Henry Cavill to fly as Superman

By Adnan Tezer Jan 31, 2011, 21:00 GMT

Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures announced Sunday that British actor Henry Cavill will play the Man of Steel in the untitled reboot of Superman.

According to Variety, Zack Snyder, who has directed "300," "Watchmen" and the upcoming "Sucker Punch" for Warners, signed on in October as director.

The film is set for a December 2012 release before Warners could potentially lose the copyright on the character in 2013.

Christopher Nolan will produce with wife Emma Thomas, as well as Charles Roven ("The Dark Knight") and Deborah Snyder ("Watchmen," "Sucker Punch").

David Goyer ("Batman Begins") is writing the script, based on a story he conceived with Nolan.

Plot details are being kept under wraps.

Superman is one of Warners/DC Comics' biggest icons, a major revenue generator for both studios through TV shows like "Smallville," videogames and merchandise.

The last Superman film "Superman Returns," directed by Bryan Singer and starring Brandon Routh as Superman, earned more than $391 million worldwide, but did not receive positive reviews and was considered a disappointment.

Cavill is best known for his role in the Showtime series "The Tudors."

He'll be seen in the upcoming Greek mythology action film "Immortals" and recently wrapped the action-thriller "The Cold Light of Day," opposite Bruce Willis.