Don’t Tug On “Superman’s” Cape – Or “Batman’s” Either

How Their Correct Casting and Costume Combination Is A Crucial Part of the Creative ProcessFor the solid success of any creative property amp8211 whether it be for television film the stage new media or the printed form amp8211 itamp8217s all about the writing getting the story right write and flushing out the proper development of the charactersWhen it comes to the superhero genre in particular attaining the proper casting and wardrobe ie the costume plays heavily into the creative process in very real tangible and pertinent waysDisneyMarvel have hit the nail on the head with Joss Whedonamp8217s The Avengers if not with the XMen film franchise which was ignited by Bryan Singer The First Class film featured atrocious casting and acting while the earlier XMen destroyed the colorful costumes displayed so wonderfully in the comics and the animated TV series from the early 1990sI wish to the heavens that DC ComicsWarner Bros proprietors of the Superman and Batman franchises would get thatBut unfortunately they keep missing the markAnd I just keep scratching my head as to why that is the caseWhat exactly is the problem amp8211 especially with the casting which should be a nobrainerOnly tall dark handsome and broadshouldered actors need apply for the Clark KentSuperman and Bruce WayneBatman charactersAnd not just tall actors but actors who are at least 6amp8217 5amp8221 in stature minus their Super or Bat bootsAnd not just actors with amp8220okay shouldersamp8221 amp8211 but rather those actors with waylarger than average shouldersYes Henry Cavill the star of the new Man of Steel is a nicelooking guy and yes Brandon Routh of Superman Returns also produced amp8211 and directed by Bryan Singer nicelyresembled the late great Christopher Reeve who will to some always be considered the definitive SupermanBut neither Cavill nor Routh are largerthanlife handsomeAs to the Bat cavalcade of stars Christian Bale was wonderfully brooding in the Dark Knight trilogy Michael Keaton delivered a nifty amp8220everymanamp8221 spin as Bruce Wayne in the earlier round of Bman films And George Clooney if GaryGrant handsome and Val Kilmer just didnamp8217t measure up as The Batman or whatever theyamp8217re calling him these days with or without the amp8220Theamp8221But againamp8230none of these actors possess the superspectacularlyhandsome looks that are required for the Super or Bat rolesIamp8217ve yet to see anything close to the overtly charismatic likes of a Christopher Reeve or George Reeves from the classic Superman TV series for that matterAnd although Henry Cavill was relatively unknown before he was cast as the new Man of Steel amp8211 and casting an unfamiliar face is always the best way to go with these types of franchises as not to confuse star power with character draw he just doesnamp8217t have the presenceAnd although the new Man of Steel is making a bazillion dollars at the boxoffice success I additionally wish that someone in the DCWarner Bros feature film division would please wiseup and start hiring the genius writing team from the animated Batman Superman and Justice League series to scribe the next liveaction Superman or Wonder Woman movie amp8211 and certainly the liveaction Justice League feature film itself Those guys know their stuffInto this mix just imagine if unknown superhandsome actors were cast in the B and S leads And just imagine if the assigned writing dreamteam would make certain to incorporate the proper costume designs from the original comic book visions amp8211 instead of messing with some kind of newfangled lookEVERYONE would be pleased amp8211 on so many levelsTo reiterate in ANY creative venue amp8211 with any creative property be it for the big screen or small OffBroadway or right smack on top of it writing into the script the proper casting and costume is just as crucial as developing the story and characters And when it comes to remaking or representing Superman and Batman in particular two of the most popular superheroes and mediapopculture icons of all time well yaamp8217 just canamp8217t mess aroundThe Dark Knight trilogy was a success because it was different and it made sense there was indeed a good story and great character development And the Man of Steel flick is fast becoming a success because the audience might be desensitized to or just may have plain given up on the DCWB powersthatbe to get it right The Supermoviegoers might just now be figuring amp8220Wellamp8230 itamp8217s better than nothingamp8221Meanwhile too the studio may just not have the guts to admit they were wrong again with blowing another Superman film especially one that cost as much to make and promote as Man of SteelEither way Iamp8217m reminded once more of The Brady Bunch Thatamp8217s right The Brady Bunch see Why The Brady Bunch Is Still The Best postamp8230how Barry Williamsamp8217 Greg Brady of all characters was hired by certain unscrupulous entities because he amp8220fit the suitamp8221 as Johnny Bravo in that famous fifthseason opener of The Brady BunchFortunately at least Greg had the integrity to walk away from the shallow singular success that was offered him with the false bravado of the fabricated Johnny Bravo and instead returned to his familyamp8217s moresincerely rooted musical brothersister groupAs such when it comes to getting it right with the creative casting and costuming of Superman and Batman it looks like WBDC group should take an applicable lesson from the GB troupeamp8230and stick to the original largerthanlife but loyal comic book renderingsHerbie J Pilato is an actor writer producer and singer who has worked for Syfy AampampE TLC Bravo The Discovery Channel Universal Warner Bros and Sony As the author of a number of acclaimed classic TV tiein books such as The Bionic BookLife Story The Book of Life Goes On The Bewitched Book Bewitched Forever The Kung Fu Book of Caine The Kung Fu Book of Wisdom and NBC ampamp ME My Life As A Page In A Book Herbie J is the Founder and Executive Director for The Classic TV Preservation Society a nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the gap between positive TV shows and education the Creative Director for Erie Street Entertainment a TV production company that is geared toward scififantasy and familyoriented material and the President of PopCulture Consultants an entertainment consulting firm Herbie J makes frequent television appearances on shows like the TV Guide Channel39s 100 Moments That Changed TV and Entertainment Tonight He39s performed on daytime soaps such as General Hospital and The Bold and The Beautiful as well as on classic TV shows like The Golden Girls and Highway to Heaven Herbie J39s newest books include Twitch Upon A Star The Bewitched Life and Career of Elizabeth Montgomery which was published by Taylor Trade in November 2012 and The Essential Elizabeth Montgomery A Guide To Her Magical Performances which Taylor Trade will release in October 2013 For more information log on to httpwwwherbiejpilatocomRead all Herbie J39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Herbie J39s Classic TV CornerCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Don’t Tug On “Superman’s” Cape – Or “Batman’s” Either

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Don’t Tug On “Superman’s” Cape – Or “Batman’s” Either

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