Superman finally may be getting off the ground (1 Viewer)

[Craig W]

Will he ever fly again?
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/15/bu...ca91ceac58bf68
It may finally be happening and as a trilogy to boot if the first is successful.

 

[Tom-G]

Last month, Warner halted preproduction on "Batman vs. Superman," a dark story about the two warring superheroes that had been in development for nearly a year and had been given the studio's greenlight.

BIG sigh of relief!
I'm really liking this wave of superhero movies that is coming our way. I only hope that they all live up to expectations, but I know that's unlikely.

 

[Ricardo C]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: For a Batman vs. Superman story, you can't top Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns." Let Miller write the screenplay, and everything else will fall into place.

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

It may finally be happening and as a trilogy to boot if the first is successful.

Wow! Shocking! It would be more shocking if this doesn't become a trilogy.
I have this feeling that the Superman camp might have missed the boat on this one. With the glut of comic films coming out or out already, people WILL tire of it, people WILL think it passe, people WILL unfairly compare it to the other like films. If this were going into production next week...it might be ok. But, this is still a good deal down the road before anything begins...by that time, The Incredible Hulk, Dare Devil and Spider-Man II will probably be out, the first two for sure. 2004 is a lifetime away as far as films go. If they are going to take this slow (I mean, if after Spider-Man they weren't ready to pour money into this...), it had better be flawless. Even still, I can't help but compare it to The Phantom Menace. So many people were beyond nuts to see it, but when they did, it was more of a "Ho Hum" reaction. It's got the same feeling. How many people are going to say "Well, we've seen 5 comic based films...I don't really want to see another"?
Bruce

 

[Jeff Kleist]

They will be hard pressed to find a cast or a director as good as Donner
I hope they do, after all, Sam Raimi nailed it to a T
But Christopher Reeve is, and always shall be Superman

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

I can't help but compare it to The Phantom Menace. So many people were beyond nuts to see it, but when they did, it was more of a "Ho Hum" reaction. It's got the same feeling. How many people are going to say "Well, we've seen 5 comic based films...I don't really want to see another"?

Well, it this Superman has the same "Ho Hum" reaction as TPM did, Warners is going to be crying all the way to the bank since TPM made $925 something million dollars worldwide.

 

[Matthew_Millheiser]

I grew up as a Superman geek, and the Donner/Reeve Superman film was -- to my giddy 7 year old self -- as close as film perfection as possible. Bigger than Jaws, bigger than Star Wars, bigger than Here Come The Tigers... BIG!
I like the "Superman delivers hope" theme that Warners seems to be pushing. Remember, the first Supes film came out in 1978, after Vietnam, after Watergate, after gas criseses and inflation, and during the height of the disco epidemic. I'll never forget this exchange (paraphrased, of course):
Superman: Lois, I stand for truth, justice, and the American Way.
Lois: You'll be going against every elected politician in the country.
Square-jawed honesty and idealism shining through a frickin' fog of cynicism. And Reeve/Donner so made it work. Supes is the ultimate big blue boy scout, so easy to laugh at in our faux hip, hyper-self-conscious cultural landscape. But it can work. It's been done before.
Now Brett Ratner? Ehhhh... He's never made a film I've actually enjoyed (the less said about The Family Man, the better), and I haven't seen Red Dragon yet. If the buzz around Adams's script is accurate, this might be a fantastic project. I await it with breathless anticipation.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

the less said about The Family Man, the better

I keep it brief then... I liked it

 

[Bruce Hedtke]

Well, it this Superman has the same "Ho Hum" reaction as TPM did, Warners is going to be crying all the way to the bank since TPM made $925 something million dollars worldwide

Moneywise, TPM was very successful, no doubt about that. But content wise-people just weren't all that impressed. The special effects, the story, the characters all had the warmed over feeling to them. Maybe it was the hype, but it just seemed like people "liked" TPM, but most were expecting something akin to the second coming and what they saw was more average compared to the days blockbusters. My own opinion reflects that as well.
I guess this is what troubles me about Superman. How jaded is the movie-going public going to be? Does having a successful legacy guarentee interest? It might be a hard sell. Then again, it might be what TPM was: people falling over themselves to see it. I hope that is the case and that the film lives up to its potential.

Bruce

 

[Scott_D]

I think if the story is good, the movie could still fail if they don't respect Superman.

I know if they dramatically change Superman to fit in with todays cynical world I will hate it, as will many others.

