Where is Warner Bros Going With Superman?
Filed under: Action, Warner Brothers, RumorMonger, Scripts, Newsstand, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
As our Erik Davis reported over the weekend, Warner Bros and DC Comics are in the midst of rehashing their strategy, opting for the slow and steady route. But there's one franchise that has his "reinvention" movie, as it were: Superman. Word is, Warner Bros is utterly torn as to what to do with him.Variety's Anne Thompson reports that the studio is really taking their time in deciding what to do, and how Bryan Singer will play into it. At this point, despite all the rumors and excited quotes from Singer, no one is working on a Superman script.
Surprisingly, they're with the majority of fans on this one, and feel that the movie didn't revive the character the way they wanted, or the way they know it can be done. (You really have changed things, Christopher Nolan.) Thompson was told that the studio is making the Man of Steel a top priority -- and if Singer is willing "to go in the right direction," they'll keep him, if not, he's off the property. One executive freely admitted that "it might be better to start from scratch."
Remember, Mark Millar and a "big name action director" who had connections at Warner Bros were readying themselves to make a Superman pitch. Millar claimed the world would know by December. Given that such sharks are circling, I won't be surprised if Warners does start from scratch. I'm as perplexed as anyone as to where Singer can go from Superman Returns. For a healthy franchise, they're going to have to reboot, and leave Returns in that misty category of a Donner long delayed sequel.
What do you think? Reboot or continue Singer's storyline?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
8-19-2008 @ 9:34AM
Kevin said...
I'm not sure if you have to do either/or here. Singers Superman isn't pigeonholed into a set storyline for the next movie. For example, imagine that Batman Begins had been terrible (I know its a stretch, but go with me on this). If that had been the case they would have been trapped for the sequel because it HAD to have the Joker in it due to the way they ended the movie. Superman Returns had no such foreshadowing, so they can take the franchise wherever they want. They've established the main players and they're relationship to one another, so now they just need to have a movie with a little bit more action to it and a little less nostalgia. Having said that, if they do decide to go in another direction I wouldn't expect to see anyone crying over the news.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 9:34AM
Mike said...
Reboot.
Singer's film was not a bad movie for the Superman series, it was a bad movie period.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 9:55AM
Erik Sagen said...
Agreed.
Superman needs a major reset like Batman.
While I thought the most recent movie was decent it wasn't up to par with quality of Batman Returns or The Dark Knight.
8-19-2008 @ 9:39AM
ronmoses said...
Start from scratch, boys. Cast *adults* as Superman and Lois, this time, and no super-babies, please. Thank you.
@Kevin: I disagree about a follow-up to SR not being pigeonholed. What about the kid? No way to do a sequel to that film without spending an awful lot of time on Kal-El's baby-daddy issues. Emphasis on "awful".
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 9:45AM
Alex said...
Singer's movie wasn't the "be all end all" reboot that was first reported. All he did was update Superman The Motion Picture for today's audience. The scene where Superman rescues the airplane was the only true scene that reflected the Superman from the comics and the newer animated series (S:TAS and Justice League). The rest of the movie made Superman into Hancock minus the drinking. Reboot the plot but still have a wink or two back at the Donner films. Smallville has some plot issues but overall they captured Lex Luthor perfectly. Don't make him the main bad guy but allow him to be the hidden factor behind the robberies or attacks toward Superman. As for actors, keep BR as he nailed being both Clark Kent and Superman.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 8:26PM
Brandon Barbin said...
Totally agree
8-19-2008 @ 9:48AM
Batzarro said...
I would rather they forget the first movie and go with a reboot. I don't see how it could go into any direction worth talking about. Specially since it's Superman, and we don't need no stinkin' origin story. Although, scratch that, an origin would be better than trying to tie up that stuff in SR.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 9:51AM
Mr. R said...
Only way this can work is if studios stop treating us like we never
heard of Superman before. We know he came from Krypton, that he isaffected by Kryptonite, that he already beat the one and only LexLuthor, Gene Hackman. Enough with the foster parents and Kansas, let us havesome Doom vs. Superman over Metropolis and a cool love affair withLoise. Is that too much to ask?
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 9:54AM
Ed said...
"Start from scratch, boys. Cast *adults* as Superman and Lois,"
Agreed. Brandon Routh was okay - he did capture a fair amount of Christopher Reeve, but Kate Bosworth was just plain awful. And the plotting/screenplay was also terrible. Give us a Superman film to be proud of, not the trumped-up turkey we were given. New director!
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 10:39AM
JP said...
Couldn't agree more with your opinion on Bosworth. Not only was she bad, she was miscast. Lois Lane is not Sandra Dee. They need to find an actress that can believably play a jaded reporter that betrays her sensibilities by falling head over heels for Superman.
8-19-2008 @ 10:00AM
MDR said...
