Superman Grows An Accent: Meet the New British Clark Kent - TIME

The new Superman, Henry Cavill

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You'll believe an outsider can be cast.
Director Zack Snyder has decided that the British actor Henry Cavill is going up, up and away. Cavill will play Superman (and Clark Kent, of course) is Snyder's as yet untitled reboot to 2006's Superman Returns, which means that Brandon Routh won't be reprising his role as the Man of Steel. Zynder said Cavill is, "the perfect choice to don the cape and 'S' shield."

According to the Hollywood Reporter, he beat out fellow Brit Matthew Goode, White Collar star Matthew Bomer, True Blood's Joe Manganiello and The Social Network's Armie Hammer to land the part.

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While Cavill is probably best known for starring in Showtime's The Tudors, his near misses in famous franchises are far more worthy of discussion. It's a case of third time lucky for the 27-year-old, who was in the running for Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins (which went to Christian Bale), was passed over for James Bond in favor of Daniel Craig and lost out to Routh in the last Superman flick (many believe the part was his until original director McG left the project, replaced by Bryan Singer). It's also been reported that he was in the frame for Edward Cullen in Twilight and considered for Cedric in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which explains why Empire magazine labeled him the "most unlucky man in Hollywood."

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But that luck has turned and film fans should be able to assess his acting chops when the movie is released in December 2012. It represents quite the coup for Britain as it now means that actors from those shores are playing Batman, Superman (indeed, Jersey-born Cavill is the first foreigner to play the role) and, thanks to Andrew Garfield, Spider-Man as well (and before you write in to complain, yes, Garfield was born in the U.S. but he's also a British citizen). And so long as they don't lapse into Cockney, your enjoyment shouldn't be affected.