Let’s hope Mark Millar sticks around the movie business for many years, and not only because the guy gives great quotes. With the adaptation of his Wanted comics raking in considerable bank and an adaptation of Kick-Ass on the way from director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake), Millar is not allowing a Superman Returns revamp to vanish from his broadening Hollywood map. In fact, in this latest candid interview with the Daily Record, Millar sounds as if he’s setting a dunkirk into action that would see Bryan Singer relieved of his directorial duties…
“Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century,” said 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 [a good chunk of change], 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.”
Ding Ding. Just back in March, Singer confirmed he was meeting with writers with the intention to direct a more action-oriented and less nostalgic sequel. In April, Legendary Pictures chairman, Thomas Tull, cryptically pitched the sequel, tentatively entitled, Superman: The Man of Steel, as “Superman as more of an angry god.”
We speculated then that Tull wasn’t referring to an adaptation of Millar’s Superman: Red Son, his celebrated 2003 comic book that reimagined Supes originally landing to Earth in the Soviet Union rather than in America. “Superman meets Stalin Summer 2011,” yeah, that would pack in the U.S. Crocs set. But Millar seems to have a “detox” vision all worked out. Also, note that while his latest announcement seems incredibly assured, he added…
“But fingers crossed [a Superman revamp] could work out, that would be my lifetime’s dream.”
Did the guy speak too soon about announcing a director then? Before he could convert Wanted’s success into industry muscle, Millar was making similar comments in 2007, when he announced his Superman “remake” pitch to Warner Bros…
“This has to be Superman for the 21st Century, keeping everything we adore, but starting from scratch and making the kids love it as much as the 30-somethings. I would honestly write this thing for free.”
Personally, I hope Millar gets his wish from the Zoltar machine. Take for instance, the The Incredible Hulk, which has come to be viewed as a success in the eyes of most geeks, but didn’t rack up enough grosses or pop culture clout to overshadow Ang Lee’s prior film. In the end, the new Hulk was not an obvious-enough departure. They didn’t exploit the fact, directly or indirectly, that most people felt burned by the earlier version. There was never an “oh shit!” defining moment in the many trailers, so Web attention once again diverted to the Hulk’s tweaked CGI. A new Superman is even trickier.
Bryan Singer was allowed to make his dreamy passion project using one of the most commercial characters ever. That overpriced mush just didn’t fly. Let’s move on. Singer and another $250 millon isn’t going to solve the problem. That’s like Ang Lee remaking Hulk at the demands of fans. To be frank, Millar knows a lot about “oh shit!” moments and what gets people chattering in this day and age, and he clearly loves the character’s mythology as much as Singer. Why not have him in the driver’s seat for the entire process? More on this as it develops—somebody from WB has to refute/confirm Millar’s latest info, right? Man, what do you think Brandon Routh is thinking about all of this back and forth? It’s neverending.
Oh and you gotta love Millar’s fight for his right to live in Scotland and not relocate to Los Angeles….
“If I lived in LA I’d just write like everyone else. My pals over there are all on their second wives and do drugs. It’s a world I don’t want my kid to grow up in. I’ve been married since I was 23. I have a really normal set up.”
UPLATE UPDATE: Monster post! Millar posted an update regarding his comments above on his site’s message boards (a thanks to Obsessed with Film)…
“PS: 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 my 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.”
Hmmm, a big name American action director with conecs at Warner Bros. George Miller is a no. I think we can mark through Michael Bay, Gore Verbinski, James Cameron, Robert Rodriguez and Brett Ratner. Tony Scott’s British.
Discuss: Any guesses as to what director Millar is referring to? Should Millar get a shot at a Superman Returns “detox” or would you rather see Singer fired up for a sequel? Who’s your ideal choice, if not Singer? Purely hypothetical: would you like to see Timur Bekmambetov’s take on the iconic ‘S’ after Wanted? We’re not endorsing, but it would be interesting.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I have all the faith in the world that Singer can deliver us a “true” Superman film. Afterall X2 was one of the best comic film to date; the opening white house scene is the most amazing opening in any film…EVER.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:48 pm
i too will support another singer/routh superman, though i can’t agree that the x2 opening is the best in any film ever.
however - millar is on f-ing fire. this months wizard mag goes into detail about his new logan/wolverine story and i’m starting to think millar is the charlie kaufman of comics. i just don’t know how he keeps hitting ORIGINAL BULLSEYE AFTER ORIGINAL BULLSEYE. so if they let him run with this reboot he’s been dying to do, i’m pretty sure it’ll be top notch.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:51 pm
@ Ariez
But Singer already made—at least in his mind—a “true” Superman film and the film he dreamed of making, so what’s the point? Is his sequel going to be “truer” or, um, less “true”? It will feel like something he made on good faith to the fans and the studio. I’d much rather see Millar go for broke and see the press/public not get hung up again about Superman’s package and his “underwear” and all that b.s. that Singer could have avoided.
Brandon Routh was fine, but everything else with Superman Returns went in a wrong, bloated and selfish direction, from the suit to the tone to Lex. Singer would essentially be remaking his own movie. How/why does one remake his dream project? His talent and effort is better spent elsewhere.
July 1st, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Brandon/Singer worked, the problem was sticking too close to Donner’s beloved take on it.
I would rather use cyanide as mouthwash than see Timur whatever-his-name is direct ANYTHING.
Night Watch was horrible.
Wanted was nothing but a 13 year old Wii nerd’s wet dream.
I love hardcore violence as much as the next guy, but not at the sacrifice of good acting, a logical story or any sense of plausibility. Walking out of Wanted might have been the most gratifying part of it.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:23 am
SUPERMAN RETURNS was a phenomenal Superman film!
People don’t realize that, with Superman, the film MUST be a character story. Superman has a lot of power and an action packed film wouldn’t work for the character. It would become dull and repetitive. I would personally love Bryan Singer to continue working on the Superman film series because he A) is taking the character to a different place from the comics and B) loves the character.
As for Mark Millar, as a comics reader, he’s a hack when it comes to superhero stories. He almost ruined Marvel’s most beloved character, Spider-Man, in his “Civil War” series. Fans were, and still are, outraged. And his only Superman story is “Superman: Red Son”, which was an Elseworlds title!
Hopefully, this is just another one of his stupid vocal publicity stunts that he is very well known for.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:31 am
“Night Watch was horrible.” -TAKE. IT. BACK.
Brandon Routh was a good Superman.
it’s weird to think that they are talking about remaking Superman Returns when it was way better than the first Hulk.
I saw the new Incredible Hulk and it was pretty good, but I still don’t think they should have remade it so soon. Are we gonna get a remake of the remake or what?
Build on the last Superman, don’t just redo it.
How many remakes are we gonna get before everyone’s satisfied?
