Development began in 2008 when Warner Bros. took pitches fromcomic book writers,screenwriters, anddirectors, opting to reboot the franchise. In 2009, a court ruling resulted inJerry Siegel's family recapturing the rights to Superman's origins and Siegel's copyright. The decision stated that Warner Bros. did not owe the families additional royalties from previous films, but if they did not begin production on a Superman film by 2011, then the Shuster and Siegel estates would be able to sue for lost revenue on an unproduced film. Nolan pitched Goyer's idea after a story discussion onThe Dark Knight Rises, and Snyder was hired as the film's director in October 2010.Principal photography began in August 2011 inWest Chicago, Illinois, before moving toVancouver andPlano, Illinois.
Man of Steel premiered in theAlice Tully Hall in New York City on June 10, 2013, and was released by Warner Bros. Pictures in the United States on June 14. The film received mixed reviews from critics,[9] and was a commercial success, grossing $670million and becoming theninth-highest-grossing film of 2013. A sequel,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, was released in 2016, and a further reboot,Superman, the first film in theDC Universe (DCU), was released in 2025.
The planetKrypton is destabilizing from the mining of theplanetary core. Just before the planet implodes, Krypton's top scientist,Jor-El, steals and infuses the genetics codex into his new-born son,Kal-El, the first naturally born Kryptonian in centuries. Jor-El, with the help of his wife Lara, manages to send Kal-El in a spacecraft toward Earth before he is killed byGeneral Zod during a coup d'état.
Kal-El lands inKansas, where he is adopted byJonathan and Martha Kent and namedClark. As he grows older, due to his Kryptonian physiology and Earth'syellow sun, he develops superhuman powers that Jonathan urges him to keep hidden, even refusing Clark's help years later during a tornado storm in which he dies. Burdened with guilt over Jonathan's death, Clark travels the globe hiding under various aliases seeking a purpose in life.
Daily Planet reporterLois Lane receives an assignment to investigate the discovery of a Kryptonian scout ship in the Arctic. Clark enters the ship disguised as a worker and learns from its artificial intelligence modeled after his father Jor-El about his origins, and that Clark was sent to Earth to help guide its people. While following Clark, Lois inadvertently triggers the ship's security system. Clark uses his powers to rescue her from its defenses. He wears a uniform provided by the ship's AI and begins testing his abilities. Unable to convince supervisorPerry White to publish an article on the incident, Lois tracks down Clark inSmallville, with the intent of exposing him. However, Lois drops the story upon hearing of Jonathan Kent's sacrifice, keeping Clark's identity safe while fueling Perry's suspicions.
Zod and his crew escape thePhantom Zone, where they were imprisoned for treason for their actions against Krypton. They travel to Earth to turn it into a new Krypton, possessing severalterraforming devices salvaged from Kryptonian outposts. Following Clark and Lois' capture, Zod's science officer,Jax-Ur, extracts some of Clark's genes so as to create new Kryptonians who will build a society based on Zod's ideals of genetic purity. Using the Jor-El AI to take over the ship, Clark and Lois flee and warn theU.S. military of Zod's plan, resulting in a confrontation between Clark and Zod's troops.
Zod deploys his most powerful terraforming device, the World Engine, which severely damagesMetropolis and risks humanity's extinction. Clark, now dubbed as "Superman," destroys the terraforming platform while the military launches an attack on the Black Zero, sending Zod's troops back to the Phantom Zone. With the ship destroyed and Krypton's only hope of revival gone, Zod vows to destroy Earth and its inhabitants out of revenge. The two Kryptonians engage in a lengthy battle across Metropolis, which concludes when Superman is forced to kill Zod as he attacks a family trapped in a train station.
Sometime later, Superman persuades the government to let him act independently, under the condition he does not turn against humanity. To gain covert access to dangerous situations, he takes a job under his civilian identity, Clark Kent, as a reporter for theDaily Planet.
Henry Cavill asKal-El / Clark Kent: AKryptonian with superhuman powers and abilities, sent by his parents to Earth as an infant to escape the destruction of his homeworld, Krypton, and raised under the mental guidance of farmers inSmallville,Kansas, until he is inspired by theholographic message from his late father to become Earth's greatest protector. Cavill is the first non-American actor to play the character.[10][11] He was previously cast inSuperman: Flyby, which was ultimately shelved,[12] and was considered for the role in the 2006 filmSuperman Returns, but lost toBrandon Routh.[13][14] Cavill stated, "There's a very real story behind the Superman character." He explained that everyone's goal has been to explore the difficulties his character faces as a result of having multiple identities—including his birth name, Kal-El, and his alter ego, Clark Kent. Cavill also stated that "He's alone and there's no one like him," referring to Superman's vulnerabilities. "That must be incredibly scary and lonely, not to know who you are or what you are, and trying to find out what makes sense. Where's yourbaseline? What do you draw from? Where do you draw a limit with the power you have? In itself, that's an incredible weakness."[15] In an interview withTotal Film magazine, Cavill stated he had been consuming nearly 5,000 calories a day, training for over two hours daily and plowingprotein to pack on themuscle mass.[16]Tyler Hoechlin (who would laterplay the character in theArrowverse andSuperman & Lois),Matthew Goode,Armie Hammer,Jamie Dornan,Joe Manganiello andColin O'Donoghue were also considered for the role. Manganiello was subsequently cast asDeathstroke inJustice League.[17][18][19][20] Manganiello was Snyder's second choice behind Cavill.[21] Cavill cited his inspiration for his portrayal for Superman was by four comicsThe Death of Superman,The Return of Superman,Superman: Red Son andSuperman/Batman: The Search for Kryptonite; as he wanted his interpretation be from the source material.[22][23][24] Cooper Timberline was cast as the 9-year-old Clark Kent, andDylan Sprayberry was cast as the 13-year-old Clark Kent.[25]
