Tom Welling Is Superman In Non-Mo-Cap JLA?
Aug 24, 2007 by Vic Holtreman
I’ve got to hand it to the folks over at IESB… they ARE well connected (anybody feel like dropping me a scoop just use the Contact link in the upper right, folks!). Although according to Supermanhomepage.com Smallville producer Al Gough has told them flat out that Tom Welling has not been approached, IESB is swearing up and down that they’re getting a completely different story from multiple sources.
According to them (and yes, this is rumor at this point), Tom Welling (who plays super-powered Clark Kent on the CW series Smallville) is the guy who’s been tapped to play Superman in the recently announced as moving forward Justice League movie.
Smallville fans have been clamoring for Welling to put on the blue tights and cape ever since Superman Returns was first announced. Bryan Singer ended up going with Christopher Reeves clone Brandon Routh instead, who is not in the running for the JLA film as far as I know. So once this is confirmed and the news goes wide there should be much rejoicing on Smallvillle fan sites and forums.
Not only that, but IESB has also clarified the whole motion capture / CGI situation. The word was that the JLA movie was going to be a fully CGI motion capture movie along the lines of the upcoming Beowulf and The Polar Express.
However now they’re reporting that it will be a live action movie incorporating motion capture. This is very different from having an full mo-cap movie. The technique is used quite a bit in films, like the character Gollum in Lord of the Rings, which of course was live action overall, albeit with considerable CGI effects.
This is a one-two punch of big news if it all turns out to be true!
Source: IESB.net
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From what I read, the OMACs are gonna be the villians. So I guess that’s what the mo-cap will be for.
I don’t know if this is great news or not.
I mean… yay about the live action thing.
Maybe not so much yay about integrating ‘Smallville’ mythology with the ‘real’ DC Universe.
I dunno… I’d rather this than the mo-cap crap.
Also… at the end of the day… I just hope it’s not a ‘Superman’ movie. It needs to be an ensemble in the truest sense of the word.
Kane,
I would *guess* that no “Smallville” history would be integrated into this, and that they would just pop Welling into the role midstream, as it were.
I don’t know if you watch “Smallville,” but IMHO there is just no way to integrate the maskless, blue tights Superman into that world.
Hopefully they won’t make this a bloody origin story!
Vic
Hmmm, I don’t know about this. I’m not a particularly big fan of Routh, and consider this latest Superman movie to be as far out of the comics continuity as Smallville is (ahem…kiddie Kent), but I don’t necessarily want to see the Superman/Kent from Smallville either. If they want to make this something different, then I believe they could do far worse than Welling, although that makes me worried about how they’ll handle casting for other characters (for instance, I wouldn’t mind seeing Ryan Reynolds as Wally West, but I’d cringe from here to the box office if he’s Barry Allen) in relation to Welling’s “youthful” image. This would still leave Batman up in the air…*sigh*…it’s potentially upsetting. Heh…
As for the live-action vs. mo-capped CGI…give me the former any day. Effects have evolved to the point where we should be able to integrate the real and the fantasy, and the motion-capture CGI just seems to be a cop-out to not have to do that. The reasoning you’re always given is that it allows the artist a bigger canvas where certain laws don’t have to be adhered to. I don’t buy that, and I don’t see any amount of money being saved to be a good enough reason to take that half-assed route with a movie as big as JLA.
WOW! Thank GOD!! I’m so glad this won’t be all CGI I could wet myself! I would prefer to have Routh return (no pun intended) to play Superman but Welling is a good second choice. While I hate Smallville,I think Welling is a good actor and could carry the role of Superman well (he’s the same age as Chris Reeve was when he first donned the cape),my only concern is that if Welling is cast as Superman people will expect a connection between the JLA film and Smallville,and there shouldn’t be one at all. Personally I’m happy that JLA will take place in a seperate reality from SR and BB. Now who other than Christian Bale could play Batman? An unknown would be a good choice to go along with Welling.
I think I’m looking forward to this movie again!
And Ryan Reynolds would make a better Barry than Wally IMHO. Now if only they can get David Borneaz as Hal Jordan….and Martian Manhunter instead of Aquaman. Seriously,Aquaman is kinda lame,not that I don’t dig the guy.
