Bryan Singer talks about the next Superman film

[Supervisor 194]

http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1599681/story.jhtml

• MTV: There's a lot of confusion about whether you will be directing another Superman film. Can you set the record straight?

• 
  Singer: At the moment I can't really talk about that. I wish I could. From my perspective I'm going to take a brief pause. This movie [Valkyrie] has taken a long time so I'm going to take a pause. A movie like that takes some time to do right. That's all I can say about that.

 

[Haytil]

In other words, when asked to clarify the confusion, Singer simply made it worse.

 

[T'Baio]

Actually, he made it obvious it ain't gonna' happen.

 

[ancient]

Were there any pancakes on his head when he said this, because that would've made more sense to me.

 

[Bad Bishop]

Thread should be retitled "Bryan Singer can't talk about the next Superman film."

Personally, I hope Singer will get another shot. Rebooting the franchise shouldn't require bringing in a new director.

 

[theenglish]

LOL--he should have just answered "No, I can't set the record straight." and let it be.

 

[Dick Whitman]

There is a large Elephant in the room that is effecting future Superman films. Which fans seem to overlook. A massive lawsuit between the family of Jerry Siegel and DC Comics. Its not just Bryan Singer who is keeping quit on this subject but Warner Bros as well. Singer himself even testified in the trial. On whether the core elements introduced in Action Comics #1 are still the basis of the modern Superman character.

 

[Dream]

Were there any pancakes on his head when he said this, because that would've made more sense to me.

 

[Hicks]

Actually, I kind of get the impression he IS still attached.

 

[Thespeckledkiwi]

I wish they would reboot the entire Superman franchise and start over like Batman.

I was talking to a friend and personally I would have Darkseid as a background villain in the first episode, having him create Superman. Darkseid, in his quest to conquer the galaxy, finds out that a Kryptonian will be a constant thorn in his side (not necessarily his downfall) in his bid to add more planets, including a planet called Earth to his Empire. So he sends a small task force to the planet but before he can slowly infiltrate the planet, it explodes because of seisimic problems. And then you go from there.

 

[dragunzng]

I choose to take this as good news.

 

[theenglish]

There is a large Elephant in the room that is effecting future Superman films. Which fans seem to overlook. A massive lawsuit between the family of Jerry Siegel and DC Comics. Its not just Bryan Singer who is keeping quit on this subject but Warner Bros as well. Singer himself even testified in the trial. On whether the core elements introduced in Action Comics #1 are still the basis of the modern Superman character.

I didn't even know there was a lawsuit going on at this point. Disregarding AC#1 and looking at the original newspaper comic strips set on Krypton (if it was even called Krypton?) it is pretty obvious that all the core elements are still there in the modern day character.

 

[the Dagman]

There is a large Elephant in the room that is effecting future Superman films. Which fans seem to overlook. A massive lawsuit between the family of Jerry Siegel and DC Comics. Its not just Bryan Singer who is keeping quit on this subject but Warner Bros as well. Singer himself even testified in the trial. On whether the core elements introduced in Action Comics #1 are still the basis of the modern Superman character.

I didn't even know there was a lawsuit going on at this point. Disregarding AC#1 and looking at the original newspaper comic strips set on Krypton (if it was even called Krypton?) it is pretty obvious that all the core elements are still there in the modern day character.

At this point DC, and Time/Warner their parent company, really needs to just bite the bullet and settle with the Siegels. They have lost the war with the ruling on Action Comics, they should just accept the fact and move on. That way they will stop hampering the current creative people they have on the character. Allow them to create the stories people have been clamoring for and make more money for the company overall. The hamstrings they have put on their creators amounts to DC not liking how the game is being played, so they are leaving and taking their ball (the trademark) with them. They really just need to play and everyone will have fun.

 

[Forbin]

I wish they would reboot the entire Superman franchise and start over like Batman.

Not me, 'cause then we'd have to see the goddamn origin story yet again!