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:44 am
You really thought Nightwatch was horrible? I thought it was fun. Wanted I didn’t care for too much.
Superman Returns was a legit good movie. Everyone bitches that there wasn’t enough action but it did an amazing job telling a story and being clean about it. There wasn’t any action thrown in there just for the sake of action. It all made sense according to the plot.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:14 am
As I was reading this article I really thought I was guna get burned for defending SR. I’m glad to see a lot of supporters though. Superman Returns was a beautiful film, it had some flaws sure, but I trust Singer in making a sequel. If Millar is really considering this “21st Century Superman” it could be weird. Superman is iconic, and his story is too, if they changed his character around a lot it might not work. But as a huge Superman fan, I dont tire of new Superman, is it possible for Singer to make his next Supes film, and have Millar make his revamp? lol
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:13 am
i didnt really love the last superman but i didnt hate it either, i think adding the kid was a mistake though because that basically and fundamentally changes things, so i’m expecting that if singer does supes again his kid should get killed to send him off into the dark supes storyline or something so that they can make the movie more vicious and bring in some real villains. i think they could pull a star trek and use time travel on this one to make everything reboot but thats just me.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:35 am
Honestly? This sounds like it could totally be Wolfgang Peterson, who we all know was once attached to a Superman vs. Batman film and who releases almost all of his films through Warner Bros. Pictures.
Watch out…
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:35 am
I have said to alot of people that if there is a superman story to be made it is The Death and Life of Superman storyline. I mean out of all you, who would not want to see the battle between superman and doomsday and the pretender supermen that follow his death and his return to life?
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:57 am
@ Deadth
As dramatic as the Superman Doomsday cartoon movie was, a live action adaptation would be pretty awesome. The actual fight would be pretty epic too.
I had no serious problem with Superman Returns so between the two, no matter who makes the next Superman movie, I’m sure I will be seeing it..
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:26 am
mcteirnan.
millar is hacky, but it could be a fun movie.
just get rid of the underwear on the out side.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:29 am
caviezel as \S/
rose byrne as lois
arnold vosloo as luthor.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:30 am
Actually, Petersen is German. But it could be anyone: Time Burton, Zack Snyder, Francis Lawrence, McG, etc. Here are my thoughts:
http://www.incontention.com/?p=661
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:46 am
I personally would love to see them go in a different direction and oust both Singer and Routh. Routh pissed me off because he wasn’t playing Superman. He was playing Christopher Reeves playing Superman. How about bringing something original to the table?!? If I want to see Christopher Reeves playing Superman, I’ll watch the original or the first sequel.
I think Singer tried to emulate Richard Donner’s movie far too much. That movie was a classic in the 1970s, but I don’t think the tone and style works well in the 21st century.
Also, too many miscast or unneccessary characters. Kevin Spacey is a great actor, but isn’t a proper Lex Luthor. Kate Bosworth is no Lois Lane. Kumar and the kid?!? Really? I know Ned Betty was in the original for comic relief, but I always thought he was the worst part of the original movie. Same with Kumar.
I would like to see a more moderized Superman. The Richard Donner Superman (or his Bryan Singer clone) is too straight laced and white bread for these times. I would like to see a Superman movie with an edge. In recent decades, people have been bringing that edge to Superman comic books and graphic novels. Why not bring it to the movie. This franchise is in desperate need of a reboot.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:58 am
Also, people say they want to see Bryan Singer’s true vision. Apparently, his true vision is Richard Donner’s. I liked Singer’s X-Men movies and his other movies (The Usual Suspects would be in my top 50 All Time), but I felt he didn’t so much want to bring himself and his own vision to the table for Superman, but rather pay homage to Donner’s classic original. Everything copied or emulated Donner’s movie right down to (as I said before) Routh’s mannerisms and vocal inflection. Too bad, he couldn’t get an actress who could copy Margot Kidder’s brashness.
If I thought Singer would put aside his desire to emulate the original movie and bring something of himself to the table, I would be all for keeping him. But I think his love for the original movie has destroyed any hope of that.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:06 am
Big name action director from the US…..the obvious first choices would be John McTiernan and Cameron, what about Doug Liman, or Peter Berg(not relly big name)
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:11 am
Eh. Wanted was no where as fun as the original comic series and there was really no way to make it translate to film without admitting it’s a DC Comics Elseworld story. If you haven’t read Wanted the comic series I highly recommend it!
I like Millar’s comics work but he tends to fall back on the “What If” style of story so I’d rather avoid him doing Superman.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:48 am
I am tired of all the people who hate Superman Returns. After nearly two decades on the shelf, and all everyone wanted was all out warfare.
If your attention span was too low to see that the reboot Singer made was a balanced story that emulated the original, then that is truly sad. What’s worse is that Mark Millar can’t appreciate it either.
Singer is an elite film maker. I am not sure I have ever seen a truly bad film that he has helmed. I am also with the X2 crowd when they say that movie is one of the best comic adaptations ever made. So if all of you little ADD “I need action every second” can just take a vhill pill, I am sure Man of Steel will deliver. That goes for you to Millar…
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:16 am
Are you kidding me X2 the best opening scene ever??? What are you like 10 years old?
Raiders of the Lost Ark is the only movie that can hold that honor.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:23 am
I’d rather see a General Zod movie than another Superman reboot. When it came to making a Superman movie that all audiences could embrace, Singer blew it.
He had the chance to make it his own… a chance many would kill for, and instead he went off of a crappy storyline from a mediocre, pre-existing Superman movie. Believe it or not, many people didn’t like Supe’s giving up his powers to bop Lois Lane. It was pretty lame, and when I watch those old movies now, they are CHEEEEESY.
I didn’t hate “Returns”, but it’s the issues that we all seem to agree on (bad casting, bastard son) that just didn’t fly.
I’m sure that a sequel done by Singer could be great, I just don’t think audiences will be willing to fork out $15 a piece to find out.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:25 am
I can’t believe this guy…I mean does anyone else think its lame for him to try to poach this project from Singer because of Wanted?!? Please….Wanted was entertaining, but it was just mindless 15 year old videogame nonsense, and i know that I don’t want that for Superman.
Returns was a good movie, not the greatest super hero movie, but if singer comes back with the equivalent of X2 in the Superman Franchise, can anyone possibly imagine not wanting to see that?!?
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:28 am
I liked SR as well, but I never felt that anyone was in the grips of a nefarious, complex and manipulative plot by the signature bad guy. It seemed like the first EMP thingee was an accident of the experiment, and that Lex capturing Lois was completely by accident because she stumbled aboard his boat. Even Parker Posey driving erratically was pretty weak from a criminal mastermind. And when they did reveal his big plan (LAND!), it seemed pretty short-sighted and out of context. I’d like for them to build on the key themes, add a more focused enemy, and drop the super-kid angle altogether.
