Superman Tagged Articles at Cinematical

Today's pitch is sort of a last chance grab at any possibility of Warner Bros. not rebooting the Superman franchise yet again and instead letting Bryan Singer, or someone else, simply move forward from the underrated Superman Returns. I'm sure to be in my own boat here, especially since all the geeks are celebrating Christopher Nolan's reported involvement with version 3.0 of the superhero on film (if we're talking theatrical releases, isn't this version 5.0? And if we're talking all adaptations it's like version 10.6.2). Still, I'm going to once again make the case for...

Superman Returns 2

Of course it wouldn't be titled that. What an awkward title. But my point is that I'd like to see Singer's installment get a follow-up rather than another reboot. As I noted in my take on the pseudo Mr. & Mrs. Smith reboot yesterday, and as some commenters agreed, sequels are usually more desirable than reboots. I know, go on about Nolan's Batman franchise reboot. Well, a sequel can go in a new direction, too, without the lame connotations of a reboot. Or, it can be a combo like Singer's movie was. Superman Returns continued the original Superman series while also rebooting it. I'll admit I'm a wee bit torn on the idea, as I'd like to see Brandon Routh return but I could certainly do without Kate Bosworth -- though, if Nolan can switch it up with the female lead in his Batman films, they can do it with this, as well.

It's a bird, it's a plane ... it's Warner Bros. asking Christopher Nolan to pretty please resurrect their Superman franchise and do something cool with it! According to Deadline Hollywood, Nolan has been asked to come in and sort of "mentor" the next Superman movie, and it won't be a sequel to Superman Returns, but instead the beginning of a brand new franchise. Furthermore, DH says Nolan probably won't direct -- especially since David Goyer, Jonah Nolan and Chris Nolan are all busy planning and writing the next Batman installment as we speak -- so what will he do, exactly, when it comes to the new Superman? That's not clear yet, and DH stresses that the film is still in its real early stages of development (ahem, I think they're bringing him in to lay the groundwork for a Justice League movie, but we'll see ...)

Still, knowing Nolan is somehow involved in the rebirth of Superman should at the very least breathe some excited life into a franchise that a lot of folks have kinda lost faith in because, let's face it, the fans feel Warner Bros. had lost faith in it, too. One insider told DH, "We know what we don't want to do. But we don't know what we want to do. We learned a lot from the last movie, and we want to get it right this time." Obviously Nolan has success in rebooting a DC Comics franchise, as evidenced by the work he's done with Batman. But Superman is a different beast all together, and one imagines they'll start with trying to ground the franchise a bit more with a freakier set of villains and perhaps a more relatable, down-to-earth storyline. Not that we need Clark Kent making MySpace references for 120 minutes, but I could see them focusing more on the burden Superman is carrying -- that "weight of the world" angle -- and less on his little romance with Lois Lane.

What do you think? What would you like to see them do with the new Superman?

Hollyscoop reports that country music star Taylor Swift is in talks to headline a planned Supergirl reboot at Warners. An unnamed insider states, "A number of young stars are being mentioned for the title role in a Supergirl movie and possible TV spin-off and Taylor is top of that list. She has all the right elements to be a positive role model to..." -- YO, TAYLOR. I"M REALLY HAPPY FOR YOU. I'MMA LET YOU FINISH, BUT BATGIRL IS ONE OF THE GREATEST SUPERHEROES OF ALL TIME.

Do I personally believe that Warner Brothers is launching a new Supergirl film? No. If they were looking to reboot a Kryptonian, it would be Superman, and at this point there's no forward momentum on new Superman movies. Hollyscoop's unnamed source sounds like internet rumor-milling at its most obvious. Swift has the right look for the part, but any fanboy worth their salt can play "cast the superhero" all day; it doesn't make it a reality.

If cast, Swift would be filling in the red boots once worn by Helen Slater in 1984's much-maligned live-action version of the DC Comics character. You can watch the trailer for the original Supergirl film after the jump.

Everyone tries to make their wedding stand out from all the rest, especially when you're a movie geek. At my own wedding, for example, I had our band play "Earth Angel" and "Johnny B. Goode" back-to-back at midnight in honor of the 50th anniversary of the day that Marty McFly first traveled back in time to (my wedding took place on November 4th, 2005). It was cute and nostalgic, and my lady didn't have a problem with that small little nod to one of my favorite movies of all time during what was perhaps the most important night of her life.

But then you get the folks who take things one giant step further. Like The Burgers, who during their wedding this past May, found their reception interrupted by a certain Superman villain named General Zod. Fortunately for us this awkward, embarrassing interlude was caught on tape -- and subsequently uploaded to YouTube -- so that we could all enjoy watching these people make complete fools out of themselves. Luckily for those in attendance, after what seems like an eternity of General Zod yelling "Kneel before Zod", the groom (as Superman) busts in to save the day. And the bride? Well she makes an appearance at the end (looking somewhat surprised and baffled by the whole thing), and, well, let's just hope for his sake she didn't immediately ask the dude to sign divorce papers.

