The town of Plano, IL is still in its alter ego form of Smallville as ‘The Man of Steel’ production crew continues filming there this week. Although much of the shooting is being done outdoors, it doesn’t look like director Zack Snyder’s set is as open to onlookers as Christopher Nolan’s was for ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ Many are reporting that security has been ordered to keep observers several feet away from areas where filming is occurring.
But, finally we have our first frontal view of Henry Cavill dressed as Superman! The production team has always been very protective of showing any part of the Superman costume and there is always a production assistant on hand with a black sheet to cover and block any view of it. However, yesterday photos of the Man of Steel have been uploaded onto its Facebook page!
The big difference with this costume compared to the previous ones is the lack of the traditional red undies. This seems to coincide with the relaunch version that DC Comics will be coming out soon. Also in the pics are the first look of Anje Traue’s villianess, Faora. You can see there is someone in a motion capture suit so there will be some major CGI going on in this scene.
Some fans are a little put off with this new suit, but you can decide for yourself:
Last week photos were uploaded showing Superman from the back entering the Kent household and a little closer view of part of the front of his outfit. Looks like we now have a good idea of the full suit.
So now you’ve seen Faora. Last week this picture of Michael Shannon as Zod was also revealed. Although he is not in full costume, he is hooked up in a motion capture suit, so it looks like his character will also have some CGI going on. Don’t know if the guy in the previous pictures with Superman and Faora is a double for Shannon or if that character will just be a henchman.
So far the residents of Plano have been reporting that they’ve been seeing a lot of helicopters flying overhead, lots of smoke and explosions at a 7-11 and at a bank indicating a lot of devastation is going on! Here’s some of the information we do know:
There is a scene where Lana Lang and Clark Kent are walking and they see a school bus crash over the side of the bridge. Clark rushes into action to save the kids and school bus. Here’s the bus being outfitted for the scene.
We also heard that a plane crashes into a Sears building. Here’s some of the aircraft parts that are part of the scene. A car is also supposed to crash into the same building. Is this damage any part of the tornado that hits Smallville or the work of Zod? Guess we’ll have to wait until more news comes out!
The local 7-11 also gets blown up in the movie. This scene is suppose to place as the US military, led by Christopher Meloni’s Colonel Hardy, takes on Michael Shannon’s Zod and Antje Traue’s Faora.
The residents have also been seeing a lot of helicopters overhead. These helicopters have been outfitted for filming in IMAX so it looks like the movie is going to have some awesome aerial shots!
‘The Man of Steel’ will be in Illinois filming until Septmeber 21 when the production team will then head over to Vancouver, British Columbia to film through January 20, 2012. Last week, casting calls in British Columbia went out looking for extras for the film and in a surprise move, it included a synopsis of the movie. Now with all the concealment that has been going on, I find it hard to believe that studios would allow the official synopsis to be released in a casting call so take it with a grain of salt. But here’s what was written:
“In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves.”
This synopsis basically confirms what has been heard since filming started – that this version of Superman will follow Clark Kent in his personal journey to decide to become the Man of Steel and has to combat General Zod in the process. Although it may sound like this is a ‘been there, done that’ scenario, remember that David S Goyer and Christopher Nolan penned the script for ‘The Man of Steel’ and they were the masteminds behind the ‘The Dark Knight’ Batman reboot. Others are also speculating how close this film may follow the 2003 Mark Waid-penned Superman comicbook series ‘Birthright’, which was intended as a reimagining and reboot of Superman for modern times and has now become cannon with regards to the origin of Superman. From the looks of the new Superman suit, we will definitely be expecting a new version than the Superman we are familiar with from the past. From the crater images below, ‘The Man of Steel’ will definitely include the time of his arrival on Earth.
So what are your thoughts? Are you ready for a new version of Superman? Do you miss the red undies of old? We’ll have awhile to see how this new version will play out as ‘The Man of Steel’ doesn’t leap into theaters until June 14, 2013.
