Professional Motion Picture Production and Distribution NEWS

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Landing one of the hottest roles in Hollywood, little-known television actor Brandon Routh has been cast as the Man of Steel in an upcoming "Superman" movie from Warner Bros. Pictures, the studio said on Friday.

Routh, 25, whose credits include the ABC soap opera "One Life to Live" and prime-time WB drama "Gilmore Girls," is the only casting choice announced for the film, which has been in development at Warner in one form or another since 1998.

Now under the direction of Bryan Singer, the filmmaker behind the "X-Men" movies for 20th Century Fox, the "Superman" film is expected to begin principal photography in Australia early next year for a summer 2006 release, the Time Warner Inc.-owned studio said.

Routh originally tested for the role when director McG was overseeing the project and later caught Singer's attention, a source close to the actor told Reuters.

The casting announcement came less than two weeks after actor Christopher Reeve, who wore the red cape for Warner Bros. in four "Superman" movies during the 1970s and '80s before he was paralyzed in an equestrian accident, died at age 52.

In a statement issued by the studio, Singer said he always had intended to hire an unknown to play the comic book hero in the upcoming film.

"Brandon is an extremely fine actor who possesses the physical qualifications of (the role). But he also embodies the legacy and history of this character in a way that makes me certain he's the right choice."

The 6-foot-2-inch performer was born and raised in Iowa, home state of television's original Superman, George Reeves, giving Routh the same Midwestern roots as the superhero's mild-mannered alter ego, Clark Kent.

Reuters/VNU