Laurence Fishburne Is Perry White In ‘Man Of Steel’
By this point, we know a significant amount of the major casting forMan of Steel,Zack Snyder’s reboot of the classic Superman tale: There’sKevin CostnerandDiane Laneas the Kents,Russell CroweandJulia Ormondas Jor-El and Lara,Amy Adamsas Lois Lane, and of course,Henry Cavillas Superman himself. However, one big part has remained conspicuously unfilled — until now.Laurence Fishburnehas just been cast as Perry White, editor-in-chief ofThe Daily Planetand boss of Clark Kent. Read on after the jump.
According to theLA Times’Hero Complex, which broke the news, Fishburne will be the first African-American to fill the role in any of the television shows, cartoons, or films produced since the character’s creation. Fishburne (as I’m sure you probably know) is an accomplished stage and screen actor probably best known for his role of Morpheus in the Wachowski siblings’Matrixtrilogy. More recently, Fishburne starred in the HBO filmThurgood, about the life of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, and on the CBS seriesCSI: Crime Scene Investigationas Dr. Raymond Langston. (He has since left the show.)
I’ve been pretty happy with theMan of Steelcasting so far, and this latest bit is no exception. Fishburne’s a reliably strong actor, certainly capable of pulling his weight in a film that includes other exceptional actors. Plus, he’s proven time and time again that he’s got the whole “tough authority figure” thing down.
I also have to say that I love the choice of casting a non-white actor for the part. Superhero films tend to feature mostly Caucasian actors, partly because most of the pre-existing characters in them have traditionally been portrayed as white (usually starting with the original comics). It’s great to seeMan of Steelmix it up by giving an iconic role to an African-American actor. After all, Perry White is a character where attitude and personality matter far more than physical appearance — and Fishburne has definitely got the goods.
Harry Lennix,Christopher Meloni,Michael Shannon, andAntje Traueare also set to star in the film, which will openJune 14, 2013.
