Superman Rebooted (1 Viewer)

[Greg_S_H]

That's long since been retconned. I'm pretty sure Superman wasn't Superboy and hasn't been since the '80s, but DC messes with their characters so much that it's hard to keep up. Superman For All Seasons might have put some of that back, but I don't think he'll have been Superboy at least until they clear that up with the Siegels.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

I have a hard time imagining a cinematic task more difficult than rebooting Superman.

Not only is the character arguably the most iconic and beloved fictional character in American history, but the Donner film and attendant score are iconic in and of themselves. I'm a composer, and if I was given the job of scoring a new Superman movie I would probably soil myself and crawl into a corner to cry and suck my thumb for three weeks or so before I could even begin to wrap my head around following John Williams. And what do you change about Donner's long, loving exposition of Clark Kent's origin? It's an hour plus of flawless filmmaking.

Bryan Singer made a wise and cowardly choice in picking up where Superman II had left off; by labeling his movie as a tribute to Donner's he was able to sidestep otherwise-inevitable comparisons.

I'm not convinced that a quality-motivated reboot is necessary. Case in point: Star Trek: the Motion Picture, a flawed but beautiful picture like Superman (the last two acts of which are somewhat bloated), didn't need a reboot for Star Trek II. What it needed, and what it got, were a great story, a great script, great direction, great acting, and fantastic effects. That's all Warner needs to focus on here. The reboot is irrelevant if Superman Begins is a bad movie, and the reboot is unnecessary if it's a good one.

My advice, which no one is listening to? Give the project to Brad Bird and let him do whatever he wants to.

 

[Pete-D]

I hate to say this but it's the truth -- to a good portion of today's younger demographic ... the Donner Superman films are not something they put on any kind of pedestal.

Infact, a lot of them laugh at how "corny" the Donner films are. The John Williams theme is terrific, but if they are going to reboot, I think they should just get a new theme -- it worked for Batman Begins to completely dump every trace of the Elfman scores.

If you're going to do a "reboot" then you have to really go for it.

On a somewhat related note I think Kate Bosworth's career is falling apart. Perhaps not everyone can be a headlining star, though I'm sure she thought Lois Lane was a career making role, or at the very least a "Kirsten Dunst in Spiderman" type boon for her.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

I agree. If they're going to reboot, they need to TOTALLY reboot. New visual style, new beginning, new music, new everything.

BRAD. BIRD.

 

[Pete-D]

I dunno if Brad Bird is even available.

Michael Bay and Megan Fox for Lois Lane probably are open after Transformers 2 though, lol. I honestly actually wouldn't be shocked if that's the direction Warner Bros. goes in.

 

[WillG]

It's a bit sad to me as well. Even though the reaction to SR is mixed at best, I would have liked to have seen where he went next. I know a lot of people criticized the decision to follow the Donner universe, but I don't think that is necessairly a bad thing. I do think they made a few mistakes with the story, but it doesn't mean I would have wanted to see this vision thrown away. Anyway, probably most people out there would tell you that they like Superman II better than S:TM. So it seems a bit unfair not to give Singer another shot, because it's not like SR was a bomb.

I don't think we really need another origin story, because I think Donner has already given us a pretty definative version. Besides, how much a different stamp could anyone really give it anyway. I'm not familiar with the comics but Krypton explodes, Kal-El is sent to Earth, lands in Smallville and is raised by the Kents. There might be some wiggle room in places, but I don't see it as flexible as Batman.

And yes, I do fear that with the success of TDK, they are going to make that the template for all comic book material. It's just not going to work for every comic book adaptation out there. I just hate how the studios just takes what worked once and beat it into the ground. Hopefully, at the very least this means that they will hire truly talented filmmakers such as Nolan and good writers.

 

[DavidPla]

What's so weird is how the reaction to SR has changed in 2 years. I'm not sure how the normal general public feel, but I remember when it first was released it got nothing short of unanimous praise. Even on Rotten Tomatoes it scored a 77%. Somewhere between its release in theaters and now there became this HUGE backlash over it. Even Bryan Singer was hailed as a genius for the X-Men franchise and Superman. Now.. people don't seem to trust him at all.

