Superman Sequel Officially in Limbo

Um, didn't make money? World-wide box office is +$80 million in the black for the film as of today. Additionally, merchandise, games, and potential DVD sales will catapult the enterprise into giant profits, likely coming close to a billion in revenues.

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As a fan of the Donner originals- SR rocked my world. The fact that derivative crap like X3 did better at the box office is truly a sad statement.

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That unfortunatly is infinatly wrong with the World. Here is a super hero that represents everything that is good and decent and wholesome with values, and intigrity, and a movie studio just wants to scrap it. Why? Because the whole human race has gone to the darker, villianous type hero? What happened? Bryan Singer is a brilliant writer / director, and WB, Legendary, and who ever else had their hands involved in the financing of the movie are letting that go? Wait until the DVD comes out, and watch your precious profits soar. I for one hope that the continuation of the Superman franchise is not only wanted, but needed in this war torn, under appreciated, selfish, greedy, and unfriendly culture we have all just allowed to have happen to us, and Superman can show us what we can be.

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My opinion, Superman is the best comic hero and the Richard Donner Superman is the best movie based on a comic hero. Having said that, the movie Superman Returns is just a mess. Fact is Bryan Singer and crew did a mediocre (at best) job. The reason this movie has made as much money as it has is based on people's interest in the character. I want them to make a new film but not with anyone involved with this one.

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Reboot the franchise in three or four years which would be a year or so after *Smallville* ends its run. Then you'll have a pre-built audience interested in seeing the exploits of Kal-El on the big screen again. Fact is - and the domestic box office proves this - not too many people were interested in seeing pretenders in the role(s) when superior versions of said characters are televised for free every week.

Kick Bryan Singer AND Jon Peters off the WB lot...

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I had such high hopes for Superman Returns and was so disappointed. I saw X3 also - and found it to be a much better movie. I think you can point the finger of blame right at the top - with Singer. I think Max Steel has hit the nail on the head.

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The actors who played the leads, except for Spacey, lacked any real charisma or believability. They looked way too young for their parts and again, they just lacked the x factor, no pun intended, that allows certain actors to draw you in into their characters.

It wasn't a very good movie. the box office results indicate that clearly.

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SR was really a fundamentally different kind of film than (say) X3 or Spiderman. It has hardly any violence, but plenty of action. The characters are complicated, but not because they're dark and troubled; like an ancient Greek play, there are no "unsympathetic" characters. The hero has a constructive goal, not a destructive one; we get thoroughly away from the typical "revenge flick". The cinematography and the sheer quality of the thing are really distinctive, and it's an intelligent commentary on the myth. There ought to be room for this sort of alternative to the norm, and the fact that (despite being something novel and unfamiliar) it beat $350m internationally is pretty encouraging.

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The problem with Superman Returns was the script. The script was terrible. They made a whiny pathetic soap opera man rather than a SUPER man.

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I can't help but think SR would have been a better movie if the focus had *stayed* on Superman. Between Kate Bosworth and her lack of acting skills, and the lame Lois-Lane-as-a-mom plotline, there was a LOT of wasted time in the movie.

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I pretty much knew there was a problem when they cast Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, but I was really confirmed in thinking there was a problem when, after the film, I could not remember anything about Brandon Routh except his physique or anything about Kate Bosworth at all.

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There were three fatal mistakes made by both Warner Bros. and Singer:

1) Too much money was invested in this film. Who gave Warner Bros. permission to spend over $300 million on a single movie? Exactly how much profit did they think they would see domestically on a budget like that?

2) They should've started from the beginning. How long has it been since the original Superman? Almost 30 years, you say? And they expected today's moviegoers to see more or less a continuance of that story? Are you kidding? By failing to start from scratch Warner completely disinterested everyone who hadn't already seen the original two and completely alienated everyone else who wanted to see Superman's story reimagined.

3) Routh wasn't allowed to act. He's the reason everyone went to see the movie and what we really got instead was "Superman 3 w/a guy who looked like Christopher Reeve...in his college years". All of Routh's scenes and dialogue were ultimately of very little consequence thus making the rest of the movie irrelevant and forgettable.

If Warner decides (and I'm sure they will) to do a sequel Routh's scenes and dialogue have to be equal if not better than that which was set by Reeve. Is that fair to Routh, of course not but that's the price Warner Bros. is going to pay for not only continuing Reeve's Superman but signing a kid who looks just like him.

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carg0 and Max Steel, I couldn't have said it better myself! They should have started this franchise from the beginning--a "Superman Begins" if you will. I could bet $100 on the slowest, oldest horse at the Kentucky Derby, and that will not be as big a waste of money as the $10 I spent on seeing Superman Returns was. I should write an editorial called, "Why the World Doesn't Need 'Superman Returns.'" It was forgetful, a pathetic rehash of the original one, lame plotline (with the even lamer Lois-Lane-as-a-Mom-and-is-her-kid-Superman's-son storyline). The script had more holes in it than 50 Cent! Superman Returns was a severe disappointment, to say the least! This movie sucked more than Jenna Jameson, Britney Spears, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, and Nelly Furtado at a drunken frat party! They had a chance to do something great with this, and they totally screwed it up! Watching this movie gave me the same feeling as winning ten cents in the lottery. Superman returns, but who invited him??? Instead of a sequel, they should do a redux, and make a better Superman flick. Otherwise, may there never again be a Superman movie made.

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Maybe starting at the begining would be more appropiate, as they seem to do with Batman. I think we tend to like to know the originality of Supes, (Although we should know it by now) because it helps us get a better feel for the character and more..involved in him.(I would assume) I think exploiting Krypton, and the learning of his powers and so forth could have made Superman a better movie and a better start for the franchise. And Brandon Routh....

