Superman Returns fits into continuity with the original series of Superman films, but audiences will notice improvements to the costume. It’s no longer a piece of blue cloth, but a new fabric called Milliskin. It was so strong that Brandon Routh had to work out extra hard to fill it out.
Brandon Routh on Superman's Updated Outfit
“I did a lot of things,” he said. “I lifted weights obviously. I did Rope Yoga which is a mix between Pilates and Yoga. It’s a great core building routine so that was put in place so that I could sustain myself with the wires and the harness for extended periods of time. So we did that early on. Also with weights and especially training my body to get in shape. We got my body in shape to be in shape. I mean I was in shape, I was an athlete before that. I did certain things, but never to this extent.”
After two months of the basics, Routh started to pack on the pounds. “By the time we got into Australia, two months into my training we starting hitting the weights really, really hard and building more mass and I put on 22 pounds for the film. It was fantastic to see my body change in five months time. I had a little extra time when we went into Sydney because we didn’t start filming Superman right away so it was pretty fantastic. I’ve dropped a little bit now because I’m not working out as heavy definitely now.”
Finally came the day when Routh walked onto the set as Superman. “I think I probably did some mental relaxation and took some deep breaths in my dressing room before I went out. The first scene that we shot if I remember correctly is actually not in the film anymore, but it’s in the Daily Planet. Some of the crew had seen me in passing for costume test and we’d done small things. But this was the full crew and actually there was all of the people in the Daily Planet, all of the extras and they couldn’t look and turn around. We didn’t want anyone taking pictures or shots. A photo hadn’t been released yet and so everybody had to keep their backs turn. These 100 extras, you’re in the Daily Planet, so that was kind of cool. Just to know the first time it was on camera, it was really powerful. That was kind of the final piece that I needed to be secured in the role was to actually have some footage you know in the camera and to know that day was marked and I had become the character.”
Superman Returns will fly into theatres on June 28th.
For movie clips, movie stills, the trailers, TV spots, movie info and synopsis,
go to the Superman
Returns Movie Page.
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