Amy Adams asLois Lane:[26][27] A reporter for theDaily Planet newspaper and the love interest of Clark Kent. Adams was selected from a list of actresses that includedKristen Stewart,Zoe Saldaña,Olivia Wilde, andMila Kunis.[28][29][30][31] "There was a big, giant search for Lois," Snyder said. "For us, it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning, but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it."[32] Adams auditioned for the role three times: once for the unproducedSuperman: Flyby, and the second time forSuperman Returns before landing the current role.[33] Adams was confirmed to play Lois Lane in March 2011. While announcing the role, Snyder said in a statement, "We are excited to announce the casting of Amy Adams, one of the most versatile and respected actresses in films today. Amy has the talent to capture all of the qualities we love about Lois: smart, tough, funny, warm, ambitious and, of course, beautiful."[34] On portraying Lois Lane, Adams stated that the film would feature a Lois Lane who is an "independent, feisty woman ... but set in a more identifiable world." Adams said that "She has become more of a free-ranging journalist, someone who likes to be hands-on. The nature of the newspaper business has changed so much. There is so much more pressure."[35]
Michael Shannon asGeneral Zod:[36] A Kryptonian general with the samesuperpowers as Superman, bent on transforming Earth into a new Krypton under his reign.Viggo Mortensen andDaniel Day-Lewis were also considered for the role.[37][38] Snyder stated, "Zod is not only one of Superman's most formidable enemies, but one of the most significant because he has insights into Superman that others don't. Michael is a powerful actor who can project both the intelligence and the malice of the character, making him perfect for the role."[36] When Goyer was asked about why Zod was chosen as the villain, he stated, "The way (Christopher) Nolan and I have always approached movies as well is you never say, 'Hey, which villain would be cool for this movie?' You start with the story first. What kind of story? What kind of theme do you want to tell? So we worked that out. Then, usually the villain becomes obvious in terms of who's going to be the appropriateantagonist for that. When you guys see the movie, the only villain we could've used was Zod and the Kryptonians. I mean, when you see what the whole story is, nothing else would have even made sense."[39]
Kevin Costner asJonathan Kent: Clark's adoptive father.[40] Snyder explained his reason for casting the on-screen couple is solely for the realism: "I think the thing you realize when you look at Diane and Kevin, in our decision to cast them so far, you sort of get a sense of how tonally we're looking at the movie, and what you realize is that those guys are serious actors, and we're taking this movie very seriously in terms of the tone of having those guys. You're talking about having a situation where whatever the action is or whatever the drama of the movie is, our first priority is to make sure it's rendered in the most realistic way we can get at."[41] After taking on the role, Costner was disappointed when he read the script.[42]
Diane Lane asMartha Kent: Clark's adoptive mother.[40] Lane was the first cast member to join the film after Cavill. "This was a very important piece of casting for me because Martha Kent is the woman whose values helped shape the man we know as Superman," Snyder said in the release. "We are thrilled to have Diane in the role because she can convey the wisdom and the wonder of a woman whose son has powers beyond her imagination."[43]
Laurence Fishburne asPerry White: Editor-in-chief of theDaily Planet and the boss of Lois Lane. Fishburne is the first African-American to play Perry White in a live-action film.[44] Fishburne remarked of his role: "[M]y inspiration really is the lateEd Bradley, who was aCBS correspondent on60 Minutes for many years ... [The] legendary Ed Bradley ... was a friend, a mentor, and a role model for me, particularly because he worked in journalism, and he was the kind of guy who walked with kings, but he had the common touch. And so he was my inspiration for Perry."[45]
Antje Traue asFaora-Ul: General Zod's sub-commander and a commander of the Kryptonian military, who is completely devoted and loyal to Zod.Gal Gadot was offered the role but declined because she was pregnant at that time; this allowed her to be later cast asWonder Woman inthe film's sequel.[46]Alice Eve,Diane Kruger andRosamund Pike were also considered for the role.[47][48] About the role of Faora, Traue said in an interview: "What I liked about her was that as a woman, we have certain doubts and we think too much sometimes about ourselves and all these things, they're not there for Faora. She's a bred warrior. So to really focus on that aspect, that fear is a chemical reaction and that it was bred out of her and she doesn't have it. It's liberating when you actually think about it. That you're just a one-track mind, there's no filter, there's no double meaning. She gets orders and she answers those orders without a question."[49]
Russell Crowe asJor-El: A Kryptonian scientist who is Kal-El's biological father.Sean Penn andClive Owen were also considered for the role.[54] Crowe incorporates how his own fatherhood informed his reading of the script to portray Jor-El, stating that "... it was one of those things where that's how it was connecting me. That's the question that Jor-El faces, that's the situation that he's in."[55] Crowe also comments on his preparation for the film stating that: "When I signed on ... well, one, I didn't realize that I would be wearingSpandex—'cause you know that's Superman's costume—I didn't realize that I'd have to fit into it as well," Crowe said. "But, I also didn't realize the type of organiser that Zack Snyder is, 'cause this was really old-school prep. This is sort ofDavid Lean-level preparation, and I really appreciated him. And I was on the movie for three and a half or four months before I even got in front of the camera."[56]
Additionally,Harry Lennix playsLieutenant GeneralCalvin Swanwick, a United States Armygeneral officer and the deputy commander of United States Northern Command.[52][57] Christina Wren plays Capt. Carrie Ferris, a United States Air Force officer and the assistant to General Swanwick.[58]Richard Schiff playsDr. Emil Hamilton, a scientist who works with the United States Armed Forces for DARPA.[59][60][61]Carla Gugino portrays the voice of Kelor, the Kryptonian AI service-robot.[62]Mackenzie Gray playsJax-Ur, a Kryptonian scientist who is one of General Zod's followers.[63]Michael Kelly playsSteve Lombard, an employee of theDaily Planet,[64] and Rebecca Buller plays Jenny Jurwich, an intern of theDaily Planet.[65] Jadin Gould, Rowen Kahn, and Jack Foley, respectively, playLana Lang,Kenny Braverman, andPete Ross, classmates of Clark Kent in high school.[66][67][68] Joseph Cranford portrays Ross as an adult.[69] Richard Cetrone,Samantha Jo, Revard Dufresne and Apollonia Vanova, respectively, play Tor-An, Car-Vex,Dev-Em II and Nadira, Kryptonian soldiers that follow General Zod.[70][71][72]
He basically told me, 'I have this thought about how you would approach Superman', I immediately got it, loved it and thought: That is a way of approaching the story I've never seen before that makes it incredibly exciting. I wanted to get Emma Thomas and I involved in shepherding the project right away and getting it to the studio and getting it going in an exciting way.
