INVERSE – The Man of Steel did not come back in black in Justice League, but don’t blame the camera crew. Scenes featuring Superman, played by Henry Cavill, wearing a black version of his costume were cut from the theatrical release of Justice League.
Fabian Wagner, an accomplished cinematographer who shot some of the biggest episodes of Game of Thrones — both “Hardhome” and “Battle of the Bastards” — was tasked with bringing Zack Snyder’s vision for the DC superhero movie to life. In an email interview with Inverse, Wagner says scenes with Superman wearing his black suit were removed in the final cut.
“There were [scenes shot],” Wagner said. “It’s a cool looking costume. Sadly, we didn’t see that either in the final cut.”
In 1993, a year after Superman was killed by Doomsday in The Death of Superman, the titular hero came back to life in Superman: The Man of Steel #25 and Superman#81 wearing a black jumpsuit with a silver “S” instead of his usual red/yellow symbol. (Also, he didn’t wear a cape.) Much like Spider-Man’s symbiote costume, the black variant is cool because, well, it’s black. It was the ‘90s.
Superman was killed by Doomsday in Batman v Superman. And though it played out differently than in the comics, Doomsday pretty much looked the way he should have. So it made sense that fans expected to see Henry Cavill wearing a black costume for Supe’s resurrection in Justice League. Cavill even teased the costume on his Instagram page during filming, and some tie-in merchandise was produced with the design. Now, the movie’s cinematographer says there are scenes with a black Superman costume, they’re just on the cutting room floor.
In fact, Wagner says “quite a few scenes” didn’t make the theatrical release of Justice League, not just black and silver Superman. “Zack takes his time with telling the stories, and I’ve always liked that about his movies. There are a few scenes that I was very much looking forward to seeing which unfortunately got cut.”
One other scene Wagner refers to is a scene from the final trailer, in which Alfred (Jeremy Irons) talks to an off-screen figure while doing maintenance on the Batmobile. “They said you’d come,” he says, looking up at the mystery character. “Let’s hope you’re not too late.”
Wagner, who shot the scene, is keeping mum in regards to whom Alfred is speaking to. (Most fans think it was Superman.) But he promises that maybe one day fans will finally know for sure. “It was a great scene to shoot,” he says. “It was one of my favourites and also didn’t make it.”
‘Man Of Steel’ continues to place bums on seats across the globe, and it is now officially the second highest grossing movie of 2013, behind ‘Iron Man 3′.
At the moment of writing, Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot has managed to amass $282million at the United States’ box office, whilst it has also grossed $338million internationally, plus it is still yet to open in Japan too.
It will be a tough ask for ‘Man Of Steel’ to eclipse Tony Stark’s third adventure though, as ‘Iron Man 3’ grossed $1.2billion at the box office.
Whilst it’s clear that ‘Man Of Steel’ has been a financial success, it has still failed to crack into the top 50 highest-grossing films of all time list, which ‘The Matrix Reloaded’ currently sits at the bottom of, having only managed to gross a feeble $742million back in 2003.
Does this mean that ‘Man Of Steel’s’ producers should be disappointed with its haul? Probably not.
The first film of Marvel’s phase one, 2008’s ‘Iron Man’, only brought in $585million, whilst Christopher Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’, which kick started the highly regarded ‘Dark Knight’ saga back in 2005, earned just $375million. Plus, the last Superman adventure, 2006’s ‘Superman Returns’ was so poorly received by audiences that it left people wondering if Clark Kent would ever return to the big screen again.
DC will be ecstatic with the cinematic foundations that ‘Man Of Steel’ has laid, and they might even announce some of their future exploits over the next few days, when 2013’s San Diego Comic-Con moves into full throttle.
Both Kal-El himself, Henry Cavill, and Snyder will be in attendance, and they are set to be part of a panel that celebrates Superman’s 75th Anniversary on Saturday, whilst The Wrap has also confirmed that the pair will attend Friday night’s party at the Hard Rock Café, and it has been alleged that an animated Superman short, directed by Snyder, will be previewed over the weekend too.
