Bryan Singer: Why 'Superman Returns' Didn't Work

[A beaker full of death]

Put simply, there's nothing noteworthy anymore about a character that has no flaws, no faults, and always does the right thing.

Quite the contrary: it's been decades since we've had a pure, unadulterated "good guy" hero on the screen. It's funny, the '60s and '70s embraced the antihero and the misanthrope, which gave rise to the popularity (in the comics) of characters like Wolverine, but then when he was brought to the screen he was de-fanged. Now you've got the Goddamned Batman hospitalizing everyone he meets, and babydaddy Superman spawning bastard superbabies who randomly drop pianos on people.

That's wrong with having a (super)hero one should aspire to emulate? That's the point! I'm surrounded by moral crises and questions. I don't need a superhero movie to see that.
And I sure as hell don't need a Superman or Captain America who go around pouting, doubting themselves and asking "why me?" and "what should I do?"

Screw that. I want John Wayne. I want Superman.

And another thing... I've heard this "Superman can't be interesting" tripe for years. He was certainly interesting for 70 years before anyone ever thought to make him "dark."

 

[Greylock Crescent]

I want John Wayne. I want Superman.

Yes, yes ... it's all about what you want. I get that. And, once more (with feeling! ), I tend to agree that a more upbeat Superman is likely more preferable. But just because you want a boy scout Superman, and just because a John Wayne Superman is likely more preferable, that doesn't mean a darker one cannot possibly work on screen.

As for saying that "He was certainly interesting for 70 years before anyone ever thought to make him 'dark.'"... dontcha think that, maybe ... just maybe ... doing something the same way for 70 years would mean that a newer, less dogmatic approach might possibly lead to something quite interesting as a result? To insist otherwise is ... well ... dogmatic.

EDIT:
As for your objection to the Superman character having flaws ... he has to have them in order to develop and grow over the course of a movie (or series of movies). Without them, he's static, unchanging, and uninteresting. Flat. Even Christopher Reeve's Superman had his flaws and made his share of mistakes. All that's left to decide is what kind of flaws to give him, how much those flaws interfere with what he wants, and how he learns to overcome or compensate for them.

 

[Admiral James Kirk]

I agree that it's redundant to do a darker take on Superman while we've got Batman as a viable big screen character. No matter what he's never going to have more angst than Batman.

That being said a newer take on Superman could be done without taking him into the grim and gritty Frank Miller realm. A new take could be done that keeps Superman as a fairy tale champion who is upbeat and fun and inspiring without going back to the Big Blue Boyscout cliche that I think todays audience doesn't necessarily relate to any more?

How?

By going back to the original character.

The Big Blue Boyscout version of Superman is the Silver Age version. Something for the WWII generation to root for. Back then we needed ultra-patriotic symbols with which to counter the JapaNazi propaganda machine. Once the war was over we waved that version of Superman over our heads like a flag and failed to notice how worn and tired it was becoming. However, it had been around for so long many of us forgot the Boyscout wasn't the original version of the character.

We forgot who Superman was.

Siegel & Shuster's Superman was Han Solo with a cape. A brash, wisecracking badboy who didn't let any man, any law, any country get in the way of his doing the right thing. He battled war profiteers, corrupt politicians and even the US Army all within his first year of publication.

He was badder than Batman but what's more he was upbeat. He didn't brood about his lot in life. He embraced it. He was a nice guy. But don't let him catch you pushing the little guy around or he might just toss you fifty feet into the air and string you up on a telephone pole. He didn't take any crap from anybody.

I think this is the guy people would embrace now. The best. The original. The Golden Age Superman!