—Christopher Nolan, recalling the moment when Goyer presented the idea of a modernized Superman.[73][74]
In June 2008,Warner Bros. tookpitches from comic book writers, screenwriters and directors on how to successfullyreboot theSuperman film series.[75] Comic book writersGrant Morrison,Mark Waid,Geoff Johns andBrad Meltzer were among those who pitched their ideas for a reboot: "I told them, it's not that bad. Just treatSuperman Returns as theAng LeeHulk", Morrison said. Waid said: "The Incredible Hulk has proven the audience will forgive you and let you redo the franchise".[76] Morrison's idea was similar to his work onAll-Star Superman, while Waid's was akin toSuperman: Birthright.[76]Mark Millar, teaming with directorMatthew Vaughn, also planned an epic eight-hourSuperman trilogy, each installment released a year apart, similar toThe Lord of the Rings.[77][78] Millar compared it toThe Godfather trilogy, in which it would chronicle the entire life of Superman, from the early days of Krypton, where little Kal-El witnesses his father's tireless struggle to save the planet, to the finale where Superman loses his powers as the Sun starts to gosupernova.[79] According to Millar, Vaughn suggested hisStardust actorCharlie Cox as a Golden-Age inspired Superman "when he was a bit more of a regular person".[80] Vaughn would later say his pitch for a trilogy film would have been to a similar tone toRichard Donner's1978 film, and would have included villains such as Zod,Brainiac, andLex Luthor.[81]
In August 2008, Warner Bros. suggested that the plannedsequel toSuperman Returns, subtitledMan of Steel by directorBryan Singer, would now be a reboot of the film series. Studio executive Jeff Robinov planned to have the film released either by 2010 or 2011, explaining that "Superman Returns didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to. It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had Superman worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009. Now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to aBatman and Superman movie at all."[82] Paul Levitz stated in an interview that Batman holds the key to the Superman reboot. He elaborated: "Everyone is waiting for Nolan to sign on for another Batman, once that happens, the release date for Superman and all other future projects will follow."[83] In February 2009,McG, who previously planned to directSuperman: Flyby, expressed interest in returning to the Superman franchise.[83][84] August 2009 saw a court ruling in whichJerry Siegel's family recaptured 50% of the rights to Superman's origins and Siegel's share of the copyright inAction Comics #1.[85] In addition, a judge ruled that Warner Bros. did not owe the families additional royalties from previous films. However, if they did not begin production on a Superman film by 2011, then the Siegel estate would have been able to sue for lost revenue on an unproduced film.[86]
The plot ofMan of Steel employs anonlinear narrative, and tells parts of the story in flashbacks. During story discussions forThe Dark Knight Rises in 2008,David S. Goyer toldChristopher Nolan his idea regarding how to present Superman in a modern context.[73] Impressed with Goyer's concept, Nolan pitched the idea to the studio,[73] who hired Nolan to produce and Goyer to write based on the financial and critical success ofThe Dark Knight.[87][82] Nolan admired Singer's work onSuperman Returns for its connection to Richard Donner's version, stating that "a lot of people have approached Superman in a lot of different ways. I only know the way that has worked for us that's what I know how to do", emphasizing the idea that Batman exists in a world where he is the only superhero and a similar approach to theMan of Steel would assure the integrity needed for the film. Nolan, however, clarified that the new film would not have any relationship with the previous film series, in which he commented: "Each serves to the internal logic of the story. They have nothing to do with each other".[88]
Robinov spoke toEntertainment Weekly, and allowed a peek over the wall of secrecy surrounding their DC Comics plans: "It's setting the tone for what the movies are going to be like going forward. In that, it's definitely a first step."[95] Plans included for the film to contain references to the existence of other superheroes, alluding to the possibility of a furtherDC Universe,[96] and setting the tone for a shared fictional universe of DC Comics characters on film.[95] Snyder confirmed bothBooster Gold andBatman references in the film, indicating their presence in the DC shared film universe. When Zod destroys a satellite, the words "Wayne Enterprises" are scrolled on the satellite.[97] Snyder and Nolan considered havingMan of Steel share continuity withThe Dark Knight trilogy, but ultimately decided against it.[98] In the original script Zod was going to getting sucked into the Phantom Zone, but Snyder and Goyer felt it was unsatisfying so they asked DC Comics if Superman would kill someone if he didn't have a choice. Nolan was against this approach, leading Goyer to come up with the scene with the heat vision and putting people in imminent danger and this convinced Nolan.[99]
The film's storyboard was created by storyboard artistJay Oliva, in his first live-action feature film project, along with Snyder.[100] Oliva has cited the Japaneseanime showsDragon Ball Z andBirdy the Mighty as an inspiration for the film's epic battle scenes. During the film's brainstorming, Oliva pitched the idea as "I could come up with something I've never seen in live-action American cinema and only in anime".[101]
Man of Steel filmed in theChicago area,California, andBurnaby's Mammoth Studios inVancouver, which was used as a set for Krypton and the extraterrestrial aircraft portrayed in the film.[109][110] Vancouver's North Shore waterfront area was also used for the oil rig rescue scene where Superman is first introduced.[109]Ucluelet andNanaimo,British Columbia, feature prominently in the film's first hour—the trademark winter mist and rough seas are passed off asAlaska in the film. Filming took place in theChicago Loop from September 7 to 17.[102] The Chicago shoot was a unit project, meaning that filming would partake numerous establishing shots as well ascutaways and might not necessarily include principal cast members.[111]
