In Richard Donner's Superman films, the role of Zod was filled by the great Terence Stamp, who has played, among other characters, one of the most memorable gangsters of all time, a doomed actor in the scariest Fellini movie ever and a transsexual. He also dated pretty much every one of the most beautiful actresses of the 70s. Big shoes to fill. But, here are five suggestions for current actors who may be up to the challenge:
1. Tom Hardy - He's en route to the mainstream after his memorable role in Inception, but just look to his earlier work in Nicolas Winding Refn's ultra-violent Bronson to see what a threatening, complex and funny menace Hardy is capable of playing.
2. Russell Crowe - Snyder is a visual force to be sure, but the psychological subtlety in his movies is sometimes lacking, to say the least. Here's an actor who will go method and mine the psychological depths that Snyder ignores. Although, if Crowe plays the villain they should probably cast a pretty funny actor as Superman.
3. Jason Statham - Maybe the fact that I like Statham even in movies I'm not crazy about has to do with his choice to play the same soft-spoken bad-ass role in every film. I can't blame him - he's great at those roles. All the same, I'd like to see what happens if he branched out, grew a goatee and started ordering people to kneel before him.
4. Joaquin Phoenix - The ill-will of the public will likely have faded by the time this movie is out, and as far as brutal commanders go, Phoenix's character in Gladiator is still one of the most memorable. Imagine what he could do with super powers.
5.Terence Stamp - Wait a second! Terence Stamp is still alive and awesome! Hmmm....