Will a British Superman soar on the big screen?

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the new Superman: British actor Henry Cavill, best known for his work on "The Tudors," has been cast as the lead in the upcoming film Superman: Man of Steel, which will be directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and produced by Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight). Superman is by definition an alien, but is Cavill — a relative unknown and a foreigner — the right man for the cape?

He's got the look: The "sexy Brit" definitely has the first requirement for the job, says Jeanne Sager at The Stir, and by that, I'm talking about "a smolder to die for." He was nearly cast as Clark Kent in the last Superman movie and has a role in the upcoming Greek Gods flick Immortals. "Frankly, America, we're lucky we grabbed him."

"Casting Henry Cavill as Superman is good for America"

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And he's ripe for stardom: While Cavill has had his share of success, he "has also suffered his fair share of disappointments," says Sarah Crompton in The Telegraph. He also just missed out on the lead roles in Batman, Twilight, and the new Bond flicks. Cavill certainly has the "talent to take him skywards," and now that he's landed the Superman role — in a film directed by Snyder and produced by Nolan, no less — it could well be his time to take off.

"New Superman looks promising"

But casting an unknown is risky: "Choosing a relatively unknown actor for such a big role can be good and bad," says Josh Baldwin at Get the Big Picture. I've seen him in both "The Tudors" and "Stardust" and he didn't stand out for me. But, he certainly "looks the part," and going with a "blank slate" like Cavill is nothing if not an "interesting" directorial choice.

"The next Superman has been cast"