Not sure what the comics are doing these days, but the thing I see lacking is a place for Supes to voice his displeasure. I want a wounded side to this guy, but all he gets to do is stalk his ex. At least have a few pints and smash some mirrors with a bowl of peanuts. :)
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:39 am
I feel like singer was trying to hard to recreate what donner did. I’d like to see a different version of superman.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:39 am
I forgot about the stalking scene. What next, he’s gonna use his x-ray vision and go to Hooters?
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:41 am
Superman needs to be directed by Fincher
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:55 am
Big name + action + WB = Zack Snyder for me, but he has way too much on his plate to do something like this. Besides, Superman doesn’t seem his style.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:57 am
Reboot! Superman Returns was a 2 hour stalker film that did NOTHING but rehash every major plot point from the first 2 Superman films. I took my young cousins to see it,a nd they were bored out of their mind….at a Superman film! That shouldn’t happen!!!
Let Millar take it on, along with a new team that actually has something NEW to contribute….other than Super-illegitimate-Boy.
Oh yeah, keep Routh. He looks the part, and his performance was the only decent part of the film. Also, let’s have Superman do something besides fight a plane and a rock.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:08 am
I think the main complaints with “Superman Returns” were:
* Too much an homage to the original, and Brandon Routh too much relied on Christopher Reeve’s mannerisms. But I disagree on the fact that it was an emo Superman. It felt like Richard Donner’s earlier works, but it became slow and heart-sinking at the end (rather than touching).
* Kate Bosworth - In any light, she can be a reliable actress (”Win a Date with Tad Hamilton”), but she came off as a poor man’s Katie Holmes from “Batman Begins”. And if they were trying to emulate Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane, they should’ve used Parker Posey instead. I think Bosworth did it as a favor for Kevin Spacey (both appeared in two movies before and after “Returns”). If they rebooth the film, cast her as Supergirl (she needs a hero role of her own, IMHO)
* The kid issue - In my theory, in “Superman 2″, Superman undid all the events after Lois Lane found out his secret identity, down to the point that they already had intercourse. Neither Superman nor Lois knew about the kid’s biological father, so let’s not call Supes a deadbeat dad.
* Lex Luthor - Stop bitchin’ about this guy. Lex Luthor has been and will be Superman’s primary villain. Both Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey both did an excellent job. Heck, even in the animated tie-in movie, “Superman: Brainiac Attacks”, Lex was like the Richard Donner version. I would like to see the next film team Lex and Brainiac against the Man of Steel, then Brainiac rebel and then two arch-nemeses must team up to destroy the robot.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:16 am
Superman returns was a masterpiece! the music, performances (routh and spacey are spot on) the magnificent effects, the sense of wonder and awe and even humour. On top of this he saves a falling jet in one of the most spectacularly realised action sequences in film history, has a bullet bounce off his eye, and lifts an entire cryptonite continent out of the ocean and into space, and it also made just shy of 400 milliion worldwide, i know it cost alot but still. So to hell with you mark miller and all you moany naysayers who bizzarly dismissed the best most reverent and beautiful superman film any of us could have hoped for. Superman returns was a triumph.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:19 am
It’s amazing how fickle people are these days. They don’t like something, “REBOOT IT! REBOOT IT!”…
SR was good and solid. The only thing that really bothered me about the film were the special effects. Some parts were passable, while other parts were horrible. Better lighting and cg animation should be integral to a film like this. Not second rate.
I can see why Singer did in the first film. He was trying to reconnect people to the original Donner films. And introduce you to the new film, it made sense. Routh was also the perfect Clark/Supes. He invoked the Reeves “Clark” so well that it was eerie at times.
Get Routh/Singer again. Make Superman a total badass now that Lois is out of the way. And have him take on some giant threat. I want to see major destruction and “one” guy trying to put the world back together again.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:28 am
Why is it when people don’t like a movie certain people love, those certain people want to attack the intelligence of the people who don’t like it. I consider myself a fairly intelligent person and my attention span is just fine. I just didn’t want a carbon copy of Richard Donner’s film. Donner is Donner. Singer is Singer.
I didn’t want Singer to be Donner and Routh to be Christopher Reeves. Others did. Good for them. They got the movie they wanted. Personally, I feel that Singer has a the talent to make Superman his own if he wanted to, but he didn’t. That was his choice.
I never get the people who have elitist views on movies and think they are better than people who don’t like movies they like. We are talking about a comic book movie, not an Igmar Bergman film here. I am sure a large portion of the people who did not like the movie did not like movie got exactly what Singer was trying to do, but just didn’t like the execution. I consider myself in that category.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:29 am
Let me take a crack at it and if it’s successful.. a B vs. S film in the future with the RIGHT Supes?
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:34 am
Hell yeah! This is what needs to be done for the next Superman film, Millar knows Superman, all of his Superman stories in the old Superman Adventures comic that I read as a kid were excellent, I think he would make a great Superman film. If he gets to do this, I’m all for it. I know his script would be good, but I’d want him to have control over the film, the director should listen to him and not shit on his material like most directors do in the “writer VS director” scenario. Millar is a big Superman fan, I wish him the best. :)
However, I liked Brandon Routh as Superman, he’s a great guy, it wasn’t his fault SR had problems. If you listen to him or read his interviews, he seems to have to have a descent handle on the Superman character and knows what should be in a Superman film. They should let him make the movies lol. I hope he gets a chance to play Superman again, and this time I’d want to see more of Routh and less of Reeve, I’d like to see Routh play the JLU/Byrne era Superman in terms of attitude/personality, I want to see him kick ass. :D Routh is awesome, I wish him the best. :)
My main hopes for the next Superman film are this, no matter what happens, whether Singer comes back or not:
No reference to previous films (SR, the Reeve films, etc), this means no bastard child/super-dead-beat-dad, no Richard, no Brando Jor El, no Hackman-esque Luthor, you get the point. If it isn’t a complete reboot per sa this is what I’d want; a semi sequel or “requel”. The only thing that should be in the new film that was in any previous film should be the awesome/iconic John Williams Superman theme, at the beginning of the film and/or just used as Superman’s leitmotiff (FYI for the people unfamiliar with the term, a “leitmotiff” is a particular music associated with a particular character, like the “DaDaDaDaDaDaDaDaDa” played whenever Darth Vader enters the scene in Star Wars (the Darth Vader theme)).
LOTS of action. I want to see lots of Superman doing stuff, punching things, throwing things, everything he didn’t do in SR. I want to see him be tough and kick some villain’s ass, Metallo, Brainiac, Parasite, Doomsday, Mongul, etc.
I want to see a villain other than Luthor. Preferably Brainiac. If they can work other villains into the film that’s cool too, but Luthor should not be the main villain, he can be there, in the shadows with his little schemes, preferably the business man version, but he shouldn’t be the main villain.
