10 actors who could play the Man of Steel in the DCEU’s Superman reboot
By Monita Mohan
10. Elliot Fletcher
Elliot Fletcher is known for his ground-breaking appearances in comedic shows Faking It and Shameless. He was, at the time, still a rarity in Hollywood—a transgender actor playing transgender characters.
His recurring roles may have been full of dry humour but were always tinged with dramatic beats. This may be an unconventional resume for a potential casting as Metropolis’ hero, but we could all do with a return to the fun and campier side of comics.
The DC Extended Universe films have largely veered towards being dark and edgy, to the point that many of them have sucked the fun out of the viewing experience. Fletcher could bring some levity to the franchise in the reboot.
Plus, his casting would bring much-needed transgender representation in the superhero genre and add more layers to Clark Kent’s journey to being a superhero.
9. Shazad Latif
If it isn’t Ash Tyler himself. Many viewers were completely besotted with Shazad Latif’s arrival in season one of Star Trek: Discovery. His character journey stretched from being an innocent Starfleet officer to a cold-blooded killer. Suffice to say, Latif could very well bring a new dynamism to Kal-El.
The British-Pakistani actor has plenty of genre experience already under his belt—aside from Star Trek: Discovery, Latif also starred as Dr. Jekyll on Penny Dreadful, appeared in episodes of Black Mirror and MI-5.
We’re probably hoping for too much, but South Asian representation in superhero properties has always been low, and actors of Middle Eastern or Pakistani origin usually struggle to get roles that aren’t stereotypes. Casting Latif as one of the most popular superheroes ever could make a huge impact on the pop culture landscape.