Man of Steel features a redesigned Superman costume byJames Acheson andMichael Wilkinson. The costume preserves the color scheme and "S" logo, but adopts darker tones, and notably does not feature the redtrunks usually worn by Superman. Zack Snyder said the costume is "a modern aesthetic". He and the producers attempted to devise a suit featuring the red trunks, but could not design one that fit into the tone of the film, leading to their removal from the suit.[112] Because of Wilkinson's unavailability, Snyder chose Acheson to design the suit; however, he only started developing it, and Wilkinson finished the development when he returned, and designed the other character's costumes as well.[113] Due to the substantial weight a practical suit would yield, theKryptonian armor for General Zod was constructed through CGI to allow Shannon "freedom of movement".[114] In a March 2014 interview withEsquire, Wilkinson explained the reason for the look of Superman's redesigned suit:
A lot of the efforts we took in the film were to explain why the suit looks the way it does. We didn't want it to be a random, ornamental decision. We start the film on the planet of Krypton, which is where the suit comes from, and we go to great pains to show the suit fitting into the culture. All of the people you see on Krypton are wearing this chainmail-like suit, with the same detailing as the Superman suit. Everyone has their family crests on their chests. The cuff and the boot details are shared through all of the different characters we meet on Krypton. So by the time we see Superman in his suit we understand why it looks the way it looks.[113]
John "DJ" Desjardin served as the visual supervisor forMan of Steel, withWeta Digital,Moving Picture Company (MPC) andDouble Negative providing thevisual effects for the film.[115][116] Zack Snyder wanted the film to "appear very natural because there's some very fantastical things in there and he wanted people to suspend their disbelief, and we the visual effects team had to make it as easy as possible for them to do so." Desjardin noted that the intent in shooting the film was to use handheld devices to make the film feel like a "documentary-style" film. Desjardin said: "We had to think about what that would mean, since we also had to photograph some crazy action. So for a lot of theprevis we did, we'd start to think where our cameras were and where our cameraman was. A lot of the rules are theBattlestar Galactica rules for the space cams thatGary Hurtzel [sic] developed for thatminiseries, where we want to make sure if we're translating the camera at all it makes sense. Unless the action is so over the top, like in the end where Superman is beating up Zod—we had to break it a bit."[117]
Alien-like planet landscapes, creatures, and architecture were created by Weta Digital to further enhance the worldbuilding process of planet Krypton.
For the first act of the film taking place on the planet Krypton, Weta Digital placed alien-like planet environments, creatures, and the principal means of display—a technology the filmmakers called "liquid geometry". Weta Digital visual effects supervisorDan Lemmon explained that "it's a bunch of silver beads that are suspended through a magnetic field, and the machine is able to control that magnetic field so that the collection of beads behave almost like three-dimensionalpixels, and they can create a surface that floats in the air and describes whatever the thing is you're supposed to be seeing." The beads of the display, which up close would appear to be pyramids with a slightbevel, were designed to create a surface of the object to depict inside a "console-like" figure.[117]
In themodeling andanimation aspect of the liquid geometry, Brian Goodwin, the lead effects technical director of Weta Digital, explained: "We had to develop a pipeline to bring in assets, so instead of going through the route of reducing thepolygon count to something usable what we would then do—you would take the model in whatever way it was made and just scatter discrete points onto it, and extract the matrix onto the animation and copy these points onto the matrix and have these sparse points behaving in a way that the model would."[117] After the animation, artists duplicated the beads onto the animated geometry for a pre-simulated lighting version to get approval on how the object would read.Sims were then run "on all the targets which would be discrete beads floating around on top of the surface which would have its own set of parameters", in which Goodwin further explained: "The bead size or the turbulence that would crawl along the surface constantly updating the orientation was based on thenormal provided by the surface. That was then saved to disk and we would use that sim as the final target for the simulation." After the simulation process, Weta Digital ran every bead through a temporal filter to remove jitter to control the noise. Lighting solutions directly worked on the set. Weta usedRenderMan to take advantage of improvedray tracing andinstancing objects.[117]
The sequences where Superman uses close-combat fight scenes with the other Kryptonians proved to be a major challenge for the filmmakers and the visual effects crew.[117] Desjardin explained: "When we do these fights and these hyper-real things, we don't want to do the traditional, 'OK I'm a cameraman, I'm shooting a clean plate, I'm going to pan over here to follow the action that's not really there yet but we'll put the action in later. Because that's us animating the characters to the camera. So we would do that animation with the characters—grappling, punching, or flying away—and we would take the real guys up until the point until they were supposed to do that and we'd cut. Then we'd put an environment camera there and take the environment. And then a camera for reference of the actors and get each moment. So then we had a set ofhigh-res stills for the environment and the characters. Then, in post, we take the digi-doubles and animate them according to the speeds we want them to move in our digital environment."[117]