Rumours also abound that DC will take this opportunity to announce either ‘Man Of Steel 2,’ ‘Justice League’ or both, whilst some people are dreaming that a ‘Batman’ and ‘Green Lantern’ reboot, as well as ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘The Flash,’ and ‘Aquaman’ movies might be confirmed too.
Which DC movies do you think will be announced at Comic-Con?
After one day, the return of Superman is already faring better than Superman Returns.
Warner Bros.’ $225 million franchise reboot, Man of Steel, took in a blazing $44.1 million on Friday. Including the $12 million earned on Thursday through corporate screening programs, the film has a $56.1 million total headed into the final two days of the weekend. By Sunday night, Man of Steel may earn about $125 million, which would stand as the second highest opening weekend of 2013 behind Iron Man 3′s $174.1 million bow.
There’s also a chance that Man of Steel, which garnered an “A-” CinemaScore and has massive potential for Father’s Day business, »
When Henry Cavill was 17, Russell Crowe visited his school to film scenes for the 2000 film Proof Of Life.
‘One of the guys at school was playing Russell’s son,’ says Cavill.
‘The scene involved Russell coming to visit him. I was one of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF) kids chosen to be in the background.
‘Between takes everyone was standing around and I thought, “We all look like clunkers standing here staring at him.” So I went over and said, “Hello. My name is Henry and I’m thinking of becoming an actor.”
‘He was very encouraging. He told me, “Sometimes they treat you well and sometimes they don’t and sometimes the pay is great and sometimes it’s not. But it’s great fun.”
‘And then everyone else who had seen me chatting came over and started asking for his autograph. I waved at him and said, “Quick, run!” I remember he laughed.
‘A couple of days later I got a note from Russell that said, “Dear Henry, the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. Best, Russell.”
‘He also sent me a signed photo from Gladiator, an Aussie rugby jersey, some Aussie sweets and a jar of Vegemite. It was incredibly kind of him. It actually made me think, “Yes, this is what I want to do.”’
Thrilling though a chance encounter with a bona fide star must have been for a teenage boy, Cavill never dreamed his tale would have a Hollywood ending, but it has.
This week, the callow schoolboy becomes the first British actor to play Superman, in Man of Steel… and his mentor, Crowe, plays his father.
‘It’s amazing,’ he laughs. ‘It felt like he was there to greet me at the end of this long journey.’
Today, Cavill is standing on the set of Hollywood blockbuster Man Of Steel in Vancouver, telling me about the day he first donned the Superman cape.
‘I was infused with this childlike excitement. I had been to numerous fittings, through all the prototype phases, with hundreds of bits of the costume. I promised myself I wouldn’t look in the mirror until the whole shebang was ready.
When I turned around, it took my breath away. The “S” emblazoned on my chest, the boots, the red cape… Superman seeps into every boy’s consciousness.
‘I remember running around the garden with a makeshift cape, then later a hand-me-down from one of my older brothers.
‘The “S” is the third most recognisable symbol on the planet, after the Christian Cross and Coca-Cola. It isn’t a Hallowe’en costume. I was Superman.’
There was a certain poetic justice in that moment, which was not lost on ‘Fat Cavill’ – his phrase.
Staring back from the mirror was the once-obese teenager who had been bullied at that same boarding school where he met Crowe; the struggling British actor who had lost out on both an earlier role of Superman, then James Bond – to Daniel Craig.
‘I don’t know if I believe in fate,’ Cavill, 30, had said when we first met. But vindication is surely his.
As a teenager Cavill was overweight and unhappy. Aged 13, he arrived midway through the first term at Stowe, one of Britain’s most prestigious public schools, where fees are more than £9,000 a term.
‘I got there late and the other kids had all formed their groups and cliques,’ he recalls as we sit to the side of a gigantic green screen during a break in filming a scene where Superman flies.
Six foot tall and nearly 16st, with an impressively chiselled jawline, Cavill looks every inch the superhero.
