Nothing Happening for Superman Sequel?

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Nothing Happening for Superman Sequel?

Source:Variety

January 12, 2008

Variety's Anne Thompson has written a bit more on the Superman Returns sequel:

No screenwriters are on board. "Returns" writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris opted out of penning "Superman: Man of Steel," and the strike arrived just as other scribes were to pitch ideas. Internally, Warners has moved the release date from 2009 to 2010.

After "Superman Returns" delivered a disappointing box office take of $386 million worldwide, Warner Bros. and Singer debated how to proceed with the next "Superman" pic. The studio even considered rebooting the franchise with someone else.

But eventually WB execs Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov agreed to proceed with Singer at the helm of a $170 million "Man of Steel" packed with more action, a super-powered villain and less romantic melodrama. Before Singer started production on UA's "Valkyrie," WB and co-financier Legendary Pictures closed a deal for him to produce and direct "Superman: Man of Steel."

According to a spokesman for the director's reps at William Morris," 'Superman' is moving forward with Bryan Singer attached." But inside the studio, "Superman" is not on any fast track, and word is that Singer may wind up not directing it.

The article also again mentions that Justice League might not be going ahead until after the strike.

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Posted by: Christopher Jordan on February 13, 2008 at 13:36:23

This is another film I can't wait for, but unfortunately the writers strike has messed everything up. But I don't see how it's affected this because Bryan co-wrote the screenplay on Superman Returns. I don't see why he can't take a leap out of Michael Bay's book and write the sequel himself. But then there's the question of the directors chair. If Bryan does'nt do it, I can make a suggestion for debate. Drum roll please...........................
Richard Donner.

Posted by: Koh-Tahl on February 16, 2008 at 22:22:41

i would absolutely love it if singer did not return. he did a horibble job of making a superman movie, and it's because he did not make a bryan singer film. he made a richard donner film, with richard donner characters that just don't hold up in the 21st century. here's a cast and director that would make a better Superman film: Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson as Clark/Superman, Courtney Cox Arquette as Lois Lane, Seth Green as Jimmy Olsen, David Hyde Pierce as Lex Luthor, Ed Asner as Perry White, Jason Statham as John Corben/Metallo, and Michael Bay as Director. Now THAT would be an awesome Superman film.

Posted by: kencorleone on February 17, 2008 at 01:30:39

they need to get rid of singer and routh although routh did do a good job in the movie,it does need rebooting with another director goin into another direction.tom welling was perfect choice from outset riding sucess of smallville with many loyal fans and great revision of classic story.

Posted by: HATR1X on February 17, 2008 at 12:05:40

In response to Koh-Tahl, your cast sucks. You are dreaming. Especially with The Rock as Supes/Kent. No way! THAT would already be a bad move. Singer himself said it, "Superman Returns" was more of a love story. I don't know how the hell he would think to do a Superman love story for a film. He went and did the film just because Mr. Richard Donner was pleased with the script. He wasn't thinking of pleasing us fans. And I think Singer realized how the movie wasn't receive like he expected it (especially at the Box Office) and now he's trying to make it up with the sequel. And it's Bryan Singer, he can and will make a bigger and badder Superman movie! If he made a mistake with "Superman Returns," he sure as hell won't make that mistake twice. As for The Rock as Superman?! You are dreaming. Brandon Routh was perfect! It might not have been the greatest Superman movie, but he made the perfect Man of Steel next to the late great Christopher Reeve.

Posted by: Koh-Tahl on February 17, 2008 at 15:15:14

you don't understand the logic behind the rock my friend. he'sa perfect casting choice because he can play both the badass Krytponian and goofy clark. oh, and have you seen Sandy Collora's world's finest? the dude that plays supes LOOKS LIKE THE ROCK!!! only whiter. honestly, i'm tired of seeing guys playing superman who are not incredaibly buff. and it's dreamers that shape the world my friend, not realistslike you.