Also, Clark Kent should be the “real person”, more or less, like the Superman: the animated series version. Superman is something he does. There are 3 personas for Superman, there’s the public hero Superman, the Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent, and then the real person, the Smallville Clark Kent, where he’s with his folks and can be “honest” (for lack of a better word) about who he is, he’s just Clark Kent with superpowers. That’s who Superman is. When he’s at the Daily Planet, being a reporter, he’s Clark Kent without superpowers and a little bumbling, when he’s Superman, he’s the Smallville Clark Kent with superpowers as the alien costumed public hero. Superman and reporter CK are the facades, however Clark Kent in Smallville is the real person.
Just keep in mind that Superman doesn’t have a bastard child/isn’t a dead-beat-dad.
1) It’s out of character for him. No way would he f*ck Lois, mind wipe her, and then fly off for 5 years while she’s pregnant with his superkid, and then return and try and “woo” her when she’s engaged or “involved” with some other man. Also, he wouldn’t be stalking Lois, WTF was up with that? For mister truth, justice, and the AMERICAN WAY, this is pretty out of character.
2) It’s physically impossible for Supes and Lois to have a kid. He’s kryptonian and she’s human! It’d be like a dog and a cat “doing it”, they’re 2 different species. Even if the film is in “vague continuity” with the Richard Lester cut of Superman 2 it would still be impossible, matter of fact, even more so impossible, because before they “did it” Superman was exposed to red sun radiation, which causes him to lose his powers, making him an ordinary KRYPTONIAN, as kryptonians never had superpowers because they lived under a red sun. So he wasn’t turned “human” as some numb nuts have suggested, he was in fact turned even more KRYPTONIAN, he would still not be able to have a child with Lois. And even if he could, he and Lois “did it” when he was depowered, right? Then there is no f***ing way that Jason woul be able to throw a piano, he would not be a “superkid”, he’d eiteher be a bazarre mutant or an ordinary human being.
Look, it’s simple. Superman loves Lois. Lois loves Superman. There is no bastard child or significant other in the form of Perry White’s nephew involved, dammit!!! So, makers of the next Superman film, PLEASE be aware of this and TRY to keep the status quo of any Superman comic book story, m’kay?
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:36 am
As for the Reboot stuff. Personally, I wouldn’t be upset if they never do another Superman. The first two were great and the rest were either crap (III and IV) or disapointing to me (Superman Returns). We all know with the latest superhero craze, this film is going to get made.
I didn’t like Singer “homage” to Donner’s Superman. Why would I want them to stay the course? How is that fickle? Should I want them to continue making Superman movies in a direction I don’t care for?
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:37 am
Mark Millar is a horrible, gimmicky, hack comic writer, who attempts to be edgy, and “original” by injecting pop culture references and vulgarity into his books. More often than not his work is just in poor taste.
ANd Superman Returns would have been great if it was about Superman at all.
Ok i’m gonna look for something positive here. The effects in Superman Returns were great, the flying was perfect and I thin Brandon Routh is a great Superman.
I’m sick of all the reboots these days though.
“whoops, we wanted it this way not that way, sorry.” Fuck you. You had your chance. Let it go.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:13 am
Nightwatch was a great idea that was poorly executed. The most overated flick in recent memory. We don’t need a reboot-but maybe recast Lois (say Courtney Cox?). I’d prefer to see a movie called Metropolis: After Smallville with Tom Welling reprising his Smallville role as the Man of Steel. I think most folks would rather see this than another reboot, or another entry by Singer.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:16 am
I don’t really want to see another reboot, remake, and defiantly not another origin movie. While I loved Batman begins, I think the distinct Batman universe that Tim Burton created and the terrible direction it had took after he left, had to be r eimagined for many reasons. Hulk, by Ang Lee was generally seen as terrible and deserved a reboot. I think The Incredible Hulk handled this well too because it isn’t really an origin story, where as Banner becoming the Hulk happens in the opening credits. Superman is different though. The original movies created a world that was praised and loved by many and even the recent Superman Returns wasn’t greatly received but it wasn’t hated but seen as an OK superman film. I think the best choice for the superman franchise would to go in a new direction. Not telling an origin story again, or remaking, but to hire a different top notch director and great actors (like the recent Iron Man, Hulk, and Batman movies) and just tell an exciting Superman story that somewhat fits into the world established by the previous movies but not directly and has its own style. The character or Superman is so well established today that everyone knows his origin and many of his tales that I think you could re imagine the tone and style of the movies without revamping the entire series.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
I like Millar (Kick-Ass is GREAT, as is his new Wolverine run) but I think Singer needs to stay with the franchise. He really does understand the character extremely well. Superman isn’t a dark character; he is the embodiment of greatness, a man who holds himself to a higher standard and is basically a do-gooder geek who is strong as hell. I don’t like the idea of Superman taking on an edge, or getting darker. It just doesn’t fit the character at all. Batman is a dark character (hence the moniker Dark Knight), Superman is pretty much cookie-cutter boy scout, and it should stay that way. There is no need to change the all-American Man of Steel. Bring back Routh! He was AWESOME as Supes.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:49 am
I’d loooooove a remake so long as Brandon Roth remains as Supes.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:59 am
SR was not a flop unless 400mil in ticket sales and another 100mil in DVD sales is considered a flop.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:15 am
Well, Superman Return wasnt a flop, but it was a disapointment. It had a $270 million production budget and probably spent another $50-100 million in advertising. The opening weekend was only $52 million (not great for a summer blockbuster). It was 6th in domestic revenue and 9th worldwide. People expected more from it. The Pirates of the Caribean movie that summer grossed over a billion dollars worldwide.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:22 am
Miller sounds retarded! “If I lived in LA I’d just write like everyone else. My pals over there are all on their second wives and do drugs. It’s a world I don’t want my kid to grow up in. I’ve been married since I was 23. I have a really normal set up.”” Loser! Bring Singer back!
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 am
I would rather see a sequel. We had the re-introduction to Supes coming back, and now the stage is set to have a truly action-packed film that doesn’t need to establish characters as much.
Then again, some people didn’t like Spacey or Bosworth as much, but I think they are both capable of putting in good performances.
I personally keep Routh. I thought he did a fairly decent job, as Superman isn’t really an easy character despite the rather stoic Supes/goofy Kent combo. Seems like a straighforward role, but you really can’t go out there and ham it up like I imagine some actors would.
