Superman Update. No News Is No News
By George 'El Guapo' Roush on August 19, 2008
Anne Thompson's blog has an update on a sequel to Superman Returns. The update is, there really is no update:

The debate continues to rage about what Warner Bros. should do with Superman. The last movie, Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, paid hommage to the Richard Donner Superman movies without completely updating the franchise the way Christopher Nolan did with Batman Begins.

Fans have been clamoring all over the web--and on this blog--for a complete reboot. And within the halls of Warner Bros. the same debate rages on. They too believe that the last movie didn't break the mold and wound up in some kind of middle limbo. Today I was told that it is a priority at the studio to find the right direction and if Bryan Singer is willing to do that, fine, but if he gets in the way, he may not stay on the project. There are no writers working on a Superman script now. The studio wants to figure it out. "It might be better to start from scratch," one exec admitted.


Remember that scene in Superman III when Superman was dark and evil and got drunk, flung peanuts at bottles in the bar, then flew to an auto junkyard and fought his other half, Clark Kent? Right now Warner Brothers is acting like the drunk Superman. Not sure what they're doing, or which way to go.

The public isn't sure either. Some liked Superman Returns, others hated it. Some like Routh, others hated him. The reason there's so much debate is because Superman has been around since our grandparents were growing up. He's an icon and certainly the most difficult superhero to do onscreen.

I don't know if they need to start from scratch though. I thought Routh was an excellent choice and you really can't go wrong with Bryan Singer as a director. Just get a good script, maybe tackle the Doomsday storyline or something. Long as it isn't Lex Luthor as the villain I think Superman still has a chance to fly one more time.

One thing is clear, Warner Brothers needs to figure it all out and get the Man of Steel going again.

What do you guys think? Comment below or e-mail this superfreak: george@latinoreview.com


Source: Trades
Tags: Superman: Man of Steel, News
Comments
Isn't it obvious?
Commented By: Fawst on 2008-08-19 13:44:58
SUPERMAN SUCKS. That's why they can't make a decent movie. It's not like he has compelling villains to go up against, and the best one (Luthor) has been beaten like a dead horse by professional dead horse beaters on dead horse beating day. Ok, Brainiac. Darkseid. WHO? The public don't know who those guys are, and they unfortunately can't make very good "real world" versions of them like Batman Begins/TDK did with Scarecrow, Ras and Joker. And they certainly can't come close to the brilliance that was Two Face. So forget this, just let it die.
Superman can be saved
Commented By: Alberto Davizón on 2008-08-19 13:56:17
Its urgent to take out Luthor!!! I don't want to see him again. Its necessary to bring some enemies from outer space...
Isn't it obvious?
Commented By: DrMalo on 2008-08-19 14:02:30
Fawst sucks! Superman needs to be really crazy after he discovers that his son isn't real and it's a Mr. Mxyztplk creation. It's the only way to do a sequel to Superman Returns. Keep Brainiac and destroy Metropolis!
Bald Man
Commented By: Seymour Clearly on 2008-08-19 14:37:00
If you want to have a bald man in another Superman movie leave out Lex Luthor and put in Nick Cage without his toupee. I personally think that Superman needs a good supervillain and not the same tired Luthor stuff.
Superman v. Batman
Commented By: Supermanfan1 on 2008-08-19 14:51:13
You want a good Superman movie, how about SUPERMAN v. BATMAN, Nolan directs with maybe Singe as ASSOC DIECTOR, then you work into Justice League
I did not care about Superman Returns!
Commented By: FORSAKEN on 2008-08-19 15:02:11
What happens is that everyone forgot what superman really represents and Bryan Singer was not able to make us care about Superman. I did not like the movie because it was not able to make me care. The writers and the director should be able to understand what Superman really stands about and make the movie in a way that people can understand and care about. Batman Begins/TDK director was able to do it. We cared about the caracters and we were able to understand what they were facing in lifes and why they act and changed the way they did.
Just make the sequel
Commented By: WhiteEyes on 2008-08-19 15:11:36
I really liked Superman Returns, Brandon Routh as Superman and Bryan Singer as director. All the next movie needs a better script, more action (but still a great story), and different villians.
ttank
Commented By: tank on 2008-08-19 16:19:40
How about Thor or the Flash?Superman has OD'd...Let the dead R.I.P.

