The Krypton Faction

A blast of orchestral music is one way to silence a room full of nattering journos. Not that anyone minds: even those in the small minority that have expressed reservations about Superman Returns agree that one of the best decisions by director Bryan Singer was the retention of the original score. First heard back in 1978 when Christopher Reeve played the son of Jor-El, John Williams' stirring chords make for an impressive entrance for Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, director Bryan Singer and the soon-to-be-world-famous Brandon Routh. Then the feedback kicks in and everyone is dumped resolutely back in the real world, albeit the rarefied environs of London's prestigious Dorchester Hotel.

A round of typically uninspired questions from Europe's entertainment hacks begins. "Gee, we literally have never been asked that before," says Spacey, grinning mischievously, when the panel is asked what superpowers they'd like to have. For the record, everyone agrees that flying would be pretty cool.

Later, with both press conference and lunch over, FilmFour waits in one of the hotel rooms for the talent to come calling. First up is Bosworth, accompanied by a cagey publicist, presumably present to ensure we don't ask Bosworth about her boyfriend, Orlando Bloom. We don't.

Wearing a shimmering dress and delicate bands of gold in her ears, the beautiful Bosworth looks as though she's about to walk up the red carpet. Her hair is back to its natural blonde, a black wig having been worn for her time as Lois Lane. Playing such an icon must have been daunting, especially when so many people still remember Margot Kidder's version from the Christopher Reeve movies.

"I didn't want to watch the original," she explains, "because I didn't want to end up accidentally trying to mimic her. I wanted to find someone else for inspiration and the woman I felt most embodied strength and intelligence and passion was Katharine Hepburn. She had the right mixture of poise and grace - she was so strong and independent but had a fragile side to her. Just like Lois."

Next page • "I don't want to get into sequel notions"