Brandon Routh engaged

'Superman Returns' star Brandon Routh proposed to his girlfriend of three years,
actress Courtney Ford, earlier this month.

"They are very happy," says Kacey Spies, who represents the Superman Returns star.

The couple, will costar in the upcoming short film Denial. They plan to wed next fall.

Routh, 26, proposed with a ring from Los Angeles-based jeweler Neil Lane.

The couple met "not through acting. I used to work at Lucky Strike," Routh told PEOPLE at the Golden Globes in January, referring to the hip bowling alley in Hollywood. "I was a bartender. And her brother was having his (wedding) rehearsal dinner party there."

Added Ford, 28, "He met my whole family the day he met me."

The pair, who told PEOPLE they like to watch DVDs – particularly the special features – together, were apart for five months while Routh was shooting Superman Returns in Australia, but Ford says they relied on "nightly phone calls."

The announcement ends weeks of speculation the couple were to get engaged.
Routh was even spotted buying a dazzling engagement ring, further fueling
rumors he was to pop the question.
The actor spent more than an hour picking a ring, settling on a band set
with diamonds, costing $42,000 from exclusive Los Angeles jeweler, Neil
Lane.
While promoting 'Superman Returns' earlier this year, Routh described Ford -
who he will co-star with in the upcoming movie short 'Denial' - as his
"personal kryptonite" because she brings him to his knees.