 

[TheBat]

if this report is true.. then consider the new superman movie is in major trouble..have to stroll down a bit.
JACOB
http://161.58.94.181/display.cgi?id=13350

 

[Craig S]

The link in Jacob's post is to Moriarty's lengthy review/synopsis of J.J. Adams' script... and I agree, if this is really the script it is going to be horrible. It completely trashes the existing "Superman" mythology. Get a load of these doozies:
Krypton doesn't explode, it is taken over by a Kryptonian bad guy.
Lex Luthor is a Kryptonian sent to Earth to hunt down Kal-El/Clark/Superman.
The film is filled with flying martial-arts fights in the sky between Superman and a host of Kryptonian baddies (including Lex Luthor).
Jor-El visited Earth in advance & picked Ma & Pa Kent to be Kal-El's adoptive parents (the way this is revealed in the script is laughable).
Superman dies (in the first film of a trilogy ). His Dad (Jor-El) basically "argues" him back to life (see Moriarty's review for full explanation of this ridiculous scene).
And finally, in the "I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that but this is a completely unneccesary character change" department:
Jimmy Olsen is gay. And no, this has not been done to make a positive statement but apparently to provide something for Perry White to joke about.
If they film this script it's gonna be a stinker.

 

[TheBat]

its going to make superman 3 and 4 two lost classics.. you would think they would learn something from batman and robin.. but no.. its going to be worse then B&R.

JACOB

 

[Paul Case]

Bastards! Somebody stop them!

 

[JonZ]

I think its a terrible idea to redo the Origin of Superman.
They will NEVER be able to do a better job than the original.

I think theyd be better off doing a trilogy that adds to the legend already established instead of reinventing it.

If what Moriarity said is true, and I think it is, he's proved to be VERY realiable this is the STUPIDIEST thing Ive ever read. WHO THE HELL are these people working at Warners??? Are they for real? If this thing gets made,IT WILL FLOP! I found myself laughing at the stupidity of what he was saying was written in that script.

Do the Lobo storyline or Darkseid - Martial arts?Luthor a CIA Kyrptionian??? Its RIDICULOUS!!!!

Why the original Superman,Spiderman,Dick Tracy,Rocketeer,even X-Men(which I have lots of problems with)works is becuase it true to the spirit if the orignial.

BTW, I had no idea Michael France was working on the The Hulk. I heard his Fantastic Four script was simply amazing. I have new hope for The Hulk.

 

[Craig W]

I just saw that write up too over at AICN and if this is the best they can come up with I fear for the Superman fans.

I understand that you want to recreate the legend and put your own mark on the characters, but this is just going too far. But looking back at the original Christopher Reeve Superman it is hard to imagine anyone ever topping this classic telling of the legend. This script makes Batman vs. Superman seem like a good idea.

Warners maybe its time to put Superman into hybernation again and wait until you have a reason other than selling toys to bring him back.

 

[TerryRL]

Did WB learn nothing from the whole B&R debacle? Say what you want about "Spider-Man", but it stayed pretty true to the character's true origins. The same can be said for what New Line did with "Blade" and what Fox did with "X-Men". I'm also hearing that Ang Lee is going to deliver one helluva cool "Hulk" movie that doesn't betray the character's roots. Why can't WB get it right with the DC characters?

If this is the script that WB was so high on than Superman fans all over the world are going to be extremely pissed off. Moriarty's review made the script sound more like a Matrix rip-off than a Superman movie.

 

[TheLongshot]

It is why I questioned the NY Times article when they claimed Jon Peters liking it a GOOD thing.

As it is said, this is an early draft and there is always room for improvement, but this doesn't leave me with the warm and fuzzies.

Jason

 

[Chad R]

There's no room for improvement in that draft. There's not one salvageable element there. Maybe the fights, but they would get tossed out with the ridiculous Krypton plot.

This is not the Superman people want to see. There's a reason 'Smallville' was a hit right out of the box. Sure, it has the typical good looking WB cast, but it gets so many other elements right.

The only reason Waners was high on this idea was that it was sold as a trilogy (more money) .

The worst offense is the reinvention of Lex. UFO chasing CIA agaent (CIA has no jursidictin in the US for such affairs) but making him a kryptonian is the worst!

Edit:Just checked back today hoping for an update that the script Moriarty reviewed was BS, that it was a fan's crappy creation. Alas, no such luck. And the news over at Coming Attractions just seems to confirm the validity of the script.

The scariest bit of news from Coming Attractions was that Michael Bay turned the script down. That's pretty bad.

 

[Ross Williams]

I read the script review yesterday, and I still can't believe how bad it sounds. I had very little faith that the new version of Superman would be any good. That is completely blown out of the water now.

I just can't understand how these elements develop. (Lex Luthor is a Kryptonian?!!)

To make it in Hollywood it seems you would have to be reasonably intelligent, but it's obvious that everyone involved with this script doesn't have a clue.

Who the hell would enjoy this version of Superman? Here we have the most iconic of all superheros. Nearly every American could tell you how he came to be. Changing it now, is only going to seriously piss off every comic book reader and confuse everyone else.

The story better change before it gets to the screen. This is going to prove what kind of director Ratner is going to be. Is he enough of a studio-monkey to blindly direct whatever script they put in front of him or is he bright enough to make the necessary changes before filming.