I think the two big issues with a sequel would the be Supermans kid, and a quality villian. There are plenty of good villians in the canon, I think Luthor/Kryptonite combo was simply the easy way out. Him having a child was obviously a sensitive issue that some people didn’t agree with. To me I didn’t mind it, but I can certainly see how it would bother some who are more devoted to the actual Superman storyline.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:25 am
From a non comic book fan, Superman Returns sucked, just like all the X-Men movies sucked. say ditch Singer and go with someone who has real passion for the character. If they want to translate these characters and stories into good movies they need to do a lot better than they have done in the past.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:02 pm
I agree with alot of comments made here. Bryan Singer truly missed the boat with “Superman Returns”.
He had an opportunity to pay homage to Donners classic while incorporating many elements from the comics (Lex as a business savvy entrepreneur, a modern metropolis aka city of tomorrow, perhaps even the cadmus project thus setting up a Superman vs Doomsday storyline for eventual sequels). Instead he, and his lazy writers, simply rehashed many, many elements from Superman: The Movie. Such a terrible waste.
I’m not too sure about Mark Millar’s take though I admit I am curious.
Who could this big name director be? The only one, or rather ones, I can think of are the Wachowski brothers but they’re more of Joel Silvers personal minions and after the box-office dud that was Speed Racer I doubt WB will hand over the reins to one of their most valuable icons.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Hearing a reboot is on tap would cause fans worldwide to break out the party hats. Singer must be doing too much blow, because between this and Valkyrie is a one-two punch of staggering ineptitude.
We got Singer’s vision in Superman Returns, where he had complete creative freedom. Now he’s got fans clutching at straws with his promise to deliver something other than his vision. WTF? That’s his best promise? That he’ll ditch his vision and ape someone else’s vision so as to appease WB brass and disenchanted audiences? So Singer has become a pathetic hollow hack now? What happened to the artist of old? If it isn’t his vision, why not turn things over to Millar, or somebody else, whose vision it truly is?
It’s better for everybody. Spare Singer the indignity of turning into a studio hack, yes-man, Bret Ratner aper. Let him act on his authentic vision in some other project.
July 2nd, 2008 at 12:51 pm
I think Bay should take it!
Sent from my mobile using FeedM8
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:22 pm
Back up a second… didn’t his name pop up as connected with this project several months ago but the end result was that Warner (who owns DC Comics) couldn’t/wouldn’t hire Millar because he works for Marvel Comics? I’m pretty sure that was the case so what exactly is different now?
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I just hope they can make a Superman movie in the same caliber as The Dark Knight. Or, atleast Batman Begins. They need to get someone like Nolan.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Personally I loved Superman Returns and would love to see Singer’s take on the next one. Remember X2? Yeah, it could be that great! Of course, I’m one of the few who didn’t think The Incredible Hulk was any improvement over Ang Lee’s film. In fact, in many ways I think it was inferior. But I don’t happen to think 2 hours of nothing more than “HULK SMASH” is great cinema.
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:54 pm
Well it’s not Michael Bay, he does his stuff with dreamworks, Brandon Roth should come back as superman, maybe give superman a villian he could fight (Braniac, hell even doomsday would be cool) Zack Snyder might be the guy, but i don’t think he’s good enough, sure he did 300, and at the moment a very long watchmen, but maybe a fresher face say…John Favru. (One of the best comic book films since spider-man 1 & 2) Or sam rami, he’s not doing spider-man anymore or he should just go do a evil dead 4. oh and SR was a total chick flick.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:05 pm
Superman Returns was a great movie. What Singer did was quite masterful. By linking up to the first Superman movie he was able to avoid the whole origin story and having to reintroduce the characters. He could start the story in the middle and go from there. It respected the classic Donner movie, caught us up with the characters, brought the story forward and lay the groundwork for what I feel would be a terrific sequel. Let us see where this Singer kid can go now. I think he deserves the chance.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I know he’s from New Zealand…but you don’t think he’s thinking Peter Jackson, do you? LOTR and King Kong were Warner Bros, right?
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:20 pm
I actually like Superman Returns. It was a tough movie to make b/c it had to bridge Donner’s movies. After I saw the movie I felt like the sequel would be fantastic. If there was going to be a revamp it should have happened in the last film.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:41 pm
As a longtime Superman fan, I cannot see what a new film will do other than rape the brand, the same was that Smallville and SR has. Superman deserves to live on in our memory in the way it is in the comics and not ruined by adapting it to film, as it can’t be done. Hollywood has no fresh ideas, for Christ sake, they still had Luthor as the main bad guy - the script hadn’t progressed since the first film! I cannot understand how they cannot take ‘The Reign of the Supermen’ and make that into a movie.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Ben Barnes or Tom Welling as Supes….Welling is perfect for it…but take a look at Ben Barnes…he’s got the Chris Reeve look too.
Please no more Singer…he had his chance and screwed it and us over.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Keep Routh! Keep Routh! Keep Routh! Keep Routh! I dont care about directors, i want Routh back.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Nightwatch was made for $4 million. I’d like to see any director in the world make a better film for that sum. For $4 million it is a masterpiece. Don’t be stupid.
As for Singer - get him the hell away from this franchise. He brings an obvious bias to all of his films (his sexual orientation) and could care less about telling a story the way it needs to be told. Superman Returns is easily one of the worst comic book movies ever made and obviously, Millar agrees. Hopefully, he wins.
As for X-Men, a blind man could have directed that movie. X-men is probably the most dense comic out there, and many, many screenwriters dream of writing an x-men draft. Plus, what producers wouldn’t throw every nickel and dime they had at an x-men project. Lastly, who wouldn’t want to play an X-men character??? In my opinion, Singer’s a good babysitter, but horrible director.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:55 pm
@ Matt
Except for your comments about Nightwatch, everything you just said is wildly inaccurate, uninformed and inappropriate.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:33 am
nemov said: “I actually like Superman Returns. It was a tough movie to make b/c it had to bridge Donner’s movies.”
Uh, no. It did not “have” to have a link to Donner’s movies. That is pure nonsense. There were some good elements to SR, and if it had been the first-ever big-screen Superman flick, I think audiences would’ve enjoyed it more.
But the sad fact is, it was a REHASH of Superman I. There is no getting around that fact. There is NO REASON it “had” to be connected to the Donner films. It could’ve been something brand new. Singer blew it.
