2003-03-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

This Victor Webster guy may just be "what the doctor recommended" to jumpstart the Superman movie franchise. He's got my vote amongst the other names.

-enrico

2003-03-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

Cape Fear: Who Should be 'Superman'? Webster Confirms Suiting Up
By Kate O'Hare
Mon, Mar 03, 2003, 04:03 PM PT

HOLLYWOOD (Zap2it.com) -- When such disparate names as Jude Law, David Boreanaz, Josh Hartnett and Ashton Kutcher are bandied about for the same role, you know something strange is going on.

The casting go-round continues for Warner Bros.' new version of "Superman," to be directed by Brett Ratner from a screenplay by "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams. Along with donning the tights and cape (a daunting thought, in and of itself), the role also comes with a three-picture commitment, which has been sufficient to cause many of Hollywood's A-listers to get cold feet.

With "Pearl Harbor" star Hartnett having apparently bowed out of the running, such new contenders as Brendan Fraser, Paul Walker ("Joy Ride," "The Fast and the Furious") and soap-opera actor Matthew Bomer ("The Guiding Light," "All My Children") have popped up. A British tabloid even reported that "Angel" star Boreanaz was inked for the part, but the actor's manager refutes that.

One actor willing to talk about testing for the part is Victor Webster, one of the stars of the syndicated science-fiction series "Mutant X." The strapping, 6-foot-3-inch Canadian, who describes himself as "a big fan of the old-school superhero stuff," is just happy to have been asked to come in for the role.

"It's a personal accomplishment for me, no matter what happens," says Webster of testing for "Superman." Asked what it entailed, he says, "Dress up in the suit; dress up as Clark Kent; stand in front of the camera."

As to whether the familiar red-and-blue costume has been updated, Webster says, "It's Spandex and tight. I probably shouldn't say anything else. I wasn't told not to say anything, but I imagine they want their concept to be their concept, and for me to spoil somebody else's thing, that's disrespectful."

He adds, "It was very cool, no question about that at all. The script is excellent. Obviously, I can't go over the details of the script, but it's really well written. It's a great character movie with tons of action, but you really feel for the characters. There's no campiness in this movie whatsoever, no campy humor, no goofy humor. This is a very serious action-drama."

Whether he gets the role or not, Webster has a few opinions.

"If I was the director, I would make it very dark, very gritty. I would make it mean something,” he says. “I would go with somebody who feels really good about the character and develops the character, as this movie does, and I would direct it very dark."

"I think Superman has to be physically big. He's got to be square-jawed in the way that he looks. He can feel. I wouldn't think he has to be emotionally made of stone. I would think the opposite. You're dealing with somebody who's never fit in his entire life. He's a total outsider, never quite knew what the hell he was, especially as a kid."

"So I would imagine that he's really emotionally tormented, very lonely. All he has is his parents. What's he going to do, fall in love with Lois Lane and then what? 'Look, I'm an alien.' You're going to love this new script, let's put it that way. J.J. did an amazing job. It's not just about being entertained, he makes you feel something."

As to who should get the part, Webster -- who, obviously, has a personal stake in this -- says, "Think about it, you want an unknown. You want a big guy, strong actor, as Superman. You don't want somebody that you've seen in everything else."

In this opinion, though, Christopher Reeve, the movies' original Man of Steel, backs up Webster. "Probably seven or eight months ago," says Reeve, talking on the set of ABC's "The Practice," where he is doing a guest role, "I got a call from ['Superman' producer] Jon Peters. He said he had been following the course of my recovery and had seen a documentary made by my son."

"He said he felt inspired by that and decided not to do 'Superman vs. Batman,' which was in the works with Wolfgang Petersen. He said, 'Why should we have two superheroes fighting each other when the world needs heroes?'"

"As I understand it, he dropped that idea and pitched the idea of retelling the essentials of the 'Superman' legend, with Anthony Hopkins playing Jor-El. He was talking about casting, and I said, 'If you want my two cents, you should definitely cast an unknown, as Dick Donner did 25 years ago, and find a Superman for the 21st Century.

kryptonian