Commented By: The Man With No Name on 2008-08-19 16:48:48
I'd really like to see Routh continue on in the role as well as Singer. I really want to see where the story goes from here but as someone below said it needs a bit more action with a good story. I want to see Superman be SUPERMAN. I don't want to see him sulking over things anymore. I look at the DC animated movies and Superman is a badass in it. What I absolutely 100% DO NOT want to see is a reboot. Nobody needs to see another origin story of Superman. We seen it over and over and everyone knows enough about it to not need to tell it again. A good example is kind of like in the Incredible Hulk movie they didn't go back and bother us with another origin, because basically everyone knows what's going on.
Superman Reboot!!!
Commented By: Brian on 2008-08-19 17:39:38
I am ready for a Superman reboot. They should even change the suite a little bit, the underwear over the spandex doesn't work today; keep the red, blue and yellow and Cape but change design. We need to have Lex like he is in the cartoons and even on Smallville, an evil Billionaire with a master plan to put Superman out of business. I say include villains like Braniac, Metallo and Doomsday. They should even have a Superman fight seen, where he doesn't get beat up and let him even have some fighting skills. They could even do tie ins from other DC superheros to start the justice league like what marvel is doing. Bring in a Martian Manhunter or Wonder Woman and just build it out. Keep Singer away from Superman, yeah he likes the 70's stuff, but lets get a director that can handle a real fight seen.

Commented By: Carl on 2008-08-19 17:41:11
If they want a reboot, they're free to use my script: http://www.mediafire.com/?y10rgngwtmx

