Laurence Fishburne Thinks 'Man Of Steel' Is A 'Wonderful Movie'

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | September 4, 2024 |

By Andrew Sanford | Celebrity | September 4, 2024 |

History will be kind to Zack Snyder’s DC films. What was done with Man Of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice, and Snyder’s Cut of Justice League will never happen again. As IP becomes more tied into corporate culture, riding off the controlled success of the MCU, the idea of a director being given the keys to an established universe, only to offer a unique take on that universe, will seem like a joke. Instead, people will be given exactly what they want/expect all the time.

I get it! I get why people want a more homogenized experience from their cinematic universe. It makes sense that people would want adaptations of characters they love to more directly reflect the versions they’ve read. The quality of the films will always be up for debate, as with any film. Still, what Snyder did was exciting, brought new ideas (while using plenty of established ones), and left an indelible mark on comics and movies. A contributing factor to the films’ legacies will be the casting.

Snyder’s casting, across the board, was pretty phenomenal. Setting aside what we have learned about the people behind the capes, Snyder made non-traditional choices that helped make his world stick out even more. Every choice was not perfect. That would be impossible. But, the ones that worked did so in an undeniable way. For instance, I am a staunch believer that Jason Momoa’s casting as Aquaman was on par with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Like RDJ’s casting, Momoa’s take was so successful that it changed how the character was portrayed in the comics.

Another excellent casting choice was Laurence Fishburne as Daily Planet editor Perry White. White was traditionally a white man. Color-blind casting has (luckily) become a bit of the norm now, but Fishburne being chosen for the role was a huge deal at the time. Fishburne was certainly happy to appear in what he described as “a wonderful movie,” and is happy if his casting made a difference in the industry.

“That was beautiful,” Fishburne said about Snyder’s Superman film when talking to The Hollywood Reporter. “Man of Steel is a wonderful movie.” On whether or not his casting changed things in Hollywood, the PeeWee’s Playhouse actor said, “If I’ve been influential in any way in terms of that whole nontraditional casting thing, I love it. That’s great.” Snyder’s legacy in the DCU will be fraught for many reasons, but it will have reflections like this as well. Over time, people may open up to this odd corner of superhero film history.