ROTTEN TOMATOES: Bryan Singer, Brandon Routh Leaving Superman Returns Sequel?

Bryan Singer, Brandon Routh Leaving Superman Returns Sequel?

Who's your new Man of Steel?

by Jeff Giles | January 04, 2008

Depending on what week it is, and which rumor you believe, Bryan Singer has either spent the last year and a half preparing to buckle down and get to work on the sequel to Superman Returns, or he's continually put it off in favor of other projects. Well, now we can add a new rumor to the list: Singer won't be directing the sequel at all.

According to Variety's Anne Thompson, "it is highly unlikely" that Singer will direct the Man of Steel's next big-screen adventure, and it's all but set in stone that Justice League of America will reach theaters before the next standalone Superman film:

The next Superman we will see on the big screen will not be Brandon Routh, but a younger Superman among a cast of youthful superheroes in The Justice League. That movie will likely not be shot, however, until after the WGA strike is resolved.

Oh, and speaking of Brandon Routh? According to Latino Review, his spitcurl days are done. The site reports that Routh "will be replaced in the sequel by whomever is cast as Superman in the upcoming Justice League of America movie" -- meaning that if another rumor is correct, Scott Porter (the wheelchair-bound Jason Street from NBC's Friday Night Lights) is Warner Bros.' new Supes.

So, to sum up: Singer's out, Routh's out, and Porter is being handed the keys to the film version of DC's most iconic superhero. And these are all rumors, so we'll probably wind up telling you something completely different six weeks from now. Enjoy 'em while they last!

Source: Variety
Source: Latino Review

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Movie:	Superman Returns
Celeb:	Bryan Singer
	Brandon Routh
	Scott Porter

(1-20 of 122 posts) | Reply

glhxckid writes:
on Jan 04 2008 07:59 AM

this blows. if it's true.

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opTIMus Nerd writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:06 AM

The last Superman movie appeared to be cast with 21 year olds...Younger than that I suppose they should go ahead and make a movie out of Smallville...Or perhaps they can do a superman as a child movie that would be awesome...*sigh*

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The Paki Don writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:06 AM

Sounds like a marketing scheme, where a rumour of the disposal of two big names and, mainly, the reaction of such an action, should either result in fan turmoil, demanding that Singer and Routh be kept or maybe something surprising could happen, like the fans going "good riddance".

Then the studios sit with the tangled web of weavings and figure out the next step.

Devilish, but that's the name of the game. Devilicious. I like that name better.
Could sound like a theme for a restaurant that serves spicy food.

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dahluzz writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:08 AM

Please let this be true. Superman Returns was wiggity-whack.

Seriously, it was pushing three hours and the only action was the plane crash and the bullet hitting superman in the eye, which everyone saw in the commecials. Otherwise, it was pretty much routh and bosworth making doe eyes at eachother and then superman getting his *** handed to him by a bunch of punks who he never got back at. movie was weak.

Singer has so much more to offer than superhero movies. Yes, X2 was good, but think about how his career started. The Usual Suspects is excellent and probably my favorite movie. Do another Chris McQuarrie-written picture and earn back the respect you deserve, Singer. Valkyrie looks pretty cool.

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Elixor writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:10 AM

This is depressing. I actually liked Superman Returns and was really looking forward to the next movie. If they're really replacing Routh with some hack playing Superman in that upcoming disaster of a movie, JLA, then Superman is pretty much dead on the big screen.

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Gimy writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:13 AM

i thought he was ok. people need to realize not every superhero is going to be as well cast as batman(bale) or maybe spiderman. hulk wasn't bad because of bana, and superman wasn't bad BECAUSE of routh. ok, catwoman was sh3t because halle berry but...c'mon. superman returns was just overall bad and wouldn't have worked with anybody really. i thought the entire thing, short of kevin spacey...wasn't up to par. i think kate bosworth(when she actually decides to EAT) is pretty hot but she acted like garbage and wasn't at all entertaining. maybe they should just scrap the thing for awhile until they figure out a better story(which sucked) and a better villian(a regular guy can only do so much against superman, c'mon). i'm anxious for JL though...i think its going to be up with Ghost RIder and Catwoman as most hilarious comic book movie ever.

