The rumors are true: Kevin Costner has closed the deal to appear in Zack Snyder‘s new Superman movie as the Man of Steel’s adoptive father, Jonathan Kent. [THR]
In the DC comic’s universe, Jonathan and his wife Martha (Under the Tuscan Sun‘s Diane Lane) discover the infant Kryptonian refugee when his spaceship crash lands on our planet. The Kents take in the young Superman, (to be played by Henry Cavill), name him Clark Kent, and serve as the core of Superman’s moral beliefs. “Ma” and “Pa” Kent’s integrity help Superman discover his calling – his powers on Earth allow him to become our greatest hero. Zack Snyder said the following regarding the casting:
“Jonathan Kent is the only father figure Clark has ever had, the man who was there to help Clark understand what he was meant to do in the world as Superman. Kevin will be able to communicate the quiet strength of this rural American man who raised the greatest superhero of all time.”
And whoever is responsible for closing this deal, they deserve a raise (that’s right, you can quote me). We’ve seen Costner on the big screen only a few times in the past decade, in disappointing starring vehicles (Mr. Brooks, Dragonfly), an attempt to duplicate the Best Picture-winning writing-directing success of Dances With Wolves (the underrated Open Range) and a slew of rather terrific supporting roles (The Company Men, The Upside of Anger) – he’s still Kevin Costner, the closest thing to Gary Cooper we have. He’s the perfect actor to play Superman’s dad, a role inhabited by the great Glenn Ford in Richard Donner‘s original film.
We know that Snyder’s update will be its own creature, not beholden to Donner’s films. Does that mean Pa Kent will become a wife-beater child-abuser? I seriously doubt it. Clark Kent’s relationship with his adoptive parents is central to his behavior as Superman. With an icon like Costner as his guide, we could hopefully yet again have a Superman who not only punches a guy, but who proudly backs “Truth, Justice and the American Way.”
Superman: Man of Steel hits theaters late 2012.
What do you think of Kevin Costner as Pa Kent? Are you looking forward to Zack Snyder’s version of Superman?