MPC handled the visual effects for the "Smallville encounter" sequence. Before providing the visual effects, the shots were previsualized for the fight choreography. After the previsualizations, live action portions of the scene would be filmed in small pieces: "If say Superman was being punched and would land 50 meters away, we would shoot our start position and end position, and then bridge that gap with the CGI takeovers", saysGuillaume Rocheron, the MPC visual effects supervisor. A camera rig would then obtainkey frames of the choreographed actor; Desjardin said "it's a six-still camera rig that's built on a pipe rig so that you can run it in at the end of a setup and get stills of key frames of a performance or an expression, and then we could use those hi-res stills to project onto the CGI double and get really accurate transition lighting and color—right from the set."[117]
On set, a camera rig was used to capture the environment of the sequence. Dubbed "enviro-cam", the visual effects crew would mount aCanon EOS 5D and a motorized nodal head, allowing the crew to capture the environment at a 360-degree angle with 55K resolution for every shot, the process would take approximately two to four minutes. The set capture resulted in lighting and textures that could be reprojected onto geometry.[117] Full-screen digital doubles were a major component for the fighting sequences. Digital armor was also added, along with the energy-based Kryptonian helmets. Cyberscan and FACS were conducted with the actors, andpolarized and non-polarized reference photos were taken. Superman's cape and costume were scanned in high detail—the cape in particular became a direct extension of Superman's actions.[117]
For the sequences involving the terraforming of the city Metropolis, Double Negative handled the visual effects for the sequence. To construct a Metropolis that seemed convincing and realistic, Double Negative usedEsri'sCityEngine to help procedurally deliver the city. According toGed Wright, a Double Negative visual effects supervisor, it was a much more sci-fi based role, "so we took what they had done and extended it a great deal. The work we were doing was based around the Downtowns for New York City, L.A. and Chicago, and that gave us the building volumes for heights. We'd skin those volumes with kit parts, but most of it then had to fall down! So we had to rig it for destruction and use it for other aspects of the work as well."[117]
For the destruction of the buildings, the studio rewrote its own asset system to focus towards its dynamic events. TheBullet physics software was a heavily impacted component for the use of the destruction. Wright said that "we wanted to be able to run an RBD event and trigger all these secondary events, whether it was glass or dust simulations—all of those things needed to be chained up and handled in a procedural way. One of the advantages of this was that, because it was all based around a limited number of input components, you can make sure they're modeled in a way they're usable in effects—you can model something but they'll be another stage to rig it for destruction." Fire, smoke, and water stimulation tools were developed at the Double Negative studio. The studio transitioned between the existing proprietary volumerendering software to rendering in Mantra for elements such as fireball sims. Double Negative also used the in-house fluids tool "Squirt" to handle larger-scale sims and interaction for more tightly coupled volumes and particles. Regarding the battle between Superman and Zod, Double Negative implemented real photography onto its digital doubles.[117]
Hans Zimmer initially denied popular rumors that he would be composing thefilm's score,[118] but in June 2012, it was confirmed that Zimmer would, in fact, be doing so after all.[119] To completely distinguishMan of Steel from the previous films, the iconic "Superman March" byJohn Williams was not used.[120] Hans Zimmer's soundtrack forMan of Steel was released publicly on June 11, 2013.[121] An unofficial rip of the musical score from the thirdtrailer, entitled "An Ideal of Hope", confirmed to be a cut-down version of the track "What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?", was released on April 19.[122] In late April, the official track listing of the two-CD deluxe edition was revealed.[123]
Many reviewers interpretedMan of Steel as a religiousallegory, especially since Warner Bros. set up a website that contains "a nine-page pamphlet entitledJesus: The Original Superhero".[124][125] Justin Craig compares Kal-El's struggle to thePassion of Christ, stating that "Kal-El is more than willing to sacrifice himself to save the people of Earth. Originally reluctant to reveal his identity and powers to the world, Superman decides to turn himself over to Zod to save humanity from annihilation."[126] Craig also states that there is an allegory to theTrinity withinMan of Steel: "Jor-El returns to Kal-El on Earth as a ghost, guiding his budding superhero son on his journey to salvation. Before Jor-El sends his son off to Earth baby Moses-style, he tells his wife that, like Jesus, 'He'll be a god to them.'"[126] Paul Asay ofThe Washington Post writes that "Superman floats in space with his arms splayed out as if nailed to an invisible cross," a fact that Craig also mentioned in his assessment of the film.[127][126] The protagonist of the film is also 33 years old and seeks "counsel at a church."[128]
Writing forThe Huffington Post, Colin Liotta compared Zod toAdolf Hitler, citing: "He feels his vision for a pure Krypton (i.e. a society like the one Hitler envisioned with hiseugenics program) is the only answer for survival."[129]The sequence where a young Clark's powers overwhelm him in grade school, leading to him shutting himself in a closet, has led many to speculate that DC Extended Universe Superman is eitherautistic or meant to represent the struggles of autism.[130][131]
Warner Bros. and DC Comics won the rights to the domain name manofsteel.com, in use by a member of the public, for use for the film's official website.[132] On November 20, 2012, for the release ofThe Dark Knight RisesDVD andBlu-ray, Warner Bros. launched a countdown on the film's website where fans could share the countdown on websites like Facebook or Twitter to unlock an "exclusive reward". On December 3, 2012, the "exclusive reward" was revealed to be an officialMan of Steelteaser poster.[133] The poster, which depicts Superman being arrested, generated a positive response and much speculation about the film's story.[134] On December 10, 2012, a website appeared at dsrwproject.com that provided audio signals to be decoded by viewers. It was discovered to be related to the film due to the copyright on the website.[135] By December 11, 2012, the decoded message led readers to another website with a countdown that led to the public release of the trailer.[136][137] In anticipation of the film,Mattel unveiled a toy line which includesMovie Masters action figures. In addition,Lego released threeMan of Steel sets, inspired by scenes from the film; Rubie's Costume Co. also released a new line ofMan of Steel-inspired costumes and accessories for both kids and adults.[138] The film has reportedly earned over $160 million from promotionaltie-ins.[139]
