GOSSIP!

Brandon Routh... is Superman
Oct -2004

After years of wait and speculation, it looks like Warner Bros. finally has their Superman.

Brandon Routh, an almost unknown 25-year-old actor, will become the first big-screen version of Superman since the late Christopher Reeve.

Although there's always been plenty of rumors surrounding big names taking over the role, director Bryan Singer said it was never his plan to put someone already famous into the role.

"Conrrary to speculation, it was always my intention to hire an unknown for this role," Singer said.

Singer gave up his work on the X-Men franchise earlier this year to take on the Warner Bros. project that has been virtually stalled for nearly a decade. Different directors have come and gone, most recently, "Charlie's Angels" helmer McG. But Singer apparently has helped get things going, with a set release now scheduled for 2006.

"We think Brandon is a gifted young performer who can re-energize this iconic character and excite new audiences about the legend of Superman," said Warner Bros. president Alan Horn.

Routh is a virtual newcomer to the acting business, getting his first big break as Wade in "MTV's Undressed" in 1999. He later spent a year on the soap opera "One Life To Live," while making guest appearances on television shows like "Odd Man Out," "Gilmore Girls," "Cold Case" and "Will & Grace."

"Superman Returns" reportedly will pick up where "Superman II" left off from the 1980s.

According to the Internet Movie Database, Warner Bros. has spent more than $10 million since 1993 trying to get this film off the ground.

No other cast members have been announced, but filming is expected to begin in Australia next year.

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