From Mad Man to Man of Steel? Jon Hamm Rumored for Superman Reboot

Hamm plays sinister far too well to be Superman. Also, he smokes too much.

As if the idea of the Superman: Man of Steel reboot being produced by Christopher Nolan and written by David S. Goyer wasn't enough reason to nerd out, news comes today that Mr. Jon Hamm is a heavy favorite to be next on my "People I Never Thought I Wanted to See In Spandex" list.  As excited as I wanted to be about this possibility, I must admit, I nearly knocked over my Scotch in confusion when I read this one.  That's certainly not to say that our most recent Superman, Brandon Routh (also rumored to possibly reprise his role from Superman Returns), was worth raving about, but I have a few reservations before I can support the "Hamm for Superman" Campaign.   

One: Hamm is 39 years old; perfect age for the executive offices of Sterling, Cooper, Draper and Pryce, but is he perfect to leap tall buildings in a single bound?  I'm not being ageist here, just realistic in terms of how we picture the Man of Steel on the big screen. He's an invincible alien, right? Let Batman have the crow's feet. Sorry, Jon.

Two: Have you seen Hamm on Mad Men? It's nothing short of magnificent; a considered, artisan performance every week.  Can Hamm sustain his AMC-earned street cred if he plops himself into a franchise, Nolan or not? I worry.

But maybe I worry too much, maybe Hamm will turn out to be the perfect Superman.  Or maybe he'll have a laugh about the whole thing and politely decline the part.  The world would keep spinning.  In the meantime, let's maintain hope that we can trust Nolan to cast based on Goyer's vision of the role, not box office potential.

Editor's Note:  Cristen is a new contributor of GTBP.  Please give feedback and let her know how she's doing :).

Comments

[Matt]

Get The Big Picture's newly acquired contributor is a real keeper. We need writing like this today...a shrewd, self-contained approach to critique is rare...especially when it's this well written and concise. Brinkerhoff's dharmic wit is also very spot on. Good on ya', GTBP.

[J.Bradley]

It may very well indicate they're going for a "Golden Age" - like era for this iteration of Superman to take place in. USA Today serialized a comic strip version that might be indicative of the style they're going for as well. Routh would be a good choice if they were still going for a "contemporary" era Superman - and I still think "Superman Returns" was a GREAT continuation of "Superman: The Movie" and "Superman II" - but yeah, Hamm's got a great "classic" era feel about him, if that's what they're going for.

[Jeremy H]

I enjoyed this contributor as well. Good stuff.

[Krissy K]

Agreed! Loved the new writer!

[Barkey]

You can tell she's hot. She's a keeper.

[Kelly B.]

I love Ms. Brinkerhoff's wit and humor, and I do appreciate her candor in expressing her opinion. Personally, though, I say we throw Jon Hamm in some spandex and parade him around for a little while. He was excellent shirtless and covered in uterus goo on SNL, so maybe he's classic and classy enough to fit well in this classic role. Then again, Clooney did Batman and, well, we all know how inspired a career move that was.

At any rate, I can't wait to see who they cast, and wherever Ms. Brinkerhoff is writing when the movie does finally reach fruition, I pray that she writes a review. I'm eager for more of her deliciously refreshing opinions.