the man in question, but nothing could prepare you for the sight of Cavill in full Superman gear. The famous suit has been re-imagined by costume designers Michael Wilkinson and Jim Atchinson into a textured deep ocean blue set off by almost blood-red boots and stylised S-glyph stretched across Cavill’s chest. The English actor trained for months and added a reported 25 pounds of muscle to fill it.

Embodying the icon, Cavill told us, “is an incredible feeling. There is nothing quite like it because it stops being a training camp and a dream. You see yourself standing there in the suit, with the cape, with the S-glyph on your chest, and you see people looking at you going, ‘Okay, this is Superman’. It’s a feeling I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Cavill was drawn to the character not only as an actor but as a man. “Superman to me is the iconic superhero — the ideal of what every man strives to be. Plus, he can fly. But, ultimately, he’s the protector, and has an incredibly strong moral base. Also, the world we’ll see in the movie is the world we see in everyday life. It’s a human story. It’s about this being growing up so alone, having no idea who he is and why he is. And it’s about human compassion, which is given to him by his parents.”

Superman’s connection to earth becomes not only his parents but a bond he forms with investigative reporter Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams. “We wanted a Lois that’s challenging,” Snyder observed. “She’s not a wallflower. And Amy brings a power to Lois that makes her compelling.”

For Adams’ part, Snyder’s enthusiasm and Cavill’s presence made this legendary “roving reporter” real for her. “Henry was so humble and so generous, even our first reading,” she recalled. “I remember thinking that it is a rare package to find somebody with that physical presence. But, also, there’s something gentle about him. I think that’s so important for Clark and for Superman. You’re able to believe that he’s just as likely to save a kitten as to save the entire world.”

Those qualities, in addition to his physical resemblance to the character, are also what told Zack Snyder that Cavill was the one. “I think one of the coolest things about Henry is that he honestly is humble. He has a lot of the same qualities you would want Superman to have. He’s kind, smart, and obviously not ugly.”

LANE AS KENT, NOT LANE!

Months later, filming had wrapped, and we met Jonathan and Martha Kent — Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Lane was in high spirits, saying her one regret was that she never got a chance to play Lois Lane, who shares her surname. “People have made fun of my name all my life, and I’m never going to get to play her,” she joked.

Lane added that when she got the phone call offering her the part of Martha Kent, she was overwhelmed. “Zack was so electric about it all, like a 7,000-watt light bulb. He was really fired up and full of ideas, and was so generous with his vision. ‘You’re Martha Kent, believe me!’” His approach to Costner was equally confident. “He said, ‘There’s only one guy that can play this part, and if I don’t get you, then I'm not doing the movie,’” Costner recalled with a smile.

Superman’s biological father is played by Russell Crowe. While the acclaimed, Oscar-winning star of Gladiator was reluctant to reveal much of the plot, he said Jor-El’s reason for sending his only son to earth, comes down to an act of desperation. “Jor-El is a good guy, but I think that is underselling the argument that exists because there’s a touch of madness in what he’s doing. It’s the last throw of the dice for the entire race.'

In this aspect of the story — dealing with a dying Krypton — Crowe said he sees a dichotomy between Jor-El, a scientist, and the film’s villain, General Zod. “I think that both he and Zod are working under extreme pressure and a period of desperation. So, they both make the decisions that appear to be right to them under those conditions.”

Michael Shannon, the acclaimed star of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire and Oscar-nominated for Revolutionary Road, agreed with Crowe’s assessment. “You can see the parallels between Jor-El’s and Zod’s approach to this problem,” said the soft-spoken actor. “I think here on earth, there are some people that would try and deal with these circumstances, like Jor-El, in a compassionate, scientific manner. And there are people that would deal with it by force, like Zod.”

The complexity of the character and the situation he faces made for a much more interesting role to Shannon than a standard bad guy. “He’s a fiercely devoted warrior, fiercely loyal to Krypton, and when Krypton finds itself in a bad way, he’s trying to figure out what to do about it.”

Crowe agreed, noting that the predicament they face, and its implications not only for Krypton but for earth, resonated with him from his first read through the script. “If you engage on a certain level with the script that you’re reading, I usually have a physical reaction: I get goosebumps. I’m not allowed to say ‘no’ to that one. So I thought, ‘I’m going to talk to this fellow, Zack Snyder.’ And that conversation, about the difference between conscience and consciousness, led me to understand that there is a lot to Zack, and I could enjoy working with him. And he proved that on a daily basis.”

Five things you need to know about man of steel

Henry Cavill bagged the role ahead of Matthew Goode, Armie Hammer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Zac Efron and Colin O’Donoghue. Not many know that Cavill lost out to Daniel Craig for the James Bond role in Casino Royale. Cavill is the first non-American actor to play
Clark Kent.

Argo man Ben Affleck turned down an offer to direct the film because he VFX shots was not on his CV.

This is the first Superman film to not have the word “Superman” in its title.

It’s third time lucky for Amy Adams (right) who has previously auditioned for the role of Lois Lane in Brett Ratner’s film that was never made and then for Superman Returns (2006).

Superman doesn’t wear his red undies in this film!

What are your expectations from Man of Steel? Tell t2@abp.in