 

[Holadem]

I can't answer for everyone else, but the film has definitely gotten worse in my mind with time. But I was never enthusiastic about it to begin with. I recall my initial reaction reaction as positive though not superlative. But now I find I have little empathy for any of the characters and little interest in what happens to them next. I don't wanna drag this down to a SR bashfest (that's the other thread ) but if I least we had seen enough Clark Kent[i/] in the movie, I might have cared more.

--
H

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

About the music, while i'm extremely reluctant to go away from John Williams' score, if they do decide to go that way then KEEP IT AWAY FROM DANNY ELFMAN!

I can't stand any of his scores except for Sleepy Hollow and Batman. Probably because, ironic enough I know, he reminds me of Tim Burton whom I also don't care for except for, again, those two films.

 

[Norm]

I wonder if they will let Singer use that deleted Kryton footage on a SE Superman Returns Blu-Ray.

 

[Norm]

]

Plus season 8 is their last & Clarke finally gets to fly so you know those Smallville producers are licking their chops.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

^^As a huge Smallville fan i've given up on that particular pipe dream.

 

[DavidPla]

:frowning: :frowning: :frowning: (Burton's one of my top directors and Elfman one of my top composers.. but I'll keep quiet.. for now

)

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

It takes all kinds, David, it takes all kinds. Plus I know i'm in the minority there but I had to state my feelings on the matter.

 

[Chip_HT]

Okay, we have two different options for "origin" here.

Option one is the boring option, which covers the entire sequence starting with Krypton blowing up.

Option two is picking up where Clark comes to Metropolis and first dons the big red S.

I much prefer option 2. They can cover Krypton exploding and the early years in the opening credits. Plus, with Smallville, we've seen enough of that. Honestly, I get bored as hell during the young Clark Kent scenes in the first film, waiting to see the suit come out.

 

[Ray_R]

My two cents and much much more:
I certainly hope the filmmakers use the current continuity for Superman. That means...
Both Jonathan and Martha Kent are still alive and well.
Lex Luthor is a big corporate tycoon.
Krypton was not a huge crystal-type planet!
Clark Kent is slightly bumbling but hardly at all. Think Lois & Clark for the best "Post-Crisis" Kal-El.
Jor-El was a man in his mid-30's when he sent off Kal in that ship-doohickey and not some over-the-hill geezer like Brando (not knocking Brando though).

As someone else has noted, Superman: The Animated Series has so far remained the best take on the character.
For the best Silver Age? Go for Donner and the Singer route. I was getting mightily annoyed at Superman Returns using pre-Crisis crap for Supes. No Modern Age parts in the character? Smallville already royally fucked up by killing off Jonathan Kent while he's still alive in the comics.
Superman: The Movie is the best take on the Silver/Bronze Age era of comics for Supes. Let me have the Modern Age Superman on the big screen, please. Oh, and for Supes to go toe-to-toe with another villain and duke it out.

 

[JonZ]

What Andrew & WillG said


I agree.

 

[Andrew 'Ange Hamm' Hamm]

I'm with you, brother. I like Burton and Elfman, but I feel that, with the notable exceptions of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Big Fish, I have seen and heard the full measure of both of their artistic palates. There's only so many blue-lit pouting little boy stories that look, feel, and sound identical that I can stand.

Damn, it's good to be back here. I haven't posted in years.

 

[Inspector Hammer!]

Hey, Andrew, it has been a long time! Welcome back!

 

[Andy Sheets]

Well, speaking as a fan of the Silver Age version, I have some problems with Donner's version. That cold, crystalline take on Krypton isn't very interesting, Luthor's real estate fixation is just odd, and Superman doesn't have a sufficient sense of loss. It's like they half-assed it by only killing one of his adopted parents and if he wants to chat with his biological father he just goes to the Fortress. He has too many support systems