Commented By: garzo on 2008-08-19 19:49:55
If done right, Luthor can be a great character. The problem is he's been done to death on Smallville and Kevin Spacey's take was severely lacking. I'd much rather see the demented but genius scientist rather than the corporate CEO Luthor. He can be a xenephobe, trying to continually warn mankind of the dangers this alien being poses, and always coming up with ways of framing him for catastrophes he himself creates. If they stick to the same old Hackman version, or do a Luthor Corp., thing, then forget it. We don't need Luthor Corp. Lets see Luthor as an American terrorist committing crimes against humanity in order to protect humanity from an alien. Sort of like the Lex on Superman All Star.
smatt584
Commented By: mathew schueller on 2008-08-19 21:20:16
Why the hell didn't WB pull the plug on Superman Returns when they were handed the script? Tho whole thing is just a forgettable, cliched piece of shit, albeit a pretty one thanks to Singer. You should not be bored watching a superhero movie. The whole Richard Donner template needs to be burned and filed away as the dated pulp-culture film iconography that it is. Do you see Nolan squeezing Prince songs into his Batman films? You are not Richard Donner, this is not the eighties, go back to the source material and find your own take on the character. Enough with the Goddamn Donner hero-worship. Screw the theme song, screw 3-d credits, and especially screw the supertoddler. Why in the unholy flying fuck did they screw up this franchise with something so overly used as the "introduce a kid in the sequel" plot trap. And now the same bullshit with Hellboy 2? Christ, what's with the talented directors fucking up successful franchises like this? My inexperienced advice is to kill the kid and, hell, why not Kill superman. Set up the Doomsday, world without a superman, multiple supermen, and return of superman in two or three movies and finally start to kick some serious ass. Other than that, I would love to offer up some friendly amateur tips as to how they can continue on after SR, but with all the crap that they've introduced into this movies, i don't see any way that they can do Superman justice other than rebooting the franchise with a serious bang. That's too bad too, because the casting was the only thing that i really liked about SR, but they did it with Marvel, maybe it will work for DC too. (perhaps they could get away with making his son superboy in the Multiple supermen plotline and maybe just tack it onto SR as a sequel with superboy's origin being the only other key character in the Superman universe being raped by the studio machine.)
create a WB comics division
Commented By: reddog on 2008-08-19 21:51:13
The whole problem is that Warner is relying on one individual who acts as a liason between their comic division and their other entertainment divisions. What they need is someone who is more involved in the creative process of the source material. Why not set up Bruce Timm and everyone involved in creating the Batman and Justice League Unlimited animated series in a capacity similar to what Marvel is doing. Who else is more qualified in making comic stories more palatable to the masses. They did it successfully for a decade. They could be mining the past 20 years of stories to create entertaining and fantastic screen plays. Just let them loose on Green Lantern and they could make the Sinestro Corp/Darkest Night plot line that is presently being followed in the comics today work as a galactic terrorism/war scenario. It would be a spectacular story.
CURSE OF REEVE!
Commented By: Jonathan on 2008-08-19 21:55:02
I truly fell asleep during Superman Returns. I don't need to get into how awful the hero was cast. I wonder if Mr. Reeve was insulted by such an awful, boring film. May he curse any sequels that may come into our future.
it's their own fault...
Commented By: carg0 on 2008-08-20 00:50:24
Superman Returns wasn't a horrible movie, it just wasn't a particularly good one. but coupled with huge expectations and an equally large budget, you can't blame moviegoers and fans alike for hating it. (ok, the poor casting and horrible dialouge didn't help, either.) it's a reflection of just how important the Superman legacy is. But if you really want to blame someone you needn't look any further than the WB execs. it's their own fault for approving the half-assed idea of making it a sequel to a movie that came out almost 30 years ago. it was honestly one of the dumbest things i've ever heard of in my life after reading the synopsis. i knew instantly it was going to be either mediocre or a bomb while polarizing everyone in the process. now they don't know what the hell to do because they're stuck with Singer and one more 'Superman Returns' could damage the franchise irreparably. i think they should retcon 'Returns' entirely. meaning drop Singer, Routh and that ridiculous story and do what they should have done from the start and completely remake Superman. and, for the love of god, at least TRY to let it stand on it's own like 'Batman Begins' was allowed to.
Superman Reboot
Commented By: yes on 2008-08-20 09:24:19
