‘Superman: Man of Steel’ Located in West Africa, Smallville

The first plot details for Zack Snyder’s Superman sequel have leaked online: according to reports, “Man of Steel” will be located in West Africa and in Smallville, pretty much mirroring the story in the “Superman: Birthright” series.

Movie-oriented e-zine Bleeding Cool got a hold of a plot synopsis for the much-hyped film, and it pretty much confirms that Superman will be doing some (more or less light) traveling in the upcoming installment, IGN Movies reports.

“Rumor has it that the story for Man of Steel, director Zack Snyder’s Superman reboot, will take place partially in West Africa, a plot that, if true, heavily mirrors Mark Waid’s Superman: Birthright limited series,” IGN says.

The film will also detail the first time that Clark Kent comes to the realization that he is Superman; that is to say, those calling it an origins story wouldn’t be completely off base.

“A young reporter named Clark Kent roams the world covering various news stories. When he is compelled to use his secret powers to intervene in a crisis in West Africa, he returns to Smallville to learn more about his origins and the hero he was born to be,” the synopsis from Bleeding Cool reads.

Add to that the fact that Diane Lane (who plays Martha Kent) recently told reporters that the film will follow Superman from infancy to adulthood, and it becomes pretty clear that this will be an origins story.

Word online has it that Snyder is trying to do with “Man of Steel” what the previous “Superman” film failed to do: lay the foundation of a new franchise that would spawn at least 2 or 3 other installments.

As we also reported on previous occasions, Henry Cavill will be rocking the red cape and blue tights, while Amy Adams has been cast as Lois Lane.

Just recently, Michael Shannon was cast as the villainous General Zod, an announcement that was welcomed with cheers by fans of “Superman,” since there’s no better actor at being bad than Shannon.