SUPER-STUD FACES A SHRINKING
IT'S a bird, it's a plane — it's superbulge!
"Superman Returns" star Brandon Routh is supposedly giving the suits at Warner Brothers fits because of his prodigious package of masculinity. The 26-year-old beefcake's extra-large endowment is said to be so distracting through his skin-tight costume that producers may have to shrink him during post-production.
"It's a major issue for the studio," a "Superman Returns" production source fretted to the London Sun. "Brandon is extremely well-endowed and they don't want it up on the big screen. We may be forced to erase his package with digital effects."
Routh's overstuffed basket must be steaming up the camera lens of openly gay, boy-crazy director Bryan Singer. The horny helmer — who reportedly pushed for Routh over the studio's choice, Jim Caviezel — has a history of frisky behavior with hunky young actors.
Singer cast unknown hunk Alex Burton as Pyro in "X-Men" after the pair had a hot tub session at a Hollywood party, reports radarmagazine.com. Burton has not appeared in a single movie since "X-Men."
Following the filming of Singer's "Apt Pupil" several years ago, a number of young male extras on the movie filed lawsuits claiming they had been bullied into stripping naked for a shower scene, and that Singer had held private screenings of the soapy footage at his home.
None of the lawsuits ever went anywhere.
Reps for Singer and Warner Bros. declined comment yesterday, but Simon Halls, a publicist for Routh (rhymes with "mouth"), told PAGE SIX the "super package" rumor is "completely without merit" — before adding mischievously, "I suspect that everyone at Warner Bros. is happy with everything Brandon Routh brings to the role."
Halls also said Singer has been "totally professional" with Routh, who has a longtime girlfriend.
"Bryan Singer is one of the best directors out there," Halls said. "People are just creating all kinds of crazy items about a movie that is going to be a huge, huge movie next summer." Huge indeed!