Reboot, sort of. Everyone knows Superman's origins, so they just need to remove him from the Donner/Singer universe and establish him in another. I think they could use this new start for more mature Superman stories and also as a launch for a JLA film. I'd like to see them adapt "The Death of Superman" as a JLA film, which would introduce an established JLA team fighting alongside Superman and dealing with the aftermath of his death. Then have a Superman Reborn or Man of Steel movie to bring Superman back. Plus, I think they should use Tom Welling.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 10:10AM
Victor said...
Agreed. Reboot the franchise. The entire range of Superman's heroics in "Superman Returns" consisted of catching or lifting things. Yawn. (although catching the airplane WAS awesome). He needs to fight someone who is his equal.
Plus, the only thing more boring than "The Phantom Menace" being a fight over trade routes was Lex Luthor's big plan (again) to be about a real estate deal. I'm worried a Singer sequel would be about investments. "Kneel before the power of my 401K!"
However, I did really like Brandon Routh. I'd keep him if it could be done without being confusing to the public. But a true reboot will need yet another Super-actor to go with the fifty or so that have played him over the past two decades.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 10:14AM
Victor said...
I still like my idea of rebooting/re-introducing Superman by making him the antagonist in Batman 3.
Have him come to Gotham to help hunt down the "villainous" Batman. They get their stuff sorted out by the end, but until then, it's a tense game of cat and mouse as Batman has to stay one step ahead of Superman using all of his knowledge of Gotham City, while at the same time trying to learn all he can about Superman and discovering his weaknesses, if any. A "Dark Knight Returns" -style ending with a Kryptonite-bathed fistfight would be awesome.
Then you can send Superman back to Metropolis as the star of his own film.
Can you think of any better way to re-introduce a new Superman than by putting him in the sequel to the second-biggest movie of all time. After this, people will be hungering for a new Superman film, which will have to be titled "Man of Steel"
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 10:39AM
Tony said...
This will never happen, but it would definitely top TDK.
8-19-2008 @ 1:47PM
Mr. R said...
Batman is all real and Superman is over the top fantasy. Two things that mixed would block each other out. This will never happen, at least not while Nolan is the Batman helmer.
8-19-2008 @ 4:07PM
gepinniw said...
Great ideas! Write the script, Victor.
8-20-2008 @ 3:36AM
John said...
Movie tie-ins can be really exciting, but in this case, Batman fans would feel cheated. Plus, isn't there rumors out there of Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing the Penguin?
I also agree that Superman's world and Nolan's world just don't mesh.
8-19-2008 @ 10:15AM
Astin said...
I liked the Singer version, from the opening credits on I felt like I was a kid again. Yah, Bosworth was a poor Lois, and the kid was more of a "well, they had sex in 2, and there could be a kid, and he'd be half Kryptonian" thought process instead of "if they have a kid, where do I go from there?"
I think Singer should helm a sequel. Look how he improved X-Men 2 over the first in that series. The guy knows how to fix his mistakes.
Besides, I fear for a reboot. Remember how long it took to get Returns made? Remember the possible changes? Black suit? Robot? Superman's mid-life crisis with Nick Cage as the man of steel???? You just KNOW Brett Ratner, Michael Bay, or Roland Emmerich would want in and destroy the film.
That or they'd go "dark" with it, thinking "it worked for Batman!" Which would be so very wrong for Supes.
Reply
8-19-2008 @ 11:08AM
eugene said...
The problem with the super kid... is well, lois' reaction to the super kid.
Yes, they had sex... sex which nearly gave lois a breakdown by the end of the movie, sex which Superman erased from her memory... So Lois has no idea that they had sex.
And yet in Superman Returns, she doesn't seem surprised in the slightest.
Superman Returns wasn't a reboot, it was a flawed but loving homage to the first movie with nods to the second movie. So while I actually enjoyed the film, count me in on the list of people who think the franchise needs a proper reboot. New actors, new director, new direction.
8-19-2008 @ 10:20AM
The Pepto Pimp said...
Reboot.
Here's the recipe I like:
1) Don't even hire anyone who's seen any other Superman movies. As a matter of fact, don't hire anyone who's ever seen any Richard Donner or Bryan Singer movie. Ignorance will = viewer (and box office) bliss.
2) Follow Christopher Nolan's belief of substance over style. Think about it, without the Tumbler or the Batpod both films would work just fine. If you build real characters (not 2D Bryan Singer cutouts) and put them in real (but extraordinary) situations, you'll create real drama and something that people will actually watch. Superman 3.0's writers, producers and directors should read Joseph Conrad instead of watching Brett Ratner.
3) Don't try to make the end-all, be-all comic book movie. In fact, don't even try to make a comic book movie. Don't try to be the #1 summer film or a shoe-in at the Oscars. Focus on making the best film you can. Don't get caught in the hype. Just try to make a good movie. Hire a some European or Asian filmmakers who don't understand hype and don't give give a fuck about "Hollywood" to make your movie. These are people who have broken the golden triangle, they can make movies Fast, Cheap AND Good.
Okay, I'm starting to get carried away, and this had become a rant.
I apologize.
Reply