 

[RookieBatman]

^I don't understand why we need an origin story every time a franchise is rebooted. Batman I can understand, since the new origin was part and parcel of the story. But someone like Superman, everyone knows the basics, and those are really all that matter for such an iconic character. Why can't we just start with Superman in Metropolis, already active and famous, and tell a good story from there? I don't really see a need to either show his youth or to show him coming back from being gone for five years. He's Superman, he came from another planet as a baby and got superpowers, what more do you need to know?
Actually, I kinda wish other superhero franchises would be a little risky and just show the characters already in business, with maybe some quick explanation or flashbacks. It appears that they're doing this with the Spirit, but that doesn't really count for me because I can't stand Frank Miller as far as I can throw him. But then, if that one works, maybe others will try it.

 

[the Dagman]

^I don't understand why we need an origin story every time a franchise is rebooted. Batman I can understand, since the new origin was part and parcel of the story. But someone like Superman, everyone knows the basics, and those are really all that matter for such an iconic character. Why can't we just start with Superman in Metropolis, already active and famous, and tell a good story from there? I don't really see a need to either show his youth or to show him coming back from being gone for five years. He's Superman, he came from another planet as a baby and got superpowers, what more do you need to know?

Agreed.

With Batman Begins, I believe the main reason for the origin sequence was that no one on film had ever attempted to connect the dots of how an eight year old kid with murdered parents gets the needed skills to become Batman. We never saw Michael Keaton training for the job. For all we knew, his Batman costume was a powered exo-skeleton much in the same vein as Iron Man. So it was a story waiting to be told. Where Superman's origin is a story that has been told over and over in detail.

Now what I could see is Superman being faced with some moral dilemma that prompts a flashback sequence to his days on the farm and words of wisdom from Pa or Ma Kent or his training from Jor-El. Other than that kind of little glimpse of his past, just assume it is known and move on with the story.

 

[Captaindemotion]

I couldn't help but wonder if Singer is planning to sue WB for breach of contract over an apparent failure to hire him for the next Superman movie. Just the way he worded it sounded like someone contemplating legal action and who has been told by his advisors to say nothing. If he was signed for a 3 movie deal (as I recall he was) and is being dumped, then he may well have a breach of contract case. Of course, WB would probably say that the contract was frustrated by SR's supposed under-performance and lukewarm fan response (despite a mainly positive response from the critics).

Then again, maybe a cigar is just a cigar and when he says he can't talk about it, he just can't talk about it because he has no idea what's going to happen next.

 

[Norrin Radd]

All I know is that after all the negative press Superman Returns has received (justified or not), it's inconceivable to me that the director of that film would be brought back.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

I couldn't help but wonder if Singer is planning to sue WB for breach of contract over an apparent failure to hire him for the next Superman movie. Just the way he worded it sounded like someone contemplating legal action and who has been told by his advisors to say nothing. If he was signed for a 3 movie deal (as I recall he was) and is being dumped, then he may well have a breach of contract case. Of course, WB would probably say that the contract was frustrated by SR's supposed under-performance and lukewarm fan response (despite a mainly positive response from the critics).

Then again, maybe a cigar is just a cigar and when he says he can't talk about it, he just can't talk about it because he has no idea what's going to happen next.

Not necessarily. Singer's option on a second, and possible third, may be a pay or play situation, where either he gets paid whether or not he directs any further film (s). Routh and Spacey's contracts might be similar pay or play deals.

Moreover, WB could always buy out those contracts if they really wanted to go with someone else and thus avoid a more pricey court settlement.

 

[theenglish]

At this point DC, and Time/Warner their parent company, really needs to just bite the bullet and settle with the Siegels. They have lost the war with the ruling on Action Comics, they should just accept the fact and move on. That way they will stop hampering the current creative people they have on the character. Allow them to create the stories people have been clamoring for and make more money for the company overall. The hamstrings they have put on their creators amounts to DC not liking how the game is being played, so they are leaving and taking their ball (the trademark) with them. They really just need to play and everyone will have fun.

This sheds a whole new light for me on recent creative decisions, including killing off the original Superman character and changing Superboy Prime to Superman Prime.