‘I had been head boy at my prep school. I had ambition. I wanted to be head boy at my boarding school. I think, immediately, that put some noses out of joint. Continue Reading
Talk about motivation. Henry Cavill knew when he took on the role of Superman he would be immortalized on movie screens in a form-fitting suit as honest as the superhero.
He had to achieve physical perfection. Fans wouldn’t accept less.
“It was a big responsibility,” the 30-year-old admits. “It was very important to represent the character’s physicality in the right way. I was living and breathing Superman. I just wanted to do this right.”
Consider it a job well done. Man of Steel (opening June 14) shows the British actor has more than the demeanor, killer chin and cheekbones to take on Superman. He also buffed his 6-foot-1 bod in a rigorous four-month workout and diet program.
Even Cavill is impressed.
“I have shrunk down to a more normal size now. You should have seen me then,” he says after filling the doorway of a seafood joint in Manhattan Beach, Calif. “I was considerably bigger. There are a couple of shots of me that I think, ‘My goodness. I was definitely a large chap.’”
Cavill first showed he could rock the buff hero look as Theseus in 2011’s Immortals. But his next movie gig, The Cold Light of Day, came with orders from his director to flab out on pizza and beer to appear normal.
The party stopped with a call from director Zack Snyder to try out for Man of Steel. Cavill shudders to recall his screen test in a Christopher Reeve replica Lycra suit.
“You’re looking at yourself going: ‘This is not going to work. I’m not going to get this job.’I wasn’t in terrible shape, but I didn’t look good in Lycra. Thankfully Zack had an idea of what I could look like.”
Cavill immediately began work with 300 trainer Mark Twight. He recalls the first meeting, when Twight peppered him with workout questions.
“Then he asked, ‘Would you like to use steroids or HGH (human growth hormone) to get to where you want to go?’ I immediately said no. And he said, ‘Good. Because if you did, I wouldn’t train you.’”
Playing Superman without steroid cheating was vital to Cavill. He wanted to be as clean as the character. “To take a shortcut to get to that place is not what Superman represents. That was important to me,” Cavill says. “That’s when I learned what work was.”
Here’s a preview of the interview airing thursday night on Nightline, ABC, at 12:35am ET:
‘Man of Steel’ Star Henry Cavill on Being Stunned When He Got the Part, Donning the Iconic Suit
Superman’s superpowers and do-good demeanor, along with that red cape rippling through the air, have made the beloved superhero a pop culture icon.
For decades, Superman has been brought to life by a stream of established actors. But this time around, it’s 30-year-old Englishman Henry Cavill starring in the latest Superman epic, “Man of Steel,” and stepping into that familiar suit.
“That felt incredible, there is nothing quite like it,” Cavill said of putting on Superman’s suit on for the first time.
“It’s not just a suit. It’s like when someone cooks you a wonderful meal and you can taste that there’s love put in the food. It’s the same thing with the suit.”
Rugged and freshly imagined, “Man of Steel,” which premieres on June 14, tackles the Superman story head-on from a different angle — which some might have said was a gamble.
While snarky or obsessed comic book superheroes have found 21st century box office gold — Iron Man, Thor, Batman — Superman, the un-ironic superhero, had not. After the 2006 film “Superman Returns” failed to launch, there were whispers about Superman’s relevance. But that didn’t intimidate “Man of Steel” director Zack Synder.
“Superman has always been the best and greatest superhero, because he’s kind of the purest mythology of what a superhero is,” Synder said.
Superman creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel developed Superman in Depression-era Cleveland. Then, he was the car-lifting, bullet-stopping star of the now million-dollar collectible Action Comics #1. Since then, he has seen 75 years atop the superhero food chain.
Superman’s image has changed overtime, with filmmakers morphing his look and ideals to match the generation. In the 1950s, Superman was a kid-friendly idol as actor George Reeves held the role for six seasons of TV’s “The Adventures of Superman.” By the late ’70s and ’80s, actor Christopher Reeve put on the red cape. Continue Reading
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