According to Deadline.com, director Zack Snyder (WATCHMEN) and producer Christopher Nolan have begun their search for an actor to play Superman in the Warner Brothers reboot of the character.
The article claims that the studio may opt to go the route of choosing a relative unknown or an actor from television. They’re reportedly looking for someone between 28-32.
This of course is likely flexible; Sony/Columbia was looking for someone 18-24 to play Spider-Man, and ultimately chose to go with 27-year old Andrew Garfield.
As noted in the piece, any established TV actor currently in a series might not be available to play the role, as the next Superman film is likely to begin production June 2011, when most shows would also be shooting. One of the reasons for pushing it into production is that certain rights revert to the Siegel/Schuster estates in 2013.
The role has featured several relative unknowns, the first live-action Superman was serial and B-movie actor Kirk Alyn, Christopher Reeve had done mostly soaps and theatre, and Brandon Routh was not well known before SUPERMAN RETURNS. SMALLVILLE’s Clark Kent, Tom Welling, was essentially a model—though he’s yet to actually don the iconic red and blue outfit. George Reeves had been a moderately known actor, supporting in A features, starring in B-movies before accepting the role—which he considered a distinct downward step in his carreer.