For the past few years Warner Bros has been trying to revamp their fledgling Superman franchise. The 2006 Bryan Singer outing, Superman Returns received mixed reviews and was mostly panned by fans. With the success of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, the studio has decided to take The Man of Steel into a similar direction.
Nolan will serve as an executive producer on the upcoming reboot that will be directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen). They’ve already cast Henry Cavill (The Tudors) as the title character, Diane Lane as his earthly mother, and Kevin Costner as Jonathan “Pa” Kent, but what about Lois Lane or Lana Lang ?
Over the past month there’s been a debate over whether or not Lane will actually appear in the film. Yes, she would be the natural choice, but not the only choice. Lana Lang, is a strong alternative for Superman’s affection. Generally speaking, the role of Lane has been played by brunette actresses, who are feisty go-getters. Some of our favorites have been Margot Kidder, Teri Hatcher, and most recently Erica Durance who plays the ambitious reporter on the TV series Smallville.
The last Lane to hit the big screen was Kate Bosworth in Superman Returns, but she did not go over too well. At the time Bosworth was 22 or 23 years old, yet the audience was supposed to believe that she was a Nobel Peace Prize winning journalist with a five year old son. They dyed her hair, gave her glasses, and dressed her in matronly clothes to compensate for her youthful face. Unfortunately, none of it worked and she didn’t bring the character to life.
As for Lang, Kristin Kreuk played the character on Smallville for years, and prior to that, Stacy Haiduk filled the role in The Adventures of Superboy. We know of several actresses who would be great as Clark Kent’s main squeeze. Some women who’ve already been rumored for the part include Alice Eve, Diane Kruger, and Rosamund Pike.
Do you think Warner Bros will create a new female character that’s not from the comics? That’s what Christopher Nolan did with Katie Holmes’ character Rachel Dawes in Batman Begins. Dawes was written from scratch. She was not a part of Batman’s original story. So what do you think? Will they pick Lois or Lana, or will they go with someone new?!