Viral marketing campaigns for the film began when the official website was replaced by "deep space radio waves". The message was decoded to reveal a voice that said "You Are Not Alone". The official site continued to be updated with new static files that slowly revealed the symbol for the film's villain, General Zod. Shortly after, the website was replaced with a "message" from Zod, who requested that Earth must return Kal-El to his custody and told Kal-El to surrender within 24 hours or the world would suffer the consequences.[140] A viral site called "IWillFindHim.com" was released that showed a countdown to the third trailer for the film.[141]
Warner Bros. enlistedChristian-based marketing firm Grace Hill Media to help spread theChristian themes of the film to the religiousdemographics. Special trailers were created outlining the religious tones, due to Hollywood studios frequently marketing movies to specific religious and cultural groups. Warner Bros. previously marketed films such asThe Blind Side,The Notebook,The Book of Eli and theHarry Potter series to faith-based groups.[128][142] Warner Bros. also asked ProfessorCraig Detweiler ofPepperdine University to "create a Superman-centric sermon outline for pastors titledJesus: The Original Superhero."[128] Regarding this, Paul Asay ofThe Washington Post wrote that "the religious themes keep coming: Free will. Sacrifice. God-given purpose.Man of Steel isn't just a movie. It's a Bible study in a cape. The messages are so strong that its marketers been [sic] explicitly pushing the film to Christian audiences."[127]
Man of Steel held ared carpet premiere at theLincoln Center'sAlice Tully Hall inNew York City on June 10, 2013,[143] which featured the attendance of the principal cast members.[144] The film received awide release on June 14, 2013.[145][146] The film was originally slated for release in December 2012, but it was pushed to the June 14, 2013, date to avoid competition with Warner Bros.' other filmThe Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which was released on December 14, 2012.[147] It was released as a single-discDVD (feature film only), on two-disc DVD with bonus features, and respectiveBlu-ray and Blu-ray 3D combo packs on November 12, 2013,[148] and in the United Kingdom on December 2, 2013.[149] As of January 2019,Man of Steel has sold more than 2.3 million DVDs along with an estimated of 3.3 million Blu-ray Discs totaling $44.4 million and $76.2 million, respectively, for a total of $120.7 million in sales.[150] The film was later released in4KUltra HD Blu-ray format on July 19, 2016.[151]
Man of Steel grossed $291 million in the United States and Canada, and $379.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $670.1 million,[6] making it the highest-grossing solo Superman film of all time and the second-highest when adjusting for inflation.[152] It is also the second-highest-grossing reboot of all time behindThe Amazing Spider-Man.Deadline Hollywood calculated the film's net profit as $42.7million, when factoring together all expenses and revenues, making it the ninth most profitable release of 2013.[5] The film earned $128.7 million on its opening weekend, including $17.5 million from IMAX theaters, making it the biggest of such openings for a standaloneSuperman film.[153]Man of Steel earned an additional $120 million fromDVD andBlu-ray sales.[150]
Man of Steel made $12 million from a Thursday nightWalmart screening program, and an additional $9 million from midnight shows.[154] This marked Warner Bros.' third-highest advance night/midnight opening, and the biggest advance night/midnight debut for a non-sequel.[155] The film eventually earned $44 million during its opening Friday (including midnight grosses) and $56.1 million when the Thursday night showings are included. The opening-day gross was the second-highest for a non-sequel, and the 20th-largest overall.[4] Its opening weekend gross of $116.6 million was the third-highest of 2013, behindIron Man 3 ($174.1 million) andThe Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($158.1 million), and the third-highest among non-sequels, behindMarvel's The Avengers ($207.4 million) andThe Hunger Games ($152.5 million). It also brokeToy Story 3's record ($110.3 million) for the highest weekend debut in June (the record was again broken two years later byJurassic World's opening gross of $208.8 million).[156][157] However, on its second weekend,Man of Steel's box office fell almost 65%–68% if the Thursday night gross is included—putting it in third place, behindMonsters University andWorld War Z.Box Office Mojo called it an "abnormally large drop," close to the second-weekend decline forGreen Lantern.[158]
Man of Steel earned $73.3 million on its opening weekend from 24 countries, which includes $4.2 million from 79 IMAX theaters, setting a June opening-weekend record for IMAX.[153] The film set an opening-day record in thePhilippines with $1.66 million.[153] In the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta, the film earned $5.6 million on its opening day and £11.2 million ($17.47 million) on its opening weekend.[159][160] Its biggest opener outside the United States was in China, with $25.9 million in four days (Thursday to Sunday).[161] In total earnings, its three largest countries after North America are China ($63.4 million), the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta ($46.2 million) and Australia ($22.3 million).[162]