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:24 am
Superman Returns was not a good movie, and that’s why they are making a revamp instead of continuing what that idiot started with SR. Going back to that original idea, giving lex luther that stupid kryptonite real estate storyline, giving his stupid girlfriend so much screentime (way too much screentime), lois land was a BAD choice, she isn’t supposed to be “the bomb” or even a hot girl, she’s supposed to be like she was in the older movies, she’s cute but not “beautiful”, she stands her ground and says what she has to say, she’s a no nonsense reporter. I didn’t like the SR Lois Lane at all. I didn’t feel any chemistry between the characters. Kevin Spacey as an actor was WASTED, they could have done GREAT things with the character. he should have the kind of punch in his character that heath ledger is garnering for his upcoming JOKER performance. instead we got…….. come on, compare the Heath Ledger Joker to Kevin Spacey Luthor. Who scares you more ?? and don’t tell me that the joker is meant to scare you more, Luthor is meant to be a criminal mastermind. I didn’t see that in SR. ANyway - sperman leaving for so long and not coming back because he needed time to himself and to search his past or whatever it was?? without telling his mother or lois lan goodbye??? deserting earth and all it’s citizens without a word??? GIVE ME A BREAK !!!!!!!! SINGER DOESN”T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING about Superman if that’s the direction he chose to go. A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
If they give Singer another chance they are killing the franchise for the next 15 years FOR SURE.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 am
Stop all this jibber jabbering about making the film and just make the muhfugger! I had to bloody wait was it 18/19 years for Returns. I loved it, fine more action whatever - make it already!!!! Batman is stealing the show. I love Batman, but it’s a man in a suit with no superhuman powers at all. Superman should be decades ahead with his powers. !
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:17 am
Why don’t they just try to go in a different direction, like a different style, but not necessarily do another origin and keep some similar elements of the last couple movies? Right now I’m think Michael Bay or McG(he might be able to after T4). My first theory before he said WB was that it could be J. J. I could honestly see him taking on this franchise. He’s contracted with the WB for TV but Paramount for films.
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:41 am
Why do people always have to post this god-awful picture of Mark?
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:08 pm
I would much rather see Singer make another Superman movie. I really liked Superman Returns and would expect a sequel to be even better (XMen 2 was much better than the first). The American “director” is probably Ratner. Note the quotes.
July 3rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
As a long time Superman fan the big problem with Superman Returns is the Returns part. Superman abandons earth?
There were good things in SR, and some awful - and they’ve been touched on already in other posts.
I’m with Millar in that Superman needs reinvention. KELLEL raises some valid points in his post.
But I don’t agree that Superman is Superalien. or the Clark Kent from the farm is the real guy either.
Because I’ve read a lot of older comics I’m still with Bill - Superman is the real identity and Clark is the costume.
From day one the Kents protected this secret. he is more than human - a superman,
but as for a son - there has been a long tradition in the comics of Superman passing on his genes and powers to generations to come in the far future, the problem with super kid is the whole Superman went away story and didn’t know Lois was pregnant etc.
yet Kal-El is a kryptonian. why a Kryptonian looks human and make babies with a human, why he is both an alien (god) and a man at the same time is something the writers need to address intelligently.
July 8th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
Chris Nolan all the way! Superman needs to be like Batman Begins & Dark Knight. Fuck all that chick flick, 5 year old undees selling bullshit. Then we can all orgasm when Batman vs. Superman finally comes to reality!!! Please someone @ Legendary Pictures / Warner Bros. PLEASE make this happen!!!! Chris Nolan!!!
July 8th, 2008 at 9:44 pm
Hey there guys…just wanted to take a break from saving the world and say that Singer is a Douche
July 10th, 2008 at 10:38 am
I don’t think that SR was a bad movie. In fact I think that the tone set in SR could lead to a really dark place and show that even when times get rough Superman is still a goody goody. Trying to make Superman a darker character is like Joel Schumaker making Batman a littler character…a really stupid ass idea. You can use the things that happened SR to put Superman is a dark place to show how he doesn’t let tradegy change who Clark Kent is (because that is Superman Clark Kent pretending to be Superman). Superman and Batman are two different characters. Keep Batman darker and Superman lighter. I think that Singer set the way to a good sequel so let him finish what he started. We don’t need another Superman because Routh did a good job. Bring in Brainiac for the sequel or the SR game had Mongul so let him be in the movie. I think we should leave Kryptonite out of this movie let not be a dead horse.
If there has to be a re-boot the Death & Return of Superman would be great for those of you that want to see a “darker” Superman.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Superman Returns was a masterpiece?
gimmie a break.
i could write off a book of all that went wrong with this current movie.
so ill just tell you what was right about.
the intro…with the theme music. and the plane rescue scene (which apparently ate the entire special effects budget, because we certainly didn’t get much else with regards to eye candy)
and…that’s about it.
2 things went right…the rest was wrong. from script to direction to actor choice.
ALL BAD.
don’t argue with me. i am right.
July 24th, 2008 at 10:46 am
don’t bring in brainiac.
for god sake’s i have had enough of lex luthor.
bring in doomsday, and have the plot revovle around superman realizing through the course of the ACTION movie that in order to beat doomsday he has to break his one rule; he has to kill his enemy. as well as make the ultimate sacrifice in the process.
(bold action because i want a fucking action movie this time around)
i am tired of the love story between him and lois being at the fore front.
i am tired of watchin movies like ironman, hulk, spiderman, batman have twice or three times the amount of action scenes superman has, considering superman is suppose to be the king of them all.
and if i could recast the role of superman, redesign the suit to something that is more true to modern comics, and change the director, i would.
July 25th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Mark Millar is definately the right man for the job! I truly hope he and his team get to make the next Superman film!
Superman Returns was one of the worst films ever made!
A complete reboot is needed. New cast, crew, music, everything. Start from scratch.
I’ll say it again: Mark Millar operating the reboot is precisely what is needed! He knows what to do! Fingers crossed!
July 26th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Ben Barnes or Tom Welling for the new film.
July 29th, 2008 at 1:06 pm
the cast was great, the plot… I don’t think so..
rebooting is needed, but same cast as well. find a way to make it happen
August 25th, 2008 at 10:49 am
The CGI in Superman Returns was cool. The sequence with him saving the shuttle/airliner from crashing was the only part worth watching. The rest was mush.
The Plot, acting, and the direction? Junk
Superman has a kid with Lois? Meh
The idea that Lex Luthor wanted to create a large land mass that appeared to be volcanic rock was really really dumb.
The Kumar guy? Gimme a break
Superman in the Hospital? lame lame lame lame
Routh doing his best Christopher Reeve impersonation was irritating.
Bosworth??? Hahahaha
As if the rest of the film wasn’t bad enough, Singer decided to spit in the face of Americans by editing what Superman stands for “Truth, Justice, and the American way” instead to “Truth, Justice and all that stuff”. They purposely removed “American way” .
