Henry Cavill as the new Superman

British actor Henry Cavill is going up, up and away.

Cavill will star as Superman (and, obviously, Clark Kent) in the next instalment of the movie franchise.

The film is to be directed by 300 director Zack Snyder, who says in a statement Cavill is "the perfect choice to don the cape and ‘S' shield".

No title has been announced for the film, which is intended to reboot the franchise. The 2006 movie Superman Returns was directed by Bryan Singer and starred Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel.

Cavill had been considered for the blockbuster roles of Batman, James Bond and even the previous version of Superman. He co-starred on The Tudors.

Warner Bros is targeting December 2012 for release.