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 57% based on 340 reviews and an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's consensus reads, "Man of Steel's exhilarating action and spectacle can't fully overcome its detours into generic blockbuster territory."[163] OnMetacritic, the film received a weighted score of 55 out of 100 based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[164] Audience polls in North America fromCinemaScore for the film tallied an average grade of an "A−" on an A+ to F scale, with those under the age of 18 and older than 50 giving it an "A".[159]
Richard Roeper of theChicago Sun-Times said thatMan of Steel covered no new ground with regard to Superman films, and instead, "we're plunged back into a mostly-underwhelming film, with underdeveloped characters and supercharged-fight scenes that drag on and offer nothing new in the way of special-effects creativity".[165]The Boston Globe'sTy Burr wrote, "What's missing from this Superman saga is a sense of lightness, of pop joy".[166]The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday stated that with "Hans Zimmer's turgid, over-produced score", the film "is an exceptionally unpleasant viewing experience".[167] ForThe Denver Post's Lisa Kennedy, the chief problem withMan of Steel is the "rhythm and balance in the storytelling and directing" which resulted in a film that swings "between destructive overstatement and flat-footed homilies."[168]
Kofi Outlaw, Editor-in-Chief atScreen Rant, gaveMan of Steel a 4-out-of-5-star review, stating that "Man of Steel has more than earned its keep, and deserves to be THE iconic Superman movie for a whole new generation".[169] He would go on to nameMan of Steel the best superhero movie of 2013.[170] Jim Vejvoda ofIGN gaveMan of Steel a 9 out of 10 while praising the action sequences and the performances of Kevin Costner, Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon.[171] The performance of Antje Traue as Superman's adversary Faora-Ul, particularly in the Smallville battle scenes, has also been lauded.[172][173]Peter Travers ofRolling Stone gave it 3 stars out of 4, saying, "Caught in the slipstream between action and angst,Man of Steel is a bumpy ride for sure. But there's no way to stay blind to its wonders."[174] Todd McCarthy ofThe Hollywood Reporter said rebooting the franchise was unnecessary, but that the film was confident enough and Snyder's attention to detail careful enough that audiences could overlook another reboot.[175]PopMatters journalist J.C. Maçek III, wrote, "The path of this flawed savior isn't quite the one that we have been led to expect and many fans will love that and many fans will decry its comic book-divergent choices. On the other hand, barring Lois Lane's own knowledge of the dual nature of Clark and Superman (thus depriving one of fiction's greatest reveals), the hero we see in the final moments ofMan of Steel is nothing if not the character Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created ... with just a bit more in the 'imperfections' column."[176] Steve Persall of theTampa Bay Times stated that, "Man of Steel is more than justAvengers-sizedescapism; it's an artistic introduction to a movie superhero we only thought we knew."[177]Time magazine'sRichard Corliss said, "The movie finds its true, lofty footing not when it displays Kal-El's extraordinary powers, but when it dramatizes Clark Kent's roiling humanity. The super part ofMan of Steel is just okay, but the man part is super."[178] In a review onRoger Ebert's website,Matt Zoller Seitz awarded the film three out of four stars, calling it an "astonishing movie" and praising the conflict between Clark and Zod. But he criticized the film for not having more personal and intimate moments between Clark and Lois.[179] In 2014,Empire rankedMan of Steel the 286th-greatest film ever made on their list of "The 301 Greatest Movies Of All Time" as voted by the magazine's readers.[180]
Speaking toFox Business Channel,Grae Drake, senior editor of Rotten Tomatoes, expressed dismay over the critical reception, stating, "As much as I love and respect our critics at Rotten Tomatoes, I've got to say I am shocked. Listen, the movie's not perfect but ... I just cannot fathom it. It was a good movie, you guys."[181]
Reaction to the film among comics creators was mixed.[182] Those who enjoyed it includeJeff Parker,Heidi MacDonald,Ethan Van Sciver,Christos Gage and former Superman writerDan Jurgens. Among its detractors wereJoe Keatinge,Sean McKeever, Gabriel Hardman andMark Waid. MacDonald praised the film's action, drama and leads Henry Cavill and Amy Adams. Van Sciver singled out Cavill in particular for praise. Gage called it the bestSuperman film since 1980'sSuperman II. Hardman said that he liked a lot of the mechanics but did not connect with the characters, which robbed the story of tension. Waid, who wrote the origin miniseriesSuperman: Birthright, criticized the film for its overall "joyless" tone, and for Superman's decision to kill Zod,[182][183] a criticism echoed by other creators. WriterGrant Morrison, who wrote the critically acclaimed miniseriesAll-Star Superman, expressed mixed reaction to the film, saying that while they "kinda liked it and kinda didn't", it did not present anything new, as they would have preferred a "second act" type story with Lex Luthor instead of re-establishing the character by presenting information Morrison is already familiar with. Morrison also questioned the need for a superhero to kill,[184] as did artistNeal Adams. Adams suggested that other alternatives were open to Superman when Zod threatened innocent people with his heat vision, such as covering his eyes. He also criticized Superman for not moving the battle away fromMetropolis as the character did at the end ofSuperman II.[185]Jim Lee had a positive opinion: "It's epic. It's got a lot of heart, but one of the things that was kind of missing from the last Superman movie I think was the action, and this movie has it in spades. I mean it is a visual thrill ride. It is amazing. You get to see all the powers of Superman, and in all its glory, and I think people are going to be blown away."[186]
Warner Bros. began planning a cinematic universe featuring other DC Comics characters following the release ofMan of Steel. In June 2013, Goyer was hired to write the film's sequel, along with the script forJustice League.[201]Zack Snyder revealed atSan Diego Comic-Con the following month that Superman andBatman would appear in the sequel toMan of Steel, with Cavill, Adams, Lane and Fishburne set to reprise their roles.[202][203][204] The film's title,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, was revealed in May 2014,[205] and it was theatrically released on March 25, 2016.[206]
