Routh's 'Superman' Contract Has Expired


In an interview with this Brazilian website, Brandon Routh states that his contract for a new "Superman" movie has expired. Here's an excerpt of the article (translated through Google--it's not perfect, but you get the idea) in which he comments on "Superman Returns" and the struggles to get a sequel off of the ground:

Obviously, we could not stop without asking him about the status of the franchise's Man of Steel, where he played Clark Kent / Superman in Superman Returns.

"I do not know of anything," said Routh. "I'm sure that Warner Bros. is moving there, but everything is still uncertain. Really, I do not know anything."

Then commented that he thought a certain injustice that Batman Begins, the reboot of the franchise of Batman had opened lower than expected by the studio - as Superman - but won a second chance and ended up proving to be an absurdly lucrative series in Batman - The Knight of Darkness.

"It's exactly how I feel," agreed Routh.

Then discuss the main reason why the film may not have excited the public as it should: the lack of action scenes. "I think missing some beating. You know, it is curious, but in the middle of the show I realized it - I just noticed that caught the whole movie and had no chance to retaliate."

Routh also confirmed he has no contract to play the super-hero. "The term contract has expired. But if they call me again, back to the character without thinking twice."

SOURCE

Personally, I enjoyed "Superman Returns," but I can see why it was a strike-out for most people. Instead of paying homage to Richard Donner's original, they should have gone "Batman Begins"/"Iron Man"-style and made it action-packed and contemporary, yet still filled with gravitas. If they ever get another movie off of the ground, I'd like to see Routh back in the role though. I thought he did a pretty good job, and he's not bad to look at either.