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Honestly,what did people expect a different story? It's been done,everyone knows the story,the only difference is now they can throw more money into the movie.In my opinion, even the original Superman movies got old after the 1st sequel.

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(I'm reposting this because I'm not sure if my original was axed)

I have to agree with Carg0, but also correct him.

Point 1 - Bryan Singer said in an interview the movie actually cost 204 million dollars to make. The big number that is being tossed around is the 260 million - possibly for advertisement. But some even speculate that this number includes the money that was invested from previous (failed) attempts to bring Superman back to the big screen (i.e, Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, and even Nicholas Cage). Rumor has it Warner Bros paid Nicholas Cage $20 million dollars even though he didn’t play the part of Superman.

Going back to my point - For the most part Warner Bros. has been very quiet about the actual cost. And rightfully so, I mean, how many movies can gross over 300 million world-wide and still be considered a financial failure?

Point 2 – I totally agree with you on this. Lets be honest, a comic book movie like Superman, Batman, Spiderman, X-Men, etc., are really geared towards the younger crowd. Of course there are people like me in late 20’s early to mid 30’s who grew up watching the first 2 Superman movies. We’ve seen the originals; we have something to go with. But to be honest, it would have been best to reintroduce the characters by recreating the original storyline. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really nice to see WB and Singer pay homage to the first 2 Superman movies (and all involved) but give the young audience something to start with.

Point 3 – Think they should have had more interaction between Superman/Clark Kent and the rest of the characters – let the character develop. For example, when Clark meets up with Lois on the roof top of the Daily Planet; they get you thinking they are going to have this deep moment where Superman explains why he left, but then its a few lines and they’re flying around Metropolis. They could have gone into the stuff about Krypton and what he saw and how he felt. It sounds really tacky but there were many scenes where they could have used it to build on the character.

Overall, the movie was great – the special effects were incredible! I really felt like a kid again when I saw it at our local IMAX theater. Then again I’ve been a loyal fan of Superman ever since I as a kid. Other than the business strategy, my biggest complaint was the characters and what they did with them.

My suggestions to WB, if they decide to make another Superman movie with Brian Singer, would be use some of the footage that never made it into Superman Returns. This could help cut down on some of the cost. Remember, Singer has 2.5 hours of footage from the Krypton scenes – they could possibly build on that.

Invest more in advertisement. In December of 2005 we got to see the teaser for Superman Returns, but it wasn’t until a month before the release when they published the first trailer. There’s already a teaser for Spiderman 3 and Transformers Live, and those movies aren’t scheduled to come out until next year!

If they choose to make a sequel I think they should bring back all the actors, but also introduce 2 more villains – Zod (which everyone already speculating) and Doomsday! Not only would make for one heck of an ending but also leave it open for a third installment.

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I think Brandon Routh is, was and will always be The Most Perfect SuperMan.
Face it Chris Reeve has unfortunately passed away and sad as it is we simply have to accept the fact and move on.
I am 100% sure that he must be very very proud of Brandon's performance!!
His wife too commented on this...the similarities of the two.
Brandon has proved to us that he is a talented and gifted actor...there no doubt about that in my mind!!!!
He was the most appropriate person to play the character...not the long morose faced Nick Cage or the baby faced immature looking Ashton Kutcher....NO WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He may still not have the work experience in terms of a long film carrer but he made me believe in the character and made me feel his pathos and plasures ,his tears and joy and made me care for him..really care for him as a human being as well as an indestructable super-hero and that is a million times better than any actor delivering a pitch perfect performance with perfect diction and so on....

And NO I did not notice the grease paint slathered on his face,I was too busy being mesmerized by his grace,looks and valour.
And no I did not see the "so called" blusher on his face and I think that you too ought to focus more on the performance and A LOT less on the make-up
This is a movie NOT a fashion show!!!!!

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I wish wish wish they have showed much much much more of Clark Kent at the farm.Brandon was Perfect as Clark as well as SuperMan!!!!
Clark was at his most sincere and genuine and honest at the farm.
There was no pretence no acting
With the woman who truly loves him ...his mom Martha Kent who is always there for him .
and they should have shown much more of him simply being himslef!!!!
and the only thing they did show is the cliched throwing the ball in to the stratosphere
I mean how mnay times have we seen it..man throwing the ball in to the sky ...normal or super hero.
They should have shown something new!!!!!!!!!!!
There was no originality ..NONE AND the landing of the jet on the crowded stadium ...Puhleez!!!!!!!!!!
But overall I wanted to see LESS of Lois and MORE of Clark at the farm.
Kate was AWFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Superman Returns, was tribute to Christpher Reeve. It was all him. It was wrote with him in mind. I really liked the movies he made, and there will never be another like him, never!!
I kept hoping that Brandon would break through, give him that chance. We have done it for others! I too went in with an open mind. I give BR full credit for giving the attempt at replacing a man who in everyones minds is "Superman". Maybe, it is time to let go, of this superhero. Or, write a script, direct a movie with BR not CR. Time to move on, one way or another.
I appreciated your acting skills in soaps Brandon, and appreciated what you tried to do in SR. Find your own niche in acting. Right now I'm sorta missing 'Smallville'.

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Superman Returns, was tribute to Christpher Reeve. It was all him. It was wrote with him in mind. I really liked the movies he made, and there will never be another like him, never!!
I kept hoping that Brandon would break through, give him that chance. We have done it for others! I too went in with an open mind. I give BR full credit for giving the attempt at replacing a man who in everyones minds is "Superman". Maybe, it is time to let go, of this superhero. Or, write a script, direct a movie with BR not CR. Time to move on, one way or another.
I appreciated your acting skills in soaps Brandon, and appreciated what you tried to do in SR. Find your own niche in acting. Right now I'm sorta missing, 'Smallville'.

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