A full slate of upcoming DC Comics-based films was announced by Warner Bros. Pictures in October 2014. The company also confirmed that a Superman film was in development, with Henry Cavill set to reprise his lead role.[207] Zack Snyder contemplated the inclusion ofBrainiac, theKryptonians, and evenMetallo as possible antagonists for the sequel, but they were ultimately scrapped by April 2013 in favor of a plot with Batman as the antagonist. The film,Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, was released in 2016.[208][209][210][211]
In August 2016,TheWrap reported that a sequel toMan of Steel had entered active development.[212] Cavill's manager,Dany Garcia, confirmed that the actor would be involved.[213] The screenplay was still being developed that November according to Amy Adams.[214]Matthew Vaughn was Warner Bros.' top choice to direct the film as of March 2017.[215] Vaughn previouslypitched an idea for a new Superman trilogy with comic book writerMark Millar prior to the development ofMan of Steel, in which the destruction ofKrypton would take place after Superman had already grown-up on the planet.[216] Thetroubled production and lackluster box office earnings ofJustice League (2017) led to a shake-up at Warner Bros., as the studio chose to rethink its approach to future DC projects.[217] By late 2017, the script for aMan of Steel sequel was still incomplete according toJustice League producerCharles Roven.[218]
In July 2018, prior to the release ofMission: Impossible – Fallout, directorChristopher McQuarrie and co-star Cavill pitched their take on a new Superman film, but Warner Bros. did not pursue the idea.[219]James Gunn was approached later that year to write and direct a Superman film, but he chose instead to move forward withThe Suicide Squad (2021).[220][221] Following contract issues with Cavill's scheduled cameo appearance inShazam! (2019), as well as scheduling conflicts with hisFallout commitment,[222][223] it was reported that the actor may be parting ways with the studio.[222] In November 2019, however, Cavill maintained that he still had interest in reprising his role.[223] Warner Bros. remained unsure of the direction the character was heading and was in contact with "high-profile talent", includingJ. J. Abrams andMichael B. Jordan, with the latter pitching a Black version of the character.[224] Development on aMan of Steel sequel was abandoned by May 2020,[225] though Cavill remained in talks to appear in a future DC film.[226]
Warner Bros. revealed in October 2022 that a sequel toMan of Steel was being revisited, with Roven serving as a producer and Cavill reprising his role. The studio was still searching for writers, and McQuarrie was still on a list of possible directors.[227] Cavill then appeared in thepost-credits scene of the DCEU filmBlack Adam (2022), and the potential for his return in future projects became more favorable.[228][229] Shortly after, Cavill's return as Superman in a future film was officially confirmed.[229][230]Steven Knight had written a script treatment around that time,[231] which reportedly included Brainiac as the antagonist.[229] However, there was a lack of interest in the script by Warner Bros. executives.[231] The following month,TheWrap reported that newly-appointed co-chairmen and co-CEOs ofDC Studios James Gunn andPeter Safran were developing new plans for the DC Universe.[232][233][231] Gunn later revealed in December 2022 that the next Superman film would not include Cavill and would instead focus on a younger Superman.[234] In early 2023, James Gunn provided details aboutSuperman: Legacy, which will be the cornerstone of his new DC Universe. The film, released on July 11, 2025, is not an origin story for the character. Gunn emphasized that the movie would focus on Superman balancing his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing, portraying him as the embodiment of "truth, justice, and the American way" in a world that sometimes sees kindness as outdated. Gunn described Superman as a symbol of hope, embodying optimism and compassion in contrast to the darker tones that have sometimes defined superhero films.[235] Cavill's cameo inBlack Adam was his final appearance as Superman.[236]
In 2025, in an interview promotingMission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, McQuarrie, who had previously partnered with Cavill to pitch a sequel toMan of Steel in July 2018,[219] revealed brief details of his script and take on the movie. He hailed it as a good script and an excellent story that Warner Bros rejected. Despite this, he revealed the door was still open for projects that didn't come to fruition and that he was open to reuniting with Cavill to pitch the movie again if the opportunity was presented in the future.[237]
^abFoundas, Scott (June 10, 2013)."Film Review: Man of Steel'".Variety. Archived fromthe original on June 11, 2013. RetrievedJuly 10, 2015.A Warner Bros. release presented with Legendary Pictures of a Syncopy production
^Child, Ben (June 19, 2013)."Man of Steel marketing campaign seeks to align Superman with Jesus".The Guardian.Archived from the original on August 8, 2013. RetrievedApril 2, 2014.Hollywood studio Warner Bros is targeting Christian audiences in the US with a campaign for its superhero blockbuster Man of Steel that explicitly compares Superman to Jesus. The studio has teamed up with a specialist marketing firm with the aim of encouraging pastors to utilise Zack Snyder's comic book reboot in sermons. It has set up a special website touting a nine-page pamphlet entitled Jesus – the Original Superhero.
^Marrapodi, Eric (June 14, 2013)."Superman: Flying to a church near you". CNN. Archived fromthe original on June 18, 2013. RetrievedApril 2, 2014.Warner Bros. Studios is aggressively marketing "Man of Steel" to Christian pastors, inviting them to early screenings, creating Father's Day discussion guides and producing special film trailers that focus on the faith-friendly angles of the movie. The movie studio even asked a theologian to provide sermon notes for pastors who want to preach about Superman on Sunday. Titled "Jesus: The Original Superhero," the notes run nine pages.
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