Mark Millar and a 'Big Name Action Director' Revamping Superman?
Filed under: Action, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Mark Millar is becoming a real Hollywood insider these days, a Frank Miller in training. He dropped quite an intriguing bombshell to Scotland's Daily Record -- claiming that there's a Superman movie revamp on the way. While some of his claims could be dismissed as wishful thinking by a man who merely wants to fulfill his Kryptonian dreams, he's certainly talking it out with someone. Says Millar, "I've been planning this my entire life. I've got my director and producer set up, and it'll be 2011. This is how far ahead you have to think. The Superman brand is toxic after that last movie lost 200 million, but in 2011 we're hoping to restart it. Sadly I can't say who the director is, but we may make it official by Christmas. But fingers crossed it could work out, that would be my lifetime's dream."Now, this flies directly in the face of Bryan Singer confirming he was attached to the sequel. But there's been a peculiar lack of progress with it. He's obviously busy with Valkyrie, but when you look at how quickly the Iron Man and Spider-Man franchises are moving, well, someone's not moving faster than a speeding bullet anymore. Could Warner Bros really be open to rebooting the franchise? The parallels between Ang Lee's Hulk and Bryan Singer's Superman Returns are striking, and I can honestly see the studio choosing a similarly clean slate. But they would be ditching a pretty expensive investment in Returns, and creating quite a controversy in the process.
Far more people loved Superman Returns than Hulk, and Singer commands a lot of geek cred.
And just in case you're wondering if Millar's remarks to the Record were merely excited conjecture, he clarified them on his message board just hours later. "That Superman news is interesting, isn't it? In the interests of clarity (because I'm sure this will be picked up somewhere) a very well known American action director heard about my love of Superman, approached me and asked me to team up with he and his producer to make a pitch for this. We've been talking for several weeks now and, if this is going to happen, we'll know by Christmas. He has huge pull at WB so fingers crossed. But this is nothing more than a huge US name pulling me into his fold and making me part of a package."
Whether or not Millar is merely overly optimistic, he's giving us plenty to think about. Just who is the big name director? Would Brandon Routh get to keep the cape, or would they pick a new actor? Will we ever hear what becomes of this pitch? Start your guesses now.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
7-02-2008 @ 10:04AM
Jennifer said...
One could only hope that the new film has the same feel as Smallville where Superman is considerably less "gay." The premise of the last Supe film was just stupid.
"I'm Lex Luthor. I'm gonna control the world using my superior intellect. I shall do this by marrying little old ladies who die and leave me money so I can fulfill my lifelong dream of becoming... a Real Estate Salesman!"
I mean come on. Really?!? Really Lex?
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7-02-2008 @ 10:08AM
Eric said...
There is no reason to reboot the thing. Sure Superman Returns was not the greatest. But I really do think you can take the characters and go some where great with it.
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7-02-2008 @ 10:34AM
Eric H said...
Yes and that somewhere is a reboot, same characters 100% less lame.
7-02-2008 @ 10:56AM
Riley Freeman said...
Steven Spielberg is my prediction
New actor. Routh has no Charisma hes boring nobody likes him. Superman returns was dull and while it wasnt bad it brought nothing to the table.
While he is not the greatest actor. I still think Smallvile should get the role. hes been in it long enough in some episodes he shows flashes when they make him break out of the boyscott crap. Red kryptonite are the funnest episodes of smallville or whenever Bizarro was there.
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7-02-2008 @ 11:10AM
lainix said...
I'd love to see a Tom Welling Superman Movie. Maybe this is our chance to take Smallville to the Big Screen.
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7-02-2008 @ 11:15AM
ronmoses said...
PLEASE reboot this franchise. This time, try casting adults in the lead roles. Nobody pictures Superman as a fresh-faced 22-year old. Supes is 40+ in the popular consciousness, and no less an ass-kicker for it. He's built like a heavyweight prizefighter, not an Abercrombie & Fitch model. His costume is bright and colorful, and his chest logo is large and flat (and not repeated on his belt buckle). He's not conflicted, he doesn't deal in moral ambiguity, he stands for truth, justice, and the American Way, deal with it.
And no super-children please. Nobody wants that.
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7-02-2008 @ 11:37AM
Sam said...
I wonder how happy all of you are going to be once it turns out that the "very well known American action director" is Brett Ratner, which I will bet money it is.
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7-02-2008 @ 1:33PM
Richard von Busack said...
Brett Ratner? I can beat that. What if it's Michael Bay?
7-02-2008 @ 12:03PM
ILoz Zoc said...
Superman Returns needs to be forgotten and the franchise rebooted by someone who knows the difference between the Superman and Batman dynamic.
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7-03-2008 @ 1:12PM
Mike De Luca said...
Jennifer, Lex Luthor's schemes have always been notably flawed. If you recall, he had previously delved into the real estate business in the original "Superman", when he planned to take out both coastlines by triggering earthquakes, so he could to cash in on newly-created beachfront property. And no one complained about that. Hence, in that regard, "Superman Returns" was merely following a precedent. And RonMoses, Christopher Reeve was not 40 - plus, and he did just fine. Also, the bitching about the "American Way" thing is ridiculous, when one considers Superman's tendency to help others all across the planet.
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7-02-2008 @ 1:34PM
Batzarro said...
I'd rather have Justice League Mortal, but this should be interesting.
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7-02-2008 @ 1:51PM
jenga said...