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dedalus7 writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:17 AM

Replacing Brandon Routh with a younger actor? How much younger can it get? It's called SuperMAN right? Brandon Routh was by far not the thing that was wrong with the movie. The Superman myth needs an update, not a depressingly faithful retreading of the original Donner movie.

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Rockslide writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:19 AM

I'd still rather see Tom Welling do a big budget Superman than anyone else. If they are going to do some young WB model crowd casting, why not use what they already have?

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AlbertBrodsky writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:40 AM

If Tom Welling did a superman movie, he might as well start wearing the blue pajamas under his clothes, and get ready to join the world wrestling circuit when he's fifty. He's a great looking Superman fo sho, and they need some continuity in film, but that WB series is a little too teenage girl drama-ish for my tastes.

Dammit, I really loved Spacey as Lex. They built an entire Metropolis set in Australia for pete's sake. Singer had to mess it all up with his ****ty costume choices, poor casting in Lois Lane, and the addition of a baby mama storyline. Crap.

I like the idea of an older Superman, like the old series from the fifties. Give me a 40 year old superman, big and strapping, a weathered warrior. Make his costume make sense, like it was his Dad's soldier uniform packed away in his spaceship, not some impervious blanket that Martha Kent was able to stick a needle through even though bullets don't seem to. Do it in the 40's when time's were simpler, and a hero like that made sense. Make it avant garde. Hell, get the guy who directed "Sky Captain" to do it, and Superman could fight big evil robots in the time period he was created.

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JpPrewitt789 writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:41 AM

Yeah I've only seen a few episodes of Smallville but Welling seems to do a pretty god job. If they could get a hollywood budget it would probably be pretty cool.

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LordVapor writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:45 AM

Routh was ok as superman. I believe he tried to stay true to Reeve's preformances in the Supes movies we all grew up on. Problem was that the story sucked, and singer turned that movie into another story basically about a gay man being outcast in a society. didnt like the hip hugger undies he was wearing, nor did i approve of them redoing the suit......Leather cape was ok, but no symbol on the back and boots that has his logo on the soles......not like he custom ordered the damn things......sigh.

JLA could be good if they do it right. just so many of the DC movies .....minus Batman Begins....and TDK is going to finally show what the joker is like in the comics.

I don't know what they need to do to fix superman....oh wait, maybe have him fight someone or something that can actually have superman fight it back. i mean for the most part Returns was just like superman one....same kind of action beats in a sense....

save lois from a plane....just like he saved her from the chopper in Superman.
stop lex from messing with the planets real estate structure lol.....just like he stopped cali from falling into the ocean in Superman.

Follow me on this one...

Have him fight Darkseid, or Hell even Doomsday, we would all pay to see something like that.....put the MAN in some real peril....sigh.

Ok i am done venting.

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b_lcky writes:
on Jan 04 2008 08:53 AM

Casting a younger superman is such a great way to lend believability to the franchise. All throughout Superman Returns I was thinking that the characters were way too old. Wait...reverse that. Terrible idea if true.

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EdwardBlake writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:01 AM

I refuse to believe this. Singer saved the franchise from the powerful idiots who wanted to put Superman in a black suit, give him an effeminate robot sidekick, and take away his cape and ability to fly. And Routh brought the look and Midwest understatement the role demanded. This effing Justice League movie is going to take us back to the days of Joel Schumacher.

Save Darkseid and Doomsday for the third movie. The second movie needs Brainiac and some epic battle sequences (think Independence Day, not Spiderman.)

