[Update: Henry Cavill has been cast as Superman]

For months Superman fans have been speculating about the actor director Zack Snyder will cast as the Man of Steel.

Now, one of the would-be fan-favorite choices, Mad Men's Jon Hamm, is clearing the air about the possibility he'll be wearing the iconic Superman crest - claiming once again that, despite being the mild-mannered age of 39, he's too old for the role.

Speaking with MTV, on the red carpet of last week's Critic's Choice Awards, Hamm (who also has a role in Snyder's upcoming film Sucker Punch) once again dismissed rumors that he's being courted by the director for the Man of Steel:

"No, and I have talked to Zack quite a bit. We had some looping and reshoots and stuff to do on Sucker Punch, but I think that's a young man's game. I think I've aged out of that one by now."

Hamm was equally nonchalant about losing out to the "young men" of Hollywood:

"That's fine with me. There are plenty of other people available to put on tights."

This isn't the first time Hamm has dismissed the possibility of a middle-aged Superman - but if you're still holding out hope of a Superman film with Hamm's name on top of the credits, make sure to check out the video interview (courtesy of MTV) below for yet another dose of reality:

Does this mean that Social Network star Armie Hammer could be back in the running - since the 6'5'' actor was originally responsible for directing Superman speculation toward Hamm (by saying Snyder was looking for a 35-40 year old Superman)? Probably not.

While it may not be what some Superfans are hoping to hear, Hamm's comments seem to lend further credence to the news we heard back in November - that the filmmakers would be looking for an unknown actor to put on the heroic blue tights. Since that time, most Man of Steel casting information falls into the dead-end category - i.e. haven't received a call or consider themselves out of the running for a part in the film.

That said, while Superman Returns is hardly an example that filmmakers are likely interested in emulating with Superman: Man of Steel, the film's unknown star, Brandon Routh, was one of the better aspects of the post-Christopher Reeve reboot - along with Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor.

Follow us on Twitter @benkendrick and @screenrant and let us know who you'd like to see cast as the Man of Steel.

Superman: Man of Steel is tentatively set to hit theaters in 2012.

Source: MTV