Kevin Spacey wants to take over the world. After an unashamedly self-indulgent performance in his biopic of singer Bobby Darin, Beyond The Sea, Spacey is going to be Metropolis' most ambitious man. Yes, he has signed on to play Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor in Bryan Singer's upcoming take on the Man of Steel.

Casting for the film has been much hyped. It took ages to finalise Brandon Routh for the task of filling in the red boots immortalised by Christopher Reeves.

Spacey's interest in the Lex Luthor role has been high, and, ever since Bryan Singer left Marvel comics' ultra-successful X-Men franchise to direct Superman, he wanted to come aboard. The actor worked with Singer in the breakthrough film The Usual Suspects.

Equally important to Clark Kent's life is another L L -- Lois Lane, fearless reporter for The Daily Planet. The role has also invited massive fan interest and speculation, and its casting was a long, thorough process which ultimately hinged on a chemistry test with Brandon Routh.

Actresses in the queue included Claire Danes, Linda Cardellini and Michelle Monaghan, but the role went to Kate Bosworth [Images].

That is a curious coincidence. Bosworth played Sandra Dee -- Bobby Darin's love interest in Beyond The Sea -- and fans across the Internet are sure to begin speculating on Singer planning a possible dalliance between Luthor and Lane!

About the plot of the film, Singer told Variety magazine, 'It's a little like X-Men, where the mutants existed when the movie began. It's not an origin story. I didn't want to re-make what Richard Donner did so well in the original, and didn't want to tread on the great work they're doing on Smallville. He's already part of the culture; he has left the planet. This is the story of his return.'

Photograph: Getty Images