We all know that Singer is a homosexual and very very liberal in his politics but usually he leaves his anti-American bs at the door.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:59 am
reboot or not, doesn’t matter. old supes won’t beat me anyway, he got brawns but i got the brain. sorry.
i don’t really get it with people trying to make a movie about a super-hero if they don’t really want to play by the rules. i mean, come on, there are things that the character is not gonna do or incapable of doing but they do it anyway in the movie. like superman having a bastard-child, gone awol for 5 years without telling (in SR), or superman able to go back in time and fixing things (in Superman I), it didn’t suppose to happen!! if they wanna make it like that why don’t they just make a movie with a brand new character and leave superman alone! you wanna make a movie about superman, you must know about superman then.
btw, i dunno about the rest of you, but i don’t think routh has the quality to become the superman. he has no superman aura, superman is the great one, god-like character come down from the sky. he is greater than anyone, the greatest dc hero, he is like the sun, his presence is so great, all eyes are onto him whenever he is around. heck, even among super-heroes superman is so great that other super-heroes feel uneasy about him. he is the superman, when he is around we feel safe like when we were kids and our father is around, nobody is gonna messing with you. well, routh doesn’t have those, sorry routh. in every superman book one thing is always seen, he has a kind face, but also looks strong, where routh lacks of it, too.
when i watch any super-hero movie i expect it to give me a goosebump, and take my breath away, well sadly SR didn’t deliver that.
and i don’t know, i think x-men2 (like other x-men movies) is just an okay super-hero movies. for super-hero movies they just too ordinary in the action-sense. i mean they are super-heroes movies man. i know many of u would probably disagree with me, but i gotta say blade 2 is far better than any x-men movies, thanks del Torro! the action, the special effects, the story, all is good. hellboy also one of the best super-hero(?) movie, along with spider-man movies. x-men movies are like an upgrade of mortal kombat movies, don’t get me wrong i like x-men movies, just not that great, they could do better.
don’t make superman movies as dark or nearly as dark as batman movies. you can make good super-hero movies with lighter tone, see spider-man movies. DC or WB exec should realize this, that it may work for batman but not necessarily work for superman. WB want to make money from the movies, so they should do their home work, READ SUPERMAN and BATMAN COMIC BOOKS!! Know what you are selling man! don’t let us think that one of the worst thing that ever happen to DC is being sold to WB. U never know how much more successful DC could be if WB gave them more space.
MORE SUPER-HERO MOVIES PLEASE!!!
August 25th, 2008 at 11:27 am
@batman
You’re right, Blade deserves recognition as the first of modern serious adult themed superhero movies.
I hope Millar gets his shot at the Superman reboot, now WB have confirmed that’s the direction they want to go,
As long as the darkness in the reboot comes from the bad guys, and difficulties that face Superman it will be ok - I hope.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:22 am
Everyone read BATMAN’s post - this guy KNOWS exactly
what’s going on, with the exception of what he said about
X-men 2, which in my opinion is a really good superhero movie,
and yes that opening scene deserves the credit it’s getting
even though it’s not the best opening scene in movie history.
The next superman movie is going in a completely new direction
and will not continue in the direction that loser Singer started.
WB and everyone involved should distance themselves from
him as much as possible (personaly he should be jailed for
what he did to the superman returns movie. jailed. Superman
is meant to have a presence like BATMAN (the poster) said.
Routh doesn’t deliver it. Not intense enough, not old enough,
and i just didn’t feel the emotion at all. One of the ideas i’m
hearing is this “angry god” storyline where the movie begins with
a recap of the last few years and why Supes left earth, and then comes back to the present and the return of Supes to Earth
really angry at human kind for having become even more destructive than ever. Superman’s frame of mind in this movie’s
idea is “i’m breaking my ass to save everybody and everyone is
hurting the earth and each other”.
I don’t know - i like this idea because it really has a message to
it but i doubt that this is what they will eventualy go for because Superman is not the kind of Superhero who would turn his back on mankind no matter what. Even though i would have a long time ago.
There’s a problem with how Superman should be today. The
world is less moral, the problems are getting real big. On one hand We need a Superman now more than ever, but he can’t be
all sugar and sweets, On the other hand what was so special about
Christopher Reeves was how sincere he seemed in those movies.
The pain and anger when Lois dies. The fragility yet complete masculinity in his face. Man of few words, and big actions.
Routh could never be Superman. It’s not in his eyes. Just look
at a photo of Reeves next to that of Routh and compare. Superman needs a strong jawline and chin and an intensity in his eyes. Routh looks like Superman’s insecure younger brother.
OUT OUT OUT.
What surprises me is that McG was supposed to direct “returns”
and he also liked Routh. He’s not a bad actor, but he’s NOT Superman. Roger Ebert the film critic said the same thing- he lacks the charisma.
One of the world’s biggest worries at the moment id the nucleur bomb stuff… maybe the storyline should focus on Superman dismantling all of the nucleur weapons in the worls and then when the Iranians say no he could dismantle the as well…..
August 26th, 2008 at 11:01 am
over at den of Geek ( denofgeek.com ) they’re suggesting making Superman gritty by taking back to his 1930’s roots.
A sort of Superman begins, where he learns the might and flight stuff while wearing the tights.
the movie would be an (indiana jones / king kong) period piece
How you’d then introduce the character into a modern day JLA movie would be interesting, but hey this is Superman so anything is possible,
August 26th, 2008 at 11:32 am
whatever they do, make it fun…the last one wasn’t fun…just a movie that went scene to scene, made superman cry, made him a peeping tom, made him use the same lines from the first movie,
made a superkid that should be at summer camp for the next film,
etc.
Just keep Singer away from it.
Make it Fun, not too dark.
P.S. Ben Barnes or Tom Welling if not Routh for Supes.
August 26th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
I believe, there’s no such thing as perfect movie that can pleased everyone. Even The Dark knight. Today, it’s being praised as the greatest and superhero movie because it is (maybe) the best superhero movie to date. 30 years from now, is it still going to stand the test of time? Only time will tell.
What Batman (the poster) said about superman the movie is lack of context. Superman the movie was made in 1978, in the era where time travel is allowed in Superman comics (and maybe not a perfected concept yet) And yes, by the time I saw it when I was child, I also raise one of my brows.
But if you see and think about it again, the time, the technology, the way they think, and how they make a man believably flying (and all the effect that even until today still quite awesome) while most of it haven’t been done before, It is super. And it delivered.
Brian Singer made some mistakes in SR and one big mistake by bringing the bastard child. But we have to remember, at some point, it’s Tim Burton Superman, with black costume and Nic Cage as Superman. At some point we have to wait, and wait, and wait, until they come up with another Superman Movie(s).
What I see in SR is, Singers try to please everyone, from every generation. And we also have to remember, that this Superman movie have a big shadow of Christopher reeves (not the movie, but christopher reeve as Superman - the one that batman (the poster) said have that charisma bla, bla, bla) And to date, Superman the movie have stand the test of time and becoming better than Superman II that is considered better when the first time it out.
So, since Singers know that nobody can replace Reeve, he did the movie as an homage to the first two sequel (I believe this is what make WB comfortable to finally give another Superman movie a go) and put a lot of the movie elements as much as possible.