Posted by: Koh-Tahl on February 17, 2008 at 15:25:41

also, forgot to netion this earlier, i don't really care if singer can make a better action movie on the next one, that's not the point. the pont is that he will have to continue the storyline wit the kid, which is the reason Superman Returns sucked. Superman should never have an illigetimate child with anyone. it's not his character and it never should be. singer probably thought that people would relate to it or something, but in this day ada age we need a Superhero to be above those things. in the DVD he comments on midwest values, which the character then gets rid of. even when Superman accpets the fact that he and Lois had a child (and yet she doesn't know who he is?) he doesn't bother to inform her of real idnetity or even move in. what the hell? tis isn't superman, it's ****ing days of our lives. the film sucks, unless you completely ignore the kid, which is part of the essence of the story. singer could have done great things with this character by rebooting it, not making a sequel to a film that the mainstream audience has never seen. oh, and after watching the Richard Donner cut of Superman 2, i realized that the whole rewinding the world part made even less sense than in Superman. why is it that Directors seem to think that the movie has to leave off with Lois not knowing who Superman is? it's like they think we're stupid or something. ether way Micheal Bay should make the next one, not singer, and it should done in a way to have nothing in common with the Donner films. Superman dos not need drama, he needs adventure.

Posted by: n8hawk on February 17, 2008 at 19:32:03

I have to agree with Koh-Tohl on one thing, the reason Returns failed was due to the kid. Superman does NOT have, nor has he EVER had children (at least not in this reality). We need to just sweep the kid thing under the carpet. And we should actually base the movies on the comic book storylines again (and to some extent Smallville as they are damn good even thought they are not 100% canon).

Posted by: Dennis on February 18, 2008 at 08:54:17

I think the Superman Returns movie was just ok. It was too much of a drama (love story). Hopefully the next film will star the same actors and have loads of action that the fans crave.

Posted by: HATR1X on February 19, 2008 at 20:00:40

OK, I agree about the kid. I still think it was a decent movie. And yes I've seen Sandy Collora's "World's Finest" and yes I know who he is. He's in the new American Gladiators show. He made a decent Superman yes. But he does not look like The Rock. And even IF you were right, The Rock has shown interest in playing Black Adam in the Shazam flick anyway.

Posted by: HATR1X on February 19, 2008 at 20:07:02

And I'm simply just saying this because it seems like Warner Bros. is going to pursue for the sequel instead of a reboot/remake. I would have liked them to start from scratch too, but it looks like it won't be happening. So, Singer is still the better choice and Brandon Routh is awesome. But if for some reason they go for a reboot I would still think The Rock, no way.

Posted by: Koh-Tahl on February 21, 2008 at 12:16:06

here's a good question, what would the Rock say if offered the part of Superman, since no one ahs offered the role to a wellknown actor?

Posted by: popstar on February 21, 2008 at 13:45:47

the best movie was the one with the superpowered villians part 2 so they realy dont need to redo the origin story that would only slow it down they need more action thats what was wrong with supes return no real threat keep who u wont to keep are whatever just put more action in the dam movie

Posted by: Zod on February 22, 2008 at 12:14:23

I agree with Hatr1x; in fact, he's probably the only one I've agreed with on this site. Koh-Tahl, your cast does really suck, except for Courtney Cox Arquette; although because I think Routh was great and they have to stick with him, Cox Arquette is too old for him. Your worst selection is probably Michael Bay, who has ruined just about every movie he's done (except for The Rock). I think Singer should return, but let someone else write it. He might have been the problem on the average Superman Returns, which was cross between a sequel to Superman 2 and a re-make of Superman, which ultimately hurt it because the plot was unexciting and unoriginal(Donner's original was way better). I think they need to embrace the borderline corniness of Superman, and the basic good vs. evil premise that Donner did. Superman needs to claim he "never lies", be a complete gentleman, and there needs to be more humor. The problem with Superman is that there aren't enough good comic plots to take from. Superman has always been tough for the comic writers to write about, and his villains are few and unremarkable; the best one being his death at the hands of Doomsday. Singer needs to direct but let a writer write it. Remember who wrote the first two? MARIO PUZO! who is still alive actually...

Posted by: HATR1X on February 22, 2008 at 15:27:46

Thanx Zod. You're the man!