As far as a particular story goes,I know some of you will hate me for this,but I really believe that a JLA origin story would work well. I mean,everyone’s heard of the JLA and are semi familiar with them,but most people have no idea what all these heroes are doing together. So,even though it’s being adapted into an animated feature,I strongly suggest the film be based on the excellent JLA graphic Novel DC:the New Frontier. Instead of all the DC heroes being involved it should be only the core JLA and I would have it set in present day and tone down the political message. It’s a very good introduction story. It briefly makes the audience familiar with some of the lesser well known heroes and there origins,like Flash,Green Lantern,and Martian Manhunter without taking up the course of the whole book,plus it lets Superman,Batman,and Wonder Woman shine too without taking up the whole story as well. As a longtime JLA fan I think that particular story would work well if adapted (and slightly tweaked) for film.
My problem with Tom Welling is that he’d provide the film with a teeny-bopper, big screen TV show feel. Regardless of whether they used him as a new Superman or the Kent from the show, the connection will be unavoidable. Nobody in their right mind will be able to distinguish the two.
Besides, I want a JLA Superman that has a noble leadership quality – a slightly older looking (as in mid- to late-30s) man we can believe leads the team alongside Batman and Wonder Woman. Welling would essentially make this film more akin to ‘Teen Titans’.
As for David Boreanaz as Hal Jordan… I think that’s the kind of fanboy casting Hollywood typically ignores. It’s the obvious, surface level idea. Personally, I’m a fan of slightly left-field casting like Christian Bale in Batman and Toby Maguire in Spider-Man… where it’s about finding the truly best actor, rather than whoever might look good in a Photoshopped fan pic. Besides, I think Jordan’s a lot edgier with a sharper, all-American look about him.
nothing is confirmed but as far as green latern goes i prefer dennis quaid as hal jordan
oops i obviously meant GREEN LANTERN
anyway as far as quaid goes i think hal has a weariness to him now he has been through a lot and i think quaid could play that well
Dennis Quaid? Really? I’ve been a fan of his for a long time but I think he’s is more than a bit old for that part now. He’s about 53, I believe.
Vic
i think at 65 harrison ford is too old for indiana jones
but guess what comes out next summer?
jordan has to be at least 50 in the comics by now
Gary,
I don’t read any DC comics, so the age may very well not be a factor. I just don’t know if audiences would buy it, much less the studio. You know how they like to populate movies with young folk.
That’s actually why I’m stunned that Robert Downey Jr. is playing Tony Stark!
Vic
A 60-plus Indy is also a bit different to a 50-plus superhero. Superheroes, traditionally, don’t tend to age above around 40 in appearance.
I certainly don’t want a man that close to retirement age flying around onscreen.
I also don’t want a teenager or someone in their early 20s, unless it’s Kyle (which, as much as I like him, wouldn’t be right).
The character needs to be experienced but still youthful – in other words, thirtysomething.
oh i agree vic
but after the casting of Robert Downey Jr
i was hoping for some flexibilty in casting
i figured they would hire somebody young to play
kyle rayner or john stewart and hal would be the veteran GL
its all a pipe dream I know but me? i would like keifer sutherland to play captain america so what do I know?
Yeah… no offence, Gary… but let’s make a pact thet you never get hired as a casting director.
;o)
That… THAT…!
I do know how to spell.
For once I would like to see Tom trimming his hair and putting on the Superman costume for real. I think a couple of years after Superman franchise ends we should see what kind of Superman Tom becomes.After all whats the use of waiting for every
Saturday night to watch Smallville if you don’t see what it all came to.
Josh Duhamel from Transformers would be cool to see as GL Hal Jordan,he’s that soldier who had the baby girl in the movie,remember? I could totally see he and Ryan Reynolds’ Flash conversing with each other!:-) But,it still sounds like they’ll be using John Stewart,much to my dismay.
Good point. Although I don’t know if we’ll ever see Welling put on the blue suit.
Vic
I think it would bebest thing to put on tom welling for the superman part