The next director task now should be very easy. Everybody now hate SR, and he didn’t get the burden of Chris’s Charisma. They didn’t have to look for somebody who look like him. (before, everybody agree that Chris, “is” Superman) So if the director succeed, it should be no brainer. It should, considering the circumstances. But if somehow he/she messes it up again, I don’t know what to say. Plus, we now have to reboot the reboot. What a mess.
Oh, and batman (the poster), have you seen the dark knight yet? If you talking about portrayal, the movie shouldn’t called the dark knight. It should be called the clown prince. Because Heath ledger’s joker is what make the movie great. Christian Bale portrayal didn’t quite live up as batman. His heavy voice is stupid. And his batman is just so so.
And if we talking about following the comic books, no robin? Just to play save? So after three sequel Nolan going to get out to avoid robin? And leave the risk of being insulted by fans if he didn’ do the bat movie with robin to somebody else? Great.
Two face instead of acid, get his face burned by explosion and leave the terribly ruin face like that? Burning face didn’t leave a mark like that. The power ranger bat costume? Well, I guess you’ll be okay with bat nipple if Shcumacher did the Batman the way nolan did? :)
You see, I don’t have anything against the dark knight. It’s fun to watch. it’s just sometimes we forget the reason why a movie end up like the final product. The studio insist to have venom in spidey III, and when they did, some people blame raimi for it. If everything smooth during the time, Superman the movie will end up with three supervillains escaping from the phantom zone. No turning back the time until Superman II. If that’s happened, we might have a great almost perfect Superman the movie, and we’ll be here discussing (insulting) Superman II. :)
So to conclude it, I think I have to agree with Bill here. Whatever they do, make it fun. That’s why we love the comic book from the first place.
August 26th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
@ perry white
uh hi.
don’t get me wrong, i love superman okay. i love batman more but i still NEED to watch some very-powerful-superhero kicking evil-doers butt to kingdom come. what i like about superman is that he rarely using trickery to face his enemy and usually just throw himself to face them. his trust to justice and his bravery even sometimes bring him to face enemies that he isn’t sure that he can beat, such as a very powerful supervillain group called the elite or doomsday. he got beaten up, bloodied, yet he never gave up, even he got killed by doomsday. that is why i love superman.
about the time travel thing, yes i’m aware that superman can go back in time (can he go back in time now after the revamp?) but if my memory serves me right, he cannot make physical contact there (even he is invisible to the living being in the past), he can only watch the past. am i wrong?
about superman being very hard to cast because of the christopher reeves shadow, yes i know it will be difficult, but actually what i have in mind is superman can be played by actors such as chris reeves or george reeves, i mean they look like a man who could handle any problems. they look like a man, a strong man, who you could trust your life with. a very powerful-god-like-being who also is human and have emotions. both reeves could portray my superman. i’m really sorry but routh couldn’t, he is a good actors though. i mean i also have problems with tobey mcguire being spiderman, because he is too sweety-cute to be peter parker, not manly enough, granted peter parker is not a macho guy, but tobey… okay but now i don’t want anyone replace him though heh heh. also i have problem with the cast for magneto (ian something, sorry i forget his name), he is just too old and not menacing enough with his pressence to be magneto, magneto presence should be like darth vader.
hehehe don’t get me wrong too, i don’t think Dark Knight is perfect, and i also agree with you that the movie star is the joker. you are absolutely right. and i’m not completely satisfied with bale either, but he was just okay. i think the best batman is Michael Keaton, now u can laugh harharhar, but that’s really what i think heh heh. Still any inaccuracy to the comic book bother me, like the Two-Face face resulted from burning etc etc, yeah it bother me, why can’t they just do it right? it’s not gonna give them more problem right?
and you are right, i wanna see movies so i can have fun. that is why they shouldn’t change anything from the comic book for no good reason.
PS: i don’t blame singer for SR, i work in advertising so i know that clients can be such an a$$ heh heh. just because i love superman and superhero movies so i’m asking them to do better, fair enough?
Make Plasticman the movie!!!
August 27th, 2008 at 6:35 am
Singer is to be blamed…WB gave him practically total control, they bought his concept of
Superman returning, the kid, the shaved crystals that make city, the stupid scene of Superman in a hospital, the peeping Tom scene, the flying away with tears in his eyes….WARNER BROS. OK’d the whole thing and gave him a blank check….
So maybe Legendary Pictures and WB share equal blame, but they gave him free rein to do this movie.
Keep Singer away from the re-boot.
August 27th, 2008 at 6:38 am
Singer is to be blamed…WB gave him practically total control, they bought his concept of
Superman returning, the kid, the shaved crystals that make city, the stupid scene of Superman in a hospital, the peeping Tom scene, the flying away with tears in his eyes….WARNER BROS. OK’d the whole thing and gave him a blank check….
So maybe Legendary Pictures and WB share equal blame, but they gave him free rein to do this movie.
August 27th, 2008 at 3:51 pm
To me, (and maybe this is why the reboot have to happened) Singers unforgivable sin is no doubt, the bastard child/new fiance plot.
If not, we can still go with Doomsday story line, make a killer action movie, and moving forward.
I also don’t mind with the reboot. What I’m concern is, despite of all the bad review, SR Superman uses great elements from Donners era that I think essential for Superman movie.
Total reboot will take out the Superman Theme, the fortress of solitude, the credit tittles, the crystal as their technology based, and the sign off flying to the sun sequence. Even until today, nothing can change the crystal technolgy and the fortress design. Not even the revamp (John Byrne) version of superman.
The sign of flying to the sun, the theme song, and all that I mention above, to me is like the James Bond elements. The shooting (barrel scene), the theme song, the graphic and the songs. Despite the direction and who plays Bond. I hope they still can preserve it. Even Casino Royale still have the ingredients. And that will make Brandon Routh George Lazenby of Superman Movie… :)
August 28th, 2008 at 7:45 am
@ Perry White
Props bro.
That’s the best sell I’ve heard for keeping what’s right about the Donner Movies.
Bond is the holy grail of franchise, and every studio wants to mimic that success, we’re at something like Bond 20+
You’re so right about the theme music being as iconic as Bond’s and the look of the fortress. Of course - Superman’s mythos has been added too by all his versions over 80 years - the early Radio show, the Fleisher cartoons, and certainly the Donner Movies - even Smallville went with the crystal fortress look,
Where Returns went wrong was in taking the homage too far. We were given what was a remake of ‘Superman the Movie’ (which wasn’t a perfect film to begin with - it’s campy Lex & the landgrab story sucked back when it was fresh) , and what was new - Superman the deadbeat Dad was what no one wanted!
Stick with the icons, don’t mess with the suit, give us the music we expect to hear, give us a beacon of hope in a dark world.
This is Superman, you can take this character anywhere in the universe.
Batman is tied to Gotham, period,
Superman can go any where. where is the imagination O_O