Whenever there is a new Superman film being produced, the casting of the Man of Steel is one of the most arduous of tasks. Christopher Reeve beat out around two-hundred actors in a hunt for the fateful individual to bring Superman to the screen for the 1978 classic. The tradition of casting up-and-coming unknown actors would continue with Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, then Henry Cavill in Man of Steel. Now that James Gunn is in pre-production for his reboot, Superman: Legacy in the new continuity of the DC universe, he’s narrowing down his hopefuls for the last son of Krypton.
One of the purported frontrunners for the coveted part is an actor named Pierson Fodé. Fodé had been revealed to be one of the finalists earlier this month. In an effort to prove himself for the casting, ScreenRant reports that Fodé has taken the liberty of making a short stunt reel to show off his superhero prowess. The Instagram account of Action Factory shared a video on the social media site where Fodé is seen using a rig that helps to simulate his flying, as well as some fighting moves that involve Superman’s famous heat vision.
When casting for a role that brings so much to the table, actors usually screentest for a variety of factors that prove they can occupy all angles of the character. Tobey Maguire was a proven dramatic actor, but prior to his casting in Spider-Man, Maguire filmed an action screentest to show that he can handle the stunts. Christian Bale was a popular casting choice for Batman back when Christopher Nolan was casting Batman Begins, but he would still have to screentest in the cowl and cape costume.
Variety had reported that Fodé was a frontrunner when the actor submitted a self-tape to Gunn and the director found him to be “very Clark Kent-like childhood on a farm in the small town of Moses Lake, Wash.” Fodé looks to not want to leave anything to chance so he took the initiative to show off his super moves. The video is put together like a pre-visualization for choreographed action sequences and Fodé was able to utilize intricate rigs. However, it is also being said that recent casting reports suggest that his chances against the competition may be lowering.