In 1984 french director Jeannot Szwarc, made a very brave decision by passing on Brooke Shields for the lead role in his biggest Studio production to date. Instead of the Shields, Szwarc choose a completely unknown actress Helen Slater. In her first motion picture role she played the title role of the DC Comics superheroine Supergirl.
Slater was a newcomer but she was chosen over Shields to bring something fresh to the franchise. Despite the film failing to be a commercial success Slater went on to be nominated for a Saturn Award for her performance by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Today Warner Bros, Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder have begun to cast a "wide net" to find the next Man of Steel. Insiders tell Deadline that the studio is open to "creating a star" as it reboots the Superman franchise. The actor will likely either be a discovery, or an actor from TV who isn't yet a big star. And he'll be in the age range of 28-32. The studio expects to look at hundreds of young actors before making a decision. Warner Bros is producing with Legendary Pictures. Nolan and David S. Goyer hatched the story, and Goyer is honing his script with Snyder. Earlier we were informed that this version of Superman would see him in his more formative years and this age specifications seem to confirm that. Superman has always lent itself to discoveries. Christopher Reeve was a find, as was Brandon Routh in the Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns.
