Earlier this week, Variety reported that Richard Schiff (IMDB) had joined the cast of Man of Steel as Dr. Emil Hamilton, a scientist who’s been both an ally and a villain of Superman in previous animated and comic book incarnations (and was most recently portrayed in live action by Battlestar Galactica vet Alessandro Juliani on several Smallville episodes).

With Christopher Meloni (IMDB) and Harry Lennix (IMDB) previously cast as Colonel Hardy and General Swanwick, respectively, we know the movie’s going to have a military element.

Schiff’s casting promises a science angle, too, which is entirely welcome, along with adding yet another familiar face from Superman mythology to one of the most amazing casts we’ve ever seen for a superhero movie.

Jami Philbrick from I Am Rogue recently interviewed Mr. Schiff, who says he’s filmed scenes with Meloni and our new Lois Lane, Amy Adams (IMDB). He’ll also share a scene with Superman himself, Henry Cavill (IMDB).

Thanks to my fellow Modern Myth Media Gentleman Josh Costella for passing this along!

Man of Steel soars on June 14, 2013! And that’s entirely too far away.

Click it to see it at full size!

This is AWESOME. I love the handsome mix of modern materials with the old-school “S” on the chest.

Majestic, yet formidable.

Retro, yet space-age.

And Cavill looks the part; he’s always been able to play equal parts regal and rugged.

I know it’s just a publicity photo, but this looks like he was just thrown into a vault, and now he’s getting up to punch somebody. Zod? Faora? It doesn’t matter. Because they’re in trouble.

Outstanding.

Here’s the Warner Bros. press release accompanying the photo:

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures have provided the first look at the new “Man of Steel,” revealing star Henry Cavill as Superman in the film from director Zack Snyder. The film also stars three-time Oscar® nominee Amy Adams (“The Fighter”) as Daily Planet journalist Lois Lane, and Oscar® nominee Laurence Fishburne (“What’s Love Got to Do with It”) as her editor-in-chief, Perry White. Starring as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, are Oscar® nominee Diane Lane (“Unfaithful”) and Academy Award® winner Kevin Costner (“Dances with Wolves”).

Squaring off against the superhero are two other surviving Kryptonians, the villainous General Zod, played by Oscar® nominee Michael Shannon (“Revolutionary Road”), and Faora, Zod’s evil partner, played by Antje Traue. Also from Superman’s native Krypton are Lara Lor-Van, Superman’s mother, played by Julia Ormond, and Superman’s father, Jor-El, portrayed by Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator”).

Rounding out the cast are Harry Lennix as U.S. military man General Swanwick, as well as Christopher Meloni as Colonel Hardy.

“Man of Steel” is being produced by Charles Roven, Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Deborah Snyder. The screenplay was written by David S. Goyer, from a story by Goyer and Nolan, based upon Superman characters created by Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster and published by DC Comics. Thomas Tull and Lloyd Phillips are serving as executive producers.

I feel like I’ve been waiting for this forever.

The only actor I could think of for Daily Planet editor Perry White in the upcoming Superman movie Man of Steel was Clancy Brown; Perry was the only character I didn’t have at least a few good casting ideas for.

But, as has become the standard for casting on this film, director Zack Snyder and producer Christopher Nolan are doing just fine on their own.

Entertainment Weekly exclusively reports that Laurence Fishburne, who has made an incredible career playing characters from affable Cowboy Curtis on Pee-wee’s Playhouse to hard-as-nails mentor Morpheus in the The Matrix, has been cast as the big boss at Metropolis’s best newspaper. And I love this. I can just imagine a younger Fishburne as a younger, hungrier Perry, and how awesome he’ll be at reflecting Perry’s love for old-school journalism against the changing face of the newspaper industry and the decline of print media.

And then, of course, Superman will show up and change everything.

Fishburne joins Henry Cavill as Clark Kent and Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon and Antje Traue as Kryptonian villains General Zod and Faora, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Clark’s adoptive Earth parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, Russell Crowe and Julia Ormond as Clark’s Kryptonian birth parents, Jor-El and Lara, and Christopher Meloni and Harry Lennix as American military generals.

No word yet on whether we’ll get a Lex Luthor. (I suggest Luke Goss, but nobody asked me.)

Man of Steel will believe in Truth, Justice, the American Way, and YOU on June 14, 2013!

Our new Superman, Henry Cavill, won’t be soaring into a theater near you in December of 2012 as originally reported. Warner Bros. announced yesterday that the new release date for the awesomely titled Man of Steel is June 14, 2013.

Henry Cavill from Entertainment Weekly

On one hand, I’m crestfallen. The thought of new Batman and Superman movies in the same year was massively exciting, but I think this makes more sense. Now it won’t have to compete with WB’s other big December 2012 release, The Hobbit, and director Zack Snyder and his cast and crew will have a lot more time to take their time and get it right.

My guess is that we’ll see a teaser before The Dark Knight Rises next summer, a full trailer before The Hobbit, and probably a Super Bowl spot, too.

It’s time for Superman to fly in a film that celebrates everything I’ve ever loved about the character. And I really think this is going to be it.

Big article wrapping up all the casting news coming soon!

Variety has the exclusive!

And congratulations to Latino Review for confirming Faora in the first place.