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TombstoneLawDog writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:05 AM

Just to get it out there; I didn't mind SR-- wasn't great, but I liked most of the effects and it was at least pretty consistent, if not slam-bang entertaining.

Having said that, I don't think Routh brought much to the role other than looking respectably like Christopher Reeve. Bosworth was terrible. They wasted Kevin Spacey, which I think was the biggest crime; you have one of todays great actors (who's proven he can do psychopath REALLY well) and you give him one of the iconic villains of American Mythology and then use him for about 15 minutes of sedated footage. LAME.

Here's the thing. Singer should stick around for the second film (though I can understand, in light of the unforgivable, contempt-worthy sh#tstorm that JLA is shaping up to be, if he doesn't want to be involved with this franchise anymore), because for those who remember, he tends to bring the pain on the second round; \ X2 is still considered one of the greatest of the modern superhero movies, and well-deservedly so. Singer should stay if only to remind people that he's THAT guy, who can blow sh#t out on a big-budget actioner and still keep it intelligent. NOTNOTNOT to be confused with Brett Rattner, who shouldn't be allowed to direct traffic in an abandoned village.

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stoober writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:16 AM

i like how on this thread, good movie = superman fighting someone. Whatever happened to good ol' character development and in depth plot? I personally loved superman returns. I thought it was well made, and i couldn't find anything i didn't like about it.

If you just want superman fighting things and explosions, why don't you hire Michael Bay to direct it, then i'm sure you'd be happy.

If Singer or Routh are replaced, i won't see the sequel. And don't get me started on JLA

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Racer Z writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:19 AM

I'm extremely disappointed if this is true. I loved SR and was really looking forward to Singer's next one. JLA on the other hand, ugh...

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Uradik Smoke writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:21 AM

As i have said for the past 2 years , I generally dis-liked Superman Returns and what Singers vision of this "New" Superman was. I feel he strayed to far from the comics and added alot of touchy, feely family oriented story that should no have been there ...

So to hear he is possibly "Out" of the next Superman Flick makes me do a little dance inside and cheer , who could replace him ? No idea really , but maye someone who can have a great vision of Superman but keep with the ideology of the comics ...

If Routh is out and Porter is in i think this is a step backwards for the franchise , from a young Superman to an even Younger Superman , I am ok with Porter in JLA since that movie is going to crash and burn so badly that we will forget he ever exsisted cuz it seems more and more that they are planning to make a Teenage Dramedy JLA instead of what the JLA really is ...

While Routh didnt knock my socks off as Superman he did a better job than i expected and i would like to see him get another shot at a Singerless Superman movie , one where he has less family drama to worry about and more A$$ kicking ...

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Mackey23 writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:25 AM

Good. Singer is a fine director (X-Men 2 and The Usual Suspects) but Superman Returns was terrible. One of the longest, lamest superhero movies in recent memory. Also, Routh can't act and is just...lame.

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Shadowflare writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:34 AM

I wasn't the biggest fan of SR, but it was a good movie, that I will not argue, and certainly the best Superman movie since the first one. If Singer and Routh are out, they've already killed the very franchise they spent 20 years trying to resurrect.
I'm not a big Smallville fan at all, but it would at least make sense to have Welling star as the character he's given several years of his life to. But not even that would save the sequel as I would expect some Ratner-esque hack to take over the reigns, which is oddly what they were going to do for SR before Singer stepped in.

JLA needs to be boycotted not only by comic fans, but those who enjoy good movies in general. I would love to see WB take a major financial hit on this travesty. Maybe that will finally knock some sense into them.

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arendr writes:
on Jan 04 2008 09:38 AM

I didn't like Superman Returns very much, but replacing Brandon Routh is a pretty bad idea. I thought he worked perfectly for Singer's homage to Reeve. I don't really care that Singer is gone, because I only really like The Usual Suspects out of his movies. But replacing Routh isn't a good idea because it will confuse the hell out of people. He's the new face of Superman. Talk about a mixed-message.

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