Superman and Britain.

Made at Pinewood. Premiered in Leicester Square.

Superman (1978) was largely made in England, at Pinewood and Shepperton studios, and had a Royal Charity Premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square, on 13 December 1978. In 2006 London's Natural History Museum helped identify jadarite, the real-life mineral that nearly matches kryptonite's formula in Superman Returns. British writers and artists have also shaped some of his best stories.

Read in depth All trivia and firsts

Updated 6 November 2026 · 13 sources

In depth

The full story.

Kal-El.co.uk is a UK fan site, so this page collects Superman’s British connections. There are more than you might think: the most famous Superman film was made just outside London, and so-called real kryptonite was identified in South Kensington.

Superman: The Movie was made in Britain

Christopher Reeve’s Superman (1978) was largely made in England:

What	Where	When
Krypton scenes	Pinewood Studios	From 28 March 1977
The Fortress of Solitude	Shepperton Studios and Pinewood’s 007 Stage	1977
Royal Charity Premiere	The Empire, Leicester Square, with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew	13 December 1978
UK release	Cinemas nationwide	14 December 1978

British actors filled the Kryptonian scenes too: Susannah York played Superman’s mother Lara, Trevor Howard and Harry Andrews played Kryptonian elders, and Terence Stamp played General Zod. Read more about the Fortress set on the Fortress of Solitude.

The British comic where Superman flew first

In 1938 Superman could only leap. Yet the cover of the British comic Triumph #772, published by Amalgamated Press on 5 August 1939, shows him flying high above the earth. That’s months before the American radio show had him flying in 1940 and years before the comics made it routine. Three sources now agree (Confirmed): Amalgamated Press reprinted Superman under licence from the McClure Syndicate in issues #772–792 and #807–814, and an advert in #771 previewed the cover. Triumph later merged with The Champion because of wartime paper shortages. The full story is on Superman’s flight.

Kryptonite was identified in London

In 2006, mineralogist Chris Stanley at the Natural History Museum in London and colleagues confirmed a new mineral, found by Rio Tinto in Serbia’s Jadar Valley. In April 2007 the press noticed that its formula, sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide, almost exactly matched the label on the kryptonite in Superman Returns (2006). Sadly it’s white rather than green, doesn’t glow, and is harmless to Kryptonians. It was named jadarite. See kryptonite for the fictional version, and Real kryptonite: the science for the full story, including the Leicester students who showed Superman breaks physics.

British actors and Superman

Nicholas Hoult, who is English, plays Lex Luthor in Superman (2025) and returns in Man of Tomorrow (2027). See our Lex Luthor guide.
Henry Cavill, Superman from Man of Steel (2013) to 2022, was born in Jersey. Jersey is a Crown Dependency, closely tied to Britain but not part of the United Kingdom, so he’s a Channel Islander rather than strictly a UK-born Superman.

See every Superman actor for the full list.

British writers and artists

Some of the most celebrated Superman comics were made by British creators:

Alan Moore (English, born in Northampton) wrote “For the Man Who Has Everything” (Superman Annual #11, 1985), drawn by Dave Gibbons (born in London in 1949), and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? (Superman #423 and Action Comics #583, September 1986).
Mark Millar (Scottish, born in Coatbridge) wrote Superman: Red Son (2003), which imagines Superman landing in the Soviet Union.
Grant Morrison (born in Glasgow in 1960) and Frank Quitely (Vincent Deighan, born in Rutherglen in 1968) made All-Star Superman (2005–08), top of our comics reading order.

Man of Tomorrow and the UK

Man of Tomorrow (2027), in which Brainiac is the villain, filmed mostly at Trilith Studios near Atlanta, but some scenes were shot in the UK during 2026, according to production listings. The exact locations haven’t been made public.

UK fan events

Warner Bros. held a UK fan event for Superman in June 2025. For upcoming UK dates, see the Superman release calendar, and for more trivia, Superman fun facts.

Era by era.

The same Superman, rewritten for every generation.

Golden Age (1938–1956)

The British comic Triumph #772 (5 August 1939) shows Superman flying on its cover, years before flight was routine in the American comics.

Film: Superman (1978)

Krypton was filmed at Pinewood from 28 March 1977, and the Fortress of Solitude was built at Shepperton and on Pinewood's 007 Stage. The royal premiere was held in Leicester Square.

Comics (1985–2008)

Alan Moore, Mark Millar, Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely write and draw some of the most celebrated Superman stories.

DC Studios (2025–)

English actor Nicholas Hoult plays Lex Luthor, and Man of Tomorrow (2027) filmed some scenes in the UK.

Questions.

Was Superman filmed in the UK?

Yes. Superman: The Movie (1978) was largely made in England. The Krypton scenes were shot at Pinewood Studios from 28 March 1977, and the Fortress of Solitude was built at Shepperton Studios and on Pinewood's 007 Stage. Man of Tomorrow (2027) also filmed some scenes in the UK.

Where did Superman (1978) premiere in the UK?

Superman (1978) had a Royal Charity Premiere at the Empire, Leicester Square, in London on 13 December 1978, attended by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Andrew. The film opened across the UK the next day, 14 December 1978.

Is Henry Cavill British?

Henry Cavill, Superman from 2013 to 2022, was born in Jersey. Jersey is a Crown Dependency: it's closely tied to Britain but isn't part of the United Kingdom. Nicholas Hoult, Lex Luthor in Superman (2025), is English.