Entertainment Weekly broke the news recently that the upcoming reboot Man of Steel has cast it’s Perry White, and it’s none other than Cowboy Curtis himself, Laurence Fishburne.
White is traditionally the gruff but caring Editor in Chief of the Daily Planet, though his personal arcs have from time to time taken him out of the position, and was famously portrayed by Jackie Cooper in the Richard Donner helmed Superman: The Movie, with Frank Langella picking up the role for Superman Returns after Hugh Laurie had to drop out of the film.
Fishburne, who recently left CSI (Ted Danson is taking over in his stead), is the first non-Caucasian actor to play Perry White in any medium (an ironic announcement given earlier revelations today). More baffling though is the now open question of where Law & Order: SVU alumni Christopher Meloni fits into the picture. Many believed Meloni would be taking on the role of White, but perhaps he’s due for a more action oriented role? With Henry Cavill as Superman, Michael Shannon as Zod, and Kevin Costner as Pa Kent, the only two male roles I can think of for him to play would be Jimmy Olson (oh God, so unlikely) and the obvious lock, Superman’s primary nemesis Lex Luthor. Of course, there is always the chance that we could finally see a different Superman villain on-screen. Perhaps the nefarious Brainiac? Or maybe we’re all just over thinking it, and they’re going to cast Meloni as Jor-El. We’ll find out when the Zack Snyder helmed Man of Steel hits the big screen on July 14, 2013; until then, feel free to light up the comments with your speculation and thoughts.
Update — The rest of the principal cast has been announced! We’ve posted the details here. No Lex? We’ll see…