Thirty-four years later, it remains one of the most perfect superhero origin stories put to film, and Christopher Reeve is still one of the most brilliant casting choices of the genre (this is really the only film that rivals the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man).

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Even once the casting had been settled, the film still caused controversy when production started in Thailand.

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First-time feature film director Michael J Bassett has done a fine casting job.

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Usually fans are angry when a film adaptation strays too far from a novel, said casting director David Rubin.

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Though Hollywood agents are loath to admit it, the days of casting two high-budget stars to prop up a film are increasingly rare.

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The film, which will be a mixture of live action performances and computer animation, is currently in the casting process, with turtles Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael expected to be played by relative unknowns.

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There is no open casting for actors in Saudi Arabia and it is hard to find either women or girls to appear on film because it is regarded negatively by conservatives in the country.

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