page_title: Clark Kent (DC Extended Universe)
section_title: Casting and execution
hierarchical_section_title: Clark Kent (DC Extended Universe) / Character concept and development / Casting and execution
caption_attribution_description: English: Henry Cavill speaking at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California.
context_page_description: Clark Joseph Kent, also known by his birth name Kal-El or superhero persona Superman, is a fictional character in the DC Extended Universe series of films, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. In the films, he is an exile from the planet Krypton who lands on Earth, developing superhuman abilities and becoming one of Earth's greatest protectors, inspiring other metahumans to fight crime.
  First appearing in the film Man of Steel, the character is portrayed by Henry Cavill, who is the first non-American actor to portray Superman in film. This version of Superman has also appeared in other films such as Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, serving as one of the central characters in the DC Extended Universe. The DCEU has aimed to portray Superman in a less idealistic and more human light as compared to the previous film series by Warner Bros., which has received polarized reviews from critics.
context_section_description: English actor Henry Cavill was cast as Clark Kent/Superman for Man of Steel. Cavill is the first non-American actor to play the character. He was previously cast in Superman: Flyby, which was ultimately shelved, and was considered for the role in Superman Returns, but lost to Routh. 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 your baseline? What do you draw from? Where do you draw a limit with the power you have? In itself, that's an incredible weakness." In an interview with Total Film magazine, Cavill stated he had been consuming nearly 5,000 calories a day, training for over two hours daily and plowing protein to pack on the muscle mass. Cooper Timberline was cast as the 9-year-old Clark Kent, and Dylan Sprayberry was cast as the 13-year-old Clark Kent.
  During the reshoots of Justice League, Cavill had grown a mustache during lapses in the film's production due to his role in Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and was contractually required by Paramount Pictures to keep the mustache. This conflicted with the reshoots of Justice League, so Cavill's mustache was digitally removed in that film. In addition, Zack Snyder had originally planned for Superman to wear his black suit, as depicted in the comics storyline The Death of Superman, prior to stepping down, but was overruled by Warner Bros. executives. While Snyder's upcoming director's cut of the film will not include new footage, Superman's suit will be digitally recolored in scenes that depict him in the black suit.
caption: Henry Cavill is the first non-American actor to portray Superman in film
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 5D Mark IV", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2019:07:30 16:04:30", "Image Artist": "", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "", "Image ExifOffset": "256", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 3, 0, 0]", "Image GPSInfo": "1200", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1314", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3749", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/400", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "2000", "EXIF SensitivityType": "Recommended Exposure Index", "EXIF RecommendedExposureIndex": "2000", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0231", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2019:07:19 14:59:37", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2019:07:19 14:59:37", "EXIF OffsetTime": "-07:00", "EXIF OffsetTimeOriginal": "-07:00", "EXIF OffsetTimeDigitized": "-07:00", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "69/8", "EXIF ApertureValue": "3", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "300", "EXIF SubSecTime": "08", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "08", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "08", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2200", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2788", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "268800/47", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "2240000/391", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF CameraOwnerName": "", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "295057000674", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[300, 300, 0, 0]", "EXIF LensModel": "EF300mm f/2.8L IS USM", "EXIF LensSerialNumber": "0000000000"}