Laurence Fishburne to Play ‘Daily Planet’ Editor Perry White in ‘Man of Steel’

The Academy Award-nominated star of What's Love Got To Do With It?, The Matrix and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Laurence Fishburne has been hired to portray iconic newspaperman Perry White in director Zack Snyder's upcoming Superman film, Man of Steel. The 50-year-old Fishburne is the first African-American actor to take on the role of Clark Kent and Lois Lane's famously cantankerous editor.News of Fishburne's casting comes courtesy of The Los Angeles Times' Geoff Boucher, who also observes that this year is the 71st anniversary of Perry White's first appearance on the Adventures of Superman radio serial (he showed up in the comics a short while later). The Daily Planet's Editor-in-Chief has been played by an impressive roster of stars including screen icons Frank Langella and Jackie Cooper. In animation, White was voiced by the legendary Ed Asner in All-Star Superman, Twin Peaks favorite Ray Wise in Superman: Doomsday, and original Law & Order star George Dzundza in Superman: The Animated Series. But perhaps the most influential Perry White performer was John Hamilton, who first read White's catchphrases "Great Caesar's ghost!" and "Don't call me 'chief'!" on the Adventures of Superman radio and television series.

Fishburne joins an all-star cast for Man of Steel that also includes Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Russel Crowe as Jor-El and Julia Ormond as Lara, with Henry Cavill as Superman himself. Directed by Zack Snyder from a story devised by The Dark Knight team of Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, Man of Steel is planned to release on June 13, 2013.

[Via The Los Angeles Times]