Watch the video after the jump, if only to learn what NOT to do at your wedding.

I was always intrigued by the notion of Nicolas Cage as Superman. It seemed insane, but possibly brilliant, especially in a time before the craptastic fare that Cage has busied himself with recently. But man, if the above image is legit, we dodged the biggest bullet ever. Tim Burton JP revealed the above stunner, which is supposed to be one of Cage's costume tests for the production. It looks one teeny tiny degree away from rubber nipples. So much for my visions of Cage in stretchy cotton!

As IGN outlined, the Warner Bros. production of Superman Lives was gearing up back in the late '90s, with Cage playing Supes, and Tim Burton directing from a screenplay by Kevin Smith (that was rewritten by Wesley Strick). But the budget was expanding out of control, and after concept art and costumes were designed, the project was scrapped (Hallelujah!) and ultimately reworked into the less-than-stellar Superman Returns many years later.

I love the Burton, but he really would've rivaled Joel Schumacher for ridiculous superhero costumes if this made it to the big screen. Could this possibly be real? Could you have stomached Superman donning a cape and faux-muscled body suit?

A little more than a year after Warner Bros announced they were rebooting Superman, they've decided to quietly shelve the Man of Steel for the time being. DC Entertainment's new president Diane Nelson told the MTV Splash Page that the fledgling company wasn't planning to revive the character or his franchise any time soon. "We've obviously done a lot of great things behind the property in our history, and it's a key part of the family, but we don't have current plans behind Superman," says Nelson.

Considering the legal entanglements and 2011 deadlines, that's really not much of a surprise. When Warner Bros' president Alan Horn was called to the stand in the Siegel case, he said there were no plans for another film despite how much he'd like to make one. Of course, things could change today or tomorrow if someone at DCE or Warner Bros decides they don't want to risk another lawsuit with the Siegels, as the ruling stipulated they could sue for damages if the studio failed to get a film underway.

I know a lot of Superman fans really wanted another movie (and somewhere, Mark Millar is weeping), but I think this is good news in the long run. They won't rush a bad film into production, and when they revive the character, it'll be with every intention of bringing him to a new generation of fans. However, let's have a moment of silence for the fact that we won't see Jon Hamm put on the cape and shield. I really really liked that piece of fan casting.

We've been pretty hard around here on a certain movie with adamantium claws. Yes, whenever I'm reminded of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which comes out on DVD and Blu-ray today, I wish I had been shot with amnesia bullets. Still, I appreciated Hugh Jackman's determined efforts to stay out of the damn costume. Whenever Wolverine has donned a uniform in the previous X-Men flicks, he looks like he can't wait to rip it off. In his natural state, as the wandering, memory-challenged Logan, he repels latex like Congress repels taxpayers.

Most actors quickly declare that the biggest challenge in superhero movies is the costume: how to avoid looking sheepish or silly while wearing a form-fitting, custom-made suit that may reveal more than most of us are willing to bare at the beach? With advanced, super-realistic, computerized special effects and ripped body / stunt doubles available as needed, though, I think the bigger challenge lies in bringing the secret identities of superheroes to life: all those moments when supposedly normal people are leading supposedly "normal" lives.

Who, then are the most convincing superheroes without costumes? What actors and actresses have made you believe that their very human characters on screen could transform into larger-than-life heroes and/or heroines with a quick dash into a phone booth? Mind you, I'm not just talking Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen ...

1. Famke Janssen as Jean Gray in X-Men
She cuts a fine figure, doesn't she? Famke Janssen is undoubtedly sexier than Wolverine when they both suit up, yet she really shines whenever she's using her brain -- which is all the time. She doesn't need the costume to be one of the smartest, most empathetic, and most lethal people, in the universe.

Now that our Superhero Tournament is nearing the home stretch, I've been looking at some of the 'losers' and thinking about all the costumed heroes that have fallen by the wayside over the years. But then I remembered that reboot fever is alive and well in Hollywood, and the latest victim is Todd McFarlane, who's apparently working on a new Spawn script according to various reports. (But isn't he always working on a new Spawn script?)

Considering how beloved Spawn is in the world of comic books, it really is a shame that he wound up with such a crappy movie -- and if the Rotten Tomatoes rating is any indication, time has not improved this flick in the eyes of fans. Luckily for us then that McFarlane will be starting from scratch, and by the sounds of things, thankfully, there will be far fewer fart jokes. McFarlane told Coming Soon's sources, "The story has been in my head for 7 or 8 years. The movie idea is neither a recap or continuation. It is a standalone story that will be R-rated. Creepy and scary."

McFarlane has only just started writing, so it could be some time before we see a finished product -- but, when we do, it's going to be a brand new Spawn. McFarlane told CS, "the tone of this 'Spawn' movie will be for a more older audience. Like the film 'Departed.'" Okay, that might be a bit of a strange comparison, but then again, I'm all for taking superheroes a little more seriously.

After the jump: the five 'masked avengers' I think deserved better on the big screen...