Superman update: Possible start date; What about Brandon Routh?

Zack Snyder's been a chatty Cathy ever since the news broke that he would be directing Superman. Deadline, who broke the story initially, spoke with him again and the director revealed that he would be jumping straight into Superman as soon as he completes his highly anticipated female-centric action flick , Sucker Punch...

Snyder: "It's early yet, but I can tell you that what David and Chris have done with the story so far definitely has given me a great insight into a way to make him feel modern. I've always felt he was kind of awesome. I'll finish Sucker Punch and get right at it."

My timing could be off but I think that puts it somewhere around summer of next year for shooting to begin.

With one big hurdle crossed, the question now is who will get to don the red and blue tights? Snyder actually spoke to that issue with Variety and all but confirmed one person who absolutely won't be....

Snyder: "Routh isn’t likely to don the red and blue tights again,"

Oh well. I'm not shedding any tears over that. Routh would've been a good choice to play the part now if he had never been a part of Superman Returns. He's grown as an actor noticeably, and could be perfect for a reboot set in a modern context. However, there needs to be a distance between this version and the Bryan Singer one, and bringing Routh back would be a roadblock to accomplishing that.