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

Other than Cowboy Curtis, when I think of the things I've seen Fishburne in, I think he's a great choice. My only concern is that he's only 50, and I always think of Perry White as late 50's/early 60's; 50 is a bit young for a curmudgeon.

Tangentially speaking, I just realized they probably won't be using J.K. Simmons for J. Jonah Jameson in the new Spider-Man, which is a shame.

In looking through Fishburne's credits, I had no idea he was the voice of the Silver Surfer in that second FF movie. (Or the narrator in that fun TMNT CG movie, for that matter.)

I don't read Superman much, so can someone tell me who Perry White is, and why a character I've never heard of would get as big a name as Fishburne to play him? I'm actually being pretty serious here.
-David Bitterbaum of The Newest Rant

There are all fictional characters peopl so race for them is not as important as it would be if you were making a biographical film. To be blunt, no way could you cast Hallie Berry as Marilyn Monroe. But this is a fictional person and movies are not comic book canon.
That said, I do have issues with producers trying to show how PC they are by assigning Aftrician American actors to roles that in the world of the comic book were written as white. Yes I know that comics are generally all pasty white people, (no one ever gets a tan or sunburn?) and we need more diversity in comics. But Kingpen, Pete Ross and Catwoman are white and ought to look like their comic book inspriations.
On the third hand ( I need to be a Triaxian for this post) There is a solution for the DC characters at least. This, or next ret-con make the characters the studios want to be ethnic ethnic in the comics. I have no beef if Carol Ferris becomes Hispanic or Perry White and Pete Ross are to be black or Alfred to be Asian, for example, as long as they do it in the comics prior to the movie
Is constinacy between the pages of my favorite comics and the TV/Silver screen too much to ask for.
And yes I will see this movie regardless of who the supporting cast is

I demand that he channel Cowboy Curtis throughout the ENTIRE movie.

I want that suit.

Cautiously optimistic is all I can say. I know people don't like Snyder but the Watchmen failed because it adheres too closely to the book and fail as a movie. However, say what you want , I'd rather take that than when the director takes too much liberty and kills everything we like about the character. (Batman & Robin, Catwoman, FF4)

Also, you people fixate on race waaaaay too much. My first thoughts when I saw this headline and pic was "He's a great actor; he'll do an awesome job; too bad the movie will suck," then when I got to the comments, I guess I realized he was black or something. You guys are weird.

Good choice.

Movie's still gonna be momentously terrible.

Aside from the fact that I think Fishburne is right for the part, and I'm usually in favor of race-blind casting in general, nobody (me included) likes an all-white cast in a mainstream blockbuster these days, and I'd much, much rather see a black Perry White than a shoehorned-in Franklin Pierce, Ron Troupe, or John Henry Irons. I mean, that way of thinking leads to stuff like the painfully out of place and out of character Amanda Waller in Green Lantern. Ugh.