Sam Daly On Taking On Superman And Following In His Fathers Foot Steps!
Everyone knows what Superman looks like. The red and blue costume. The cape. The bold S-shaped glyph across his chest. The strong, muscular physique. Superman may be an alien, but he looks an awful lot like one of us.
All right, he looks like a very attractive, well-maintained one of us who has plenty of time to hit the gym. The point is that we expect that from Superman. We know that as super heroes go, he’s strong, bold and distinctly American in his sensibilities. Which is why Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, the upcoming DC Universe Animated Original Movie, is likely to surprise a lot of people. Particularly if they’re unfamiliar with the Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert graphic novel on which it’s based.
In the film, the Flash finds himself in an alternate world where he doesn’t have super powers, the Atlanteans and Amazonians are in the midst of a viciously destructive war against each other and the entire Justice League has changed—and not really for the better.
Of course, we’re not about to reveal how they’ve changed, but the Man of Steel isn’t exempt. In fact, the changes to his character may be the most dramatic of all, and not all of the changes are to be found on the screen. For the first time ever, Superman is voiced by Sam Daly, star of the popular web series The Daly Show and son of Tim Daly, who famously voiced the Man of Steel in Superman: The Animated Series. Taking on such a famous role, particularly one that his father once inhabited, is no small feat. Yet Daly seems to be taking it all in stride.
“Taking over the role of Superman is both amazing and intimidating,” he said in an interview. “Superman is such an iconic super hero and to have the opportunity to give him a voice is truly an honor that I do not take lightly. Taking over the reigns from my father is just the icing on the cake.”
Of course, it’s not just a matter of voicing Superman. As Flashpoint readers know, there are two versions of Superman to contend with—the version of the hero that we’re all familiar with (and that you see above) and the alternate world version, who’s drastically different. But the appeal of playing the world’s first and most famous super hero—any version of him—was just too strong. Especially since Superman was already one of Daly’s favorites.
“I judge super heroes by their powers,” Daly explained. “When I think to myself, ‘If I could have any superpower, what would it be?’ My first answer is always to fly. Then when you throw in superhuman strength, x-ray vision, heat vision, superhuman breath, superhuman intelligence, it becomes much clearer that Superman is my all-time favorite super hero.”
And of course, there was the matter of being able to step into a vocal role once embodied by his father.
“The fact that two generations of Daly men are able to be a part of the Superman family is humbling and extremely exciting,” he shared. “It's something that my dad and I will always share a bond over.”
Fans will get a chance to experience Daly’s unique take on Superman for the first time when the film premieres on July 19, 2013 at San Diego Comic-Con, or July 30, 2013 when it’s released on Blu-Ray Combo Pack, DVD and Digital Download.
(Source: DC Comics)