Ben Affleck set to play Superman

Posted Tuesday, February 22, 2005 at 2:20 PM Central

by John Couture

A sure-fire way for Hollywood's leading man to regain his box office charm is portray the Man of Steel. And it appears that Ben Affleck will get his chance to don the cape - sort of.

Affleck has been cast as 1950s TV star George Reeves in Truth, Justice and the American Way. The singular role that put Reeves on the map was his portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman in the TV show "Adventures of Superman" that ran from 1952 to 1957. Reeves died in 1959 from an apparent self-inflicted gun shot, but rumors abound that his death was anything by a suicide.

Adrien Brody has been cast as an investigative detective that is looking into the circumstances around his death, including his relationship with Toni Mannix, played by Diane Lane, the wife of an MGM executive.