Koh-Tahl, in response to your question, here's my honest opinion. If offered the role of Superman, The Rock would say yes in a second. But then again, who wouldn't wanna be Superman. But if The Rock smart and is thinking about the character and who he is and where he came from and also think of the fans, he would probably have to say no. And I almost bet you that fans are gonna respond negatively to it. People ***** about newly casted actors portraying comic characters as it is.

Besides, there's a reason why Bryan Singer went for an unknown. The thing about portraying Superman is that he has to BE Superman and CONVINCE viewers that is he Superman. If Rock would be Superman, no matter how good of an actor he is, I would never be convinced that's he's Superman. To me I'll be watching Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.

Posted by: adonis on February 22, 2008 at 18:48:24

Have you seen the Rock's hairline lately, do you think he can honestly grow the 'S' curl?

Posted by: clark on February 22, 2008 at 20:23:59

yeah...sorry Koh-Tahl but your casting does suck, horribly. I thought SR was a decent film, but it didn't blow me away as I thought it would.

As a Superman fan, I do agree w/ you Koh-Tahl about Jason. As a Superman comic fan, I thought the kid thing really watered down the mythology of Supes. I think Singer just wanted some kind of mysterious storyline to be put in there to fill in the gaps of the movie and it worked but to me...it was not Superman. He's definitely above that.

I'm also a big fan of Smallville and think Tom Welling, IMO would be a great Superman/CK but that's just my opinion...but being realistic it's not gonna happen and Welling has stated himself, plus DC has contract issues with that as well. On the other hand, Routh was great in SR, but he didn't have enough lines of speech in the movie, just more facial expressions. Singer said they'll definitely be more action and adventure in the next movie, if he returns or not.

I wish DC would look at Mark Millar's script of his take on Superman...I heard his Superman script was awesome.

The next Superman better blow my face off like Batman Begins did!

Posted by: Koh-Tahl on February 28, 2008 at 11:52:10

in response to the Rock's hairline, ever heard of a wig? ok, next thik about what some of you have said about having more humor in a Superman movie, Michael Bay did that with Transformers, and it had lots of action, and it had a strong story. regardless of our different views on cast and director and such, we should all agree that the next Superman movie needs to be an adventure movie, not a drama. something more in tone with The Three Musketeers (the one starring Charlie Sheen and Chris O'Donell) so that you have a combination of drama, action, comedy, and romance. we need to be able to have fun watching a Superman movie. i think whoever makes the net one should take a page from the Batman movies, in the sense that it should be a random adventure like te first four Batman were handled. there should be no overall storyline, but the movie should stand on its own and be fun.
oh, and i don't hate Superman Returns as a film, just as a Superman film because of what it does to the character. although, it really bothers me that singer actually thought that the general audience (people 25 and under) had actually seen Superman 2 and knew what was going on. most of my friends, who watch lots of movies, one of whom is a film major, had never seen any of the previous Superman films before seeing Superman Returns. I'm willing to bet this was the case for most people, which means that it's a very bad idea to make a sequel to a film that came out 25 or more years ago, unless it is a very well known series, like Star Wars. and, I didn't have a problem with Brandon Routh, but he looked too young, so did Kate Bosworth, she wasn't a very good Lois. Erice Durance is way better, and looks older.
either way they need to reboot, and to handle the whole origin story thing, show the story visually during the opening credits, in between two segments of the film, like they do in a james bond movie.

Posted by: kal-el on February 29, 2008 at 19:29:52

The Rock is probably doing Black Adam. Routh did a great job, for being an unknown, in SR. The whole kid thing kinda was a bad idea. I mean it makes Superman seem more human knowing that he has a child but like it was said before, if they wanted to go back to the comic book roots then scratch the whole kid thing. And by the way, connecting Smallville with the movies bad idea. It's connecting a teen drama with an adult world. I really don't watch that show anymore, It doesn't coincide with the comics (which everything should). Now this is hypothetical... Doomsday should be in Man-of-Steel or in the "third" movie if they go that far. I mean what would be more action packed than the last battle of Superman? It would show action which everyone wants and a little bit of drama because well hello he's dead. Even though it probably won't happen.

