Superman "Man of Steel"
Director Zack Snyder is changing the attire of Superman in the upcoming "Man of Steel" film by removing his red briefs. Warner Bros.

In a bold move, director Zack Snyder is making a minor alteration in Superman’s costume design in the upcoming “Man of Steel.” Clark Kent’s heroic counterpart will no longer sport red briefs, Yahoo News reported.

Snyder, along with Warner Bros. and diehard Superman fans, are hoping that the upcoming “Man of Steel” film will give new life to the Superman franchise and to an expansive DC "Cinematic Universe," similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that began with “Iron Man” in 2008. IMDB lists a live-action “Justice League” film set for a 2015 release with the description, “Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Flash and other superheroes unite to fight against evil forces” -- and this film is the first of what will soon be many steps in that direction.

Before the Krypton-born leader of the pack gets going, he just has to change -- quickly. Australian actor Henry Cavill, who will play the title character in “Man of Steel,” will have the classic red cape and blue spandex costume, along with the iconic "S" emblazoned on his chest -- but the red undies are out for this picture.

"The costume was a big deal for me, and we played around for a long time," the film’s director said in an interview with the New York Post. "I tried like crazy to keep the red briefs on him. Everyone else said, 'You can't have the briefs on him.' I looked at probably 1,500 versions of the costumes with the briefs on."

Snyder believes that the costume needed to be modernized, and it makes sense given that this is a new story of Superman's origins, similar to how Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy re-excamined Batman's origins. "If you look at the costume, it's very modern, but the relationship to the original costume is strong," said Snyder, who noted that by only taking away the red briefs, the costume is mostly classic but still new.

Though some might not see a big change in the brief-less Superman, the “Man of Steel” look makes the hero seem more rugged, with the blue unitard looking like a kind of armor, as noted by Yahoo. The outfit is suited for someone who is ready to do battle, not a hero who is dressed in bright colors to look pretty as he stands before people; this is a more warrior-like Superman.

"There's a logic and concreteness that has to exist with [Christopher Nolan]," Snyder said about the film’s writer in his interview with the Post. "You can't just do stuff because it's cool. He demands that there be story and character behind all of it, which I'm a big fan of."

Fans who saw the short but powerful teaser for “Man of Steel” have already had a taste of what Snyder and Nolan are offering with this incarnation of Superman. The whole concept of Clark Kent’s life is less glamorized than ever before, and he is presented as a lone person from another world trying to conceive the entirety of the incredible power that he possesses -- and what he can do with that power.

"Man of Steel" is scheduled to open in theaters on June 14, 2013.