A Hollywood jinx is said to have stalked anyone who plays the Man of Steel ever since its first star, Bud Collyer, who voiced the role on radio, died from heart trouble.
The most legendary Superman star, Christopher Reeve, was paralysed in a riding accident in 1995 and died nine years later.
Reeve's wife Dana, a non-smoker, was struck down by lung cancer this year at the age of 44.
Kirk Alyn, the first actor to play Superman on screen in the film serial, regretted taking the role, while another, George Reeves, killed himself in 1959.
Actress Margot Kidder, who played Superman’s heartthrob Lois Lane, was discovered sleeping rough after suffering a mental breakdown.
However, Brandon Routh, star of the new blockbuster Superman Returns, says the curse doesn’t worry him.
The film's director, Bryan Singer, said: "My DVD crew absorbed the curse for us."
One of the crew tumbled down stairs, another was beaten up while being mugged, and a third smashed into a glass window.