Posted by: Drew217 on March 1, 2008 at 02:32:28

Superman Returns is a great film with a great cast and story. You can't make a Superman movie with having the kind of respect Singer had for the character.

What I love most about Singer's heavy vfx films is his use of persepctive to show us just how damn big the things Superman lifts are. He directed a great movie. What I think happened was thetmarketing team banked to much on the Superman name and not on the story. All I ever saw for SR was 2 minute trailers with nothing but Superman. Spider-man 3 was a full 5 minutes of story. Not a great advertising campaign

Posted by: Wolfman Jeff on March 1, 2008 at 02:55:08

I really liked Superman Returns and I really hope they end up doing a sequel rather then a reboot. The main problem with Superman Returns was the kid. Brandon Routh was really good as Superman. I actually liked Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor a lot as well. Kate Bosworth was a mistake as Lois Lane though. Still...I hope Singer, Routh and Spacey return for the sequel.

Posted by: Xpert on March 1, 2008 at 04:21:48

ARE YOU FCK!NG SERIOUS?!?! YOU RETARDA ACTUALLY LIKED RETURNS?!? Clark and Louis's relationship had absolutlely NO chemistry, They made SUpes to be a responsible hero by giving him an illigetimate son!!! You losers deserve the failure you get. Go watch X-MEN movies if u want an idea of how comic films should be. biznatch.

Posted by: Common Sense on March 1, 2008 at 10:44:35

WOW !! the level of stupid & close mindedness regarding superman's son is ALARMING. I guess Neo shouldn't fly in the matrix either....or maybe he should have died on his first jump when he hit the street. you people who speak negative about the son/relationship with Lois HAVE no F&%ing clue about innovative film making ( and probably life in general ) SO please don't breed anymore. have fun in special ed class on Monday :-)

in case you still don't get it, i just called you guys MORONS !!!

Posted by: Deonic on March 1, 2008 at 11:05:16

Whoa, whoa, whoa... Xpert... Chill out bro. Totally inappropriate language and name calling over a movie on a message board kids can take a look at. A post like yours is absolutely unnecessary.

Personally though, I agree with some of you and I don't with others. I did like SR... The kid plot was definately against the comics, but in my opinion it wasn't nearly as bad as it could've been. I don't know anyone who would believe The Rock as Superman. I say stick with the original cast. Most of them did a superb job with their individual roles. Plus, if they were to replace Kate Bosworth or any actor for that matter... It'd just seem odd to me as a proper sequel. I think that a little more research on the depths of the characters couldn't hurt, but I don't really doubt Singer, Routh, Spacey, or Bosworth in their acting abilities.

I'm excited to see the sequel, whenever the fates allow that.

Posted by: jake on March 1, 2008 at 11:23:32

it sounds that they are headed in a better direction. and finally, a super powered villian. anyone else getting sick of seeing luther? superman returns was poor. why? because routh and bosworth looked like damn high school students. the film also seemed like a remake of the first movie. lois in helicopter/airplane with superman saving her? "technically lois, flying is still the safest way to travel." again. luther wanting to create his own land. it seemed like a tribute to the donner films but turned out badly. there were only two action sequences and the rest of the move focused on superman-lois love story and their bastard child. routh made a good kent but an okay superman. he barely spoke. spacey was good as luther but he did steal alot of screentime away while we could have had some great action! though i can't stand this character, i do like the original film. but i would like to see the superman fans happy. reboot this film completley. pretend returns never happend, get rid of the damn kid, hire a hotter and better actress for lois lane. batman was saved from nolan. and i do think singer has it in him to make one hell of a superman film. so i'm glad this is taking longer. i rather wait four years for a good movie than three years for a bad one.

Posted by: kal-el on March 2, 2008 at 01:11:17

THE NEXT MOVIE NEEDS ALOT MORE ACTION THAN SUPERMAN RETURN I THINK THE PERFECT VILLIAN WOULD BE BIZZARO

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