Yeah, they need to reboot the franchise again since they screwed the character in Returns ... no choice. I liked Brandon Routh, but his performance wasn't memorable AT ALL (James Marsden had better acting scenes than Brandon ... yes, it's sad, but maybe it was the director), and if he is still part of this project, people will still associate the 1st film to the reboot ... not much of a reboot at that pt. Get rid of the kid plotline, get a feisty, charismatic, and sexy Lois with some personality and acting skills (not Kate Bosworth), stop with f-ing god comparisons, get a new Luthor (secondary villian) who is a brilliant (not comical) scientist/ruthless businessman/master strategist with aspirations to become the president of the United States (have him win at the end of the movie ... Luthor beats Superman with his mind and cunning, not with brawn), stop with the Donner-worship, give a nod to the John Williams theme (but add a entirely new, memorable/defining, and awesome theme ... they were able to do it with Batman), show the origin story again in a interesting and fresh manner (ala Batman Begins), use Brainiac as the main villian (see JL Unlimited for ideas) with Darkseid introduced/hinted at the end (ala Joker at the end of Batman Begins), include Legion of Superheros in the origin story, give a nod to General Zod and crew (cause they're awesome), show Krypton in all it's glory, add Mercy as luthor's right hand, give a nod to Nolan's Batman and other DC heroes like Wonder Woman (ala what Marvel is doing), show a super-advanced Fortress of Solitude (stop with the ice tech already ... it doesn't look advanced, beautiful, or interesting anymore), give a nod to Smallville (but don't worry about getting all the storylines to mesh), keep the morale core of Superman intact (it's a unique characteristic when compared to other heroes ... that's why he and Batman clashes so much), showoff the awesome strength and powers (plural) of Superman ... this should help with the wow factor, new director? I don't know ... maybe Singer can do it with a great story/script and some inspiration and desperation, nod to Supergirl (very minor story point ... think fleshed-out 3D world), have kickass action (think Superman 2, animated series, Transformers, Independence Day, etc. ... think big, my god ... it is a freakin Superman movie!), shoot it in IMAX (man, after DK, all movies should be shot in IMAX), push the limits of FX, and keep Lois and Clark apart romantically...always.No Doomsday please ... he is one of the most uninteresting characters ever created. What happens after Superman's death was more interesting. With such a rich history with the comics, animated series, movies, etc., there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON they cannot come up with a rich and interesting 3D world/storyline for Superman.
Superman Begins
Commented By: Louie on 2008-08-20 10:43:18
WB should reboot the franchise ala "Batman". The problem with "Superman Returns" was a bad script, awful story and terrible casting. The dumb twat (Kate Bosworth) that played Lois Lane was awful, Spacey was plain (just collecting a paycheck) but, I do have to say the Routh wasn't that bad. The WB needs hit the delete button on Bryan Singer and reboot the franchise with another director that has that "Chris Nolan" Vision of "Batman". Take some chances on new or different directors (David Fincher, Zach Snyder, Ridley Scott). This could be the last chance Warner Brothers might have in recreating a successfull Superman movie series.
Casting
Commented By: Fontez on 2008-08-20 11:51:14
I've always said this and I'll say it again... ERIC BANA AS SUPERMAN GOD DAMMIT !!
DEATH OF SUPERMAN?
Commented By: ALBERTO on 2008-08-20 17:24:40
BRANDON ROUTH WASN'T BAD AT ALL ,THE MOVIE HAD IT'S GOOD POINTS(MUSIC-REVISITED,PLANE SCENE,SUPERBOY STORYLINE.)BUT HAD ALOT OF SMELLY FARTS AS WELL(KATE BOSWORTH WAS WORSE THAN KATIE HOLMES!,LEX LUTHER WAS BLAH,AND PARKER POSEY WAS A TOTAL MESS!) SINGER DID PAY HUGE RESPECT TO THE 80'S VERSION BUT WE NEED SERIOUS UPDATING ON THE NEXT ONE! BACK TO KRYPTON AND PLUG SOME OTHER D.C. CHARACTERS AS WELL
YAY!!!!!!!
Commented By: Demorgan on 2008-08-21 17:19:31
I think that they should have superman played by Obama and have someone fu*&ing in the assetts..like a gay pirate as the villian...Let superman suck on Jimmy's c"l"ock as he gives him the reach around that warner has given us..
The Villains and the Story
Commented By: John on 2008-12-28 15:53:15
"Ok, Brainiac. Darkseid. WHO? public don't know who those guys are" Not many people knew about Scarecrow or Ra's Al Ghul in Batman Begins still an awesome film though. Batman is the ideal character to make a "real world" film about, Superman can't really do that because of all the powers. Again like with Batman, Gotham was on the edge of destroying itself. Metropolis should be a city that is not yet the pinnacle of human civilization, and the inspiration from Superman develops throughout the movie. This would be also how the villains develop into Superman's enemies. Lex Luthor can be the villain, but he can't be a criminal like Gene Hackman or Kevin Spacey. He has to be much like the Smallville Luthor. As for the alien enemies they would be very welcome on the screen but it can't be random there has to be mentions of them at the start and progressively more referred to until they confront superman e.g. Doomsday should be mentioned as an ancient experiment when Kal-el is on Krypton and at the end of the movie superman sees his silhouette or something" not saying it should happen like that but have some similarities to the original comics. Superman should definitely not be as powerful as he has become of late. Flying is allowed, only as fast as a speeding bullet not as fast as light! He can still be very strong, again to a point. Superman is hard enough to make believeable! Titles of the film similar to the batman reboot: Superman Origins and the sequel The Man of Tomorrow