The next Superman movie, tentatively titled Superman: Man of Steel, now has someone to fill the lead role. Warner Bros. Pictures Legendary Pictures announced last week that Henry Cavill will be the next man of steel. The movie is scheduled for a December 2012 release. Cavill will be seen next on the big screen in Immortals, which opens on November 11th.

The film will be directed by Zack Snyder (most recently the director of last fall's Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and his next movie is Sucker Punch), who stated,

"In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time, and I am honored to be a part of his return to the big screen. I also join Warner Bros., Legendary and the producers in saying how excited we are about the casting of Henry. He is the perfect choice to don the cape and S shield."

It's taken quite some time to get a new Superman movie rolling again. Superman Returns was released in 2006, and wasn't a bad movie, but it didn't make the splash everyone expected. While other comic book heroes have been grabbing the spotlight (with Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Dark Knight, et al), there doesn't seem to be any end in sight with the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and others, the time may be right for the man of steel to make his return. I'm sure the studio is hoping that audiences won't be weary of them by the time December 2012 rolls around!

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures Press Release. The photo above is a publicity still from 2009's Whatever Works. Featured are Evan Rachel Wood and Henry Cavill. Photo taken by Jessica Miglio, © Gravier Productions, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics