Superman is Cast, Let the Lois Lane Hunt Begin

Now that Zach Snyder has found the lynchpin of his Superman movie reboot - the titular man in blue, to be played by British actor Henry Cavill - it's now time to populate the rest of Metropolis. Which leads to the big question on everyone's lips:

Who will be Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen?

Until that's settled, we'll just have to amuse ourselves by running down the names that are swirling around the role of the Daily Planet's spunky ace reporter and the one woman who makes Clark Kent's glasses fog up: Lois Lane.

The biggest rumor involves an actress who knows a thing or two about flying around with aloof prettyboys - "Twilight" star Kristen Stewart. She has allegedly met with Snyder, but that could mean everything from "I want to be Lois" to "Excuse me, are you leaving or are you just getting something from your car?" So right now, file this under "unsubstantiated."

Another name getting play is "Prince of Persia" star Gemma Arterton, but would trying to get people to accept a British Lois be tougher than getting them onboard with a British Superman?

The rest of the field seems to be made up of idle speculation, left-field brainstorming, and utter nonsense - although more than a few of these ladies would be intriguing choices: Rachel McAdams, Rashida Jones. Maggie Q, Rose Byrne. Natalie Dormer (which would suggest Snyder has limited his casting sessions to "rewatching season one of "The Tudors"), Anna Paquin, and Snyder's "Watchmen" leading lady Malin Akerman.

Anne Hathaway's name has also been mentioned, as has Natalie Portman's. But seeing as Hathaway has just signed on to fight and/or romance Batman and Portman will next be seen snuggling up to a Norse god of Thunder, you can probably go ahead and scratch them off.

British actor Henry Cavill cast as Superman

British actor Henry Cavill is going up, up and away.

Cavill will star as Superman (and, obviously, Clark Kent) in the next installment of the movie franchise. Warner Bros. Pictures announced the casting Sunday.

The film is to be directed by "300" director Zack Snyder, who says in a statement Cavill is "the perfect choice to don the cape and 'S' shield."

No title has been announced for the film, which is intended to reboot the franchise after its latest incarnation fizzled. The 2006 movie "Superman Returns" was directed by Bryan Singer and starred Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel.

Cavill is relatively unknown. He had been considered for the blockbuster roles of Batman, James Bond and even the previous version of Superman. He co-starred on Showtime's "The Tudors."

Warner Bros. is targeting December 2012 for release.