Superman Returns was a financial success. Mark Miller is just trying to stick to the old uninformed "it didn't make money" quotes and comments to bolster his view point. The fact of the matter is that SR made a handsome profit, especially if you stop trying to add in the cost of the failed (and horrible) earlier superman re-boots with Tim Burton, Nicholas Cage etc.etc. which WB likes to do when the quote the price.
People need to also understand that one way or the other, WB wants young people so they can make sequels so they're not going to cast a mature "Kingdom Come" style Superman.
Finally STOP IT WITH THE SMALLVILLE!!! Please for the love of god, that was an almost alternate reality take on Superman that isn't really true to the character. He's made more palatable and normal and (and boring) so that young adults can relate easier but that isn't what superman is...he's an alien that is trying to be human. Work with the unqiue differences that he has instead of trying to make him more like us.
Superman Returns while not perfect was mature, well done and a little overbloated but very very good. People need to lay off and let Man of Steel go forward.
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7-02-2008 @ 2:03PM
James said...
Yes, ILoz Zoc, you are so right. Sometimes I want to pull my hair out when trying to explain that. I want to scream from the rooftops at those Hollywood idiots "SUPERMAN IS NOT BATMAN!"
All comic book heroes are not alike. What works for one does not work for the other. Superman is the day to Batman's night. He is sunny, warm, and outgoing, where Batman is brooding, cool, and internal. 'Superman Returns' butchered the character and Singer's "geek cred" crashed and burned with his assassination of the biggest superhero of them all. Geeks are ready to dance on his grave if they get a reboot.
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7-02-2008 @ 6:56PM
dukrous said...
Please...no Smallville. I don't want anyone connected to Smallville touching Superman. They've already ruined the character for TV for years to come and all they'll do is ride it into the ground while searching for that elusive mainstream audience.
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7-03-2008 @ 12:46AM
AJ said...
Oh god, please not ratner. The guy already ruined X-Men. Would not mind Michael Bay though.
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7-04-2008 @ 4:08PM
Slappy white said...
Singer has "Geek-Cred" ? Not with Comic Geeks he doesn't. He crapped all over the X-Men and Superman. As someone who has publicly stated that he didn't read superhero comics, never liked the idea of them, why in the hell would anyone trust him with a comic based property? Sure The Usual Suspects and Apt Pupil were great films, and he can go make all of those type of movies he wants. Just stay the hell away from comic characters. Superman is NOT a deadbeat father who would leave the Earth.He would never impregnate a human anyway. He wouldn't do it. End of story. So go ahead and let Singer direct a sequel, you'll see Superman turn gay, confess his loyalty to the communist party and start injecting himself with some Krypto-Heroin!
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7-04-2008 @ 9:59PM
mke78 said...
mark millar's at the top of his game and I'm sure he'll take superman to a seat at the hall of fame of kick ass superhero movies. I just wonder who the villain might be... I'd really love to see a cinematic version of darkseid or Magog. I mean, even mxzptlk but no more luthor and his pathetic vision of ruling over the world without first getting rid of his dumb army! And of you ask me bout the director for this flick I go for mr bay. I mean, look at what he's been doing recently. Or what about the guy of 300?
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7-07-2008 @ 2:59AM
Paul said...
Big name director with some pull at Warner Bros.? Let's see, I guess that would be anybody who recently mad a big budget action flick that made a TON of money.
'Cause that's what it's all about kids. Money. It ain't called 'Show Friends' - it's 'Show BUSINESS'. We can only hope they don't screw it up.
Some suggestions for the reboot:
If you don't keep Routh, get another 'unknown' or a really good indie actor that few have heard of.
You need a villain or circumstances to really 'test' Superman.
Magic and kryptonite are his weaknesses but you really need someone or something to kick the crap out of him and challenge him.
Action, humor and a certain edge seem to make all these other so called 'Superhero' movies go.
Pump it up Warner Bros. Give us a 'Man of Steel' we can be proud of. And one that will fill your coffers with repeat business. It's July 6th and 'Iron Man' has made $310 million domestically.
Time to go to school and learn from that. Just remember, the script is EVERYTHING. Get a story first.
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7-07-2008 @ 11:23PM
Omar said...
SR was a very decent movie. The problem was that the film is almost 3hrs length and just 2 or 3 action scenes, so there is a lot of people who think thats boring.
Bryan Singer and Christopher Nolan are the best directors for comics, they look this movies like something serious, everybody else it's just fun.
(sorry for my english, I'm not used to)
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7-24-2008 @ 8:45AM
Rick said...
Stop saying SR was a (very) decent movie...it wasn't.
the majority of the money steams from the fact that nostalgia brought people into the theatres, if only just out of curiosity and hearing that theme song one last time.
look at indiana jones 4. that movie &^%%^ SUCKED. yet grossed 300 +
you watch how bad SR returns was by releasing a sequel by the same creators that matches the first's quality. you will be left with a most assured flop.
reboot the characters, storyline ala hulk.
throw doomsday in there somehow, and make the story revolve around superman needing to realize that to sav the planet he has to break his one cardnel rule which is, he has to kill his enemy.
revamp the suit to something we are used to in the comics. which means brighter colors, a larger s and a yellow belt buckle.
hire an actor that at least looks like he could be 30...because i want to believe that superman is THE hero that other hero's turn to whn all else fails...a leader.
sooo...dump the sr script, singer, and routh. don't grab from smalleville cast (even though i really liked micheal rosenbaum's lex) maybe plan out a 2-3 part superman series that revolves around the death of superman comic book...
profit.
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