How would you make the next "Superman" movie?

[Admiral_Young]

Superman villans that I can name of the top of my head?

-Lex Luthor
-Brainiac
-General Zod
-Parasite
-Toyman
-Metallo
-Mr. Mxyzptlk
-Mongul
-Darkside (granted a DCU at large villan but still considered a Superman villan same with Mongul)

 

[Galactus]

I bet the average person can name Luthor and those other guys from Krypton. I could do 10 movies off the top of my head and never use Luthor once. What is the point of doing a reboot, if you want people to know what is going to happen. Begins definitely shows you can start over and just do another story. If it is good people will like it. Even Smallville has proven that, whether you like it or not.

 

[Myasishchev]

Brainiac would probably have a bit of name recognition--nothing on the scale of Luthor, but some. I think I read somewhere once that "brainiac" the perjorative originated with Brainiac of Colu's appearances in Superman comics.

It would help that Brainiac is probably a better villain in many respects than Luthor, especially with his similarities to Superman, depending on the origin--the Brainiac computer as the sole survivor of Colu, but instead of adopting a new homeworld, deciding to rebuild his own, using other, occupied planets for his material. Also, shrinking cities for some reason.

Of course, the Milton Fine Brainiac, the coolness that was Panic in the Sky notwithstanding, kinda sucked.

And I've always wanted to see a period piece Superman with giant robots with huge bolts and electricity sparking between its antennae.

Like in the classic Fleishman cartoons?

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

And I've always wanted to see a period piece Superman with giant robots with huge bolts and electricity sparking between its antennae.

Like in the classic Fleishman cartoons?

Yep. That and like in It's Superman (which DeHaven cribbed from the Fleischer cartoons). As Bruce Timm has said on many occasions, who doesn't want to see Superman duke it out with some enormous robots. It the classic Superman smackdown.

Moreover, my favorite iteration of Superman happens to be the Golden Age Supes and the variation on that, Earth-2 Superman. So I'd love to see that version made into a live-action film or television series.

 

[Warped9]

So Alan Horn of Warner Bros. has just handed you the keys to the Superman franchise, and given you a couple of options. You could:

• Continue on from Superman Returns in a sequel with Bryan Singer and his creative team.
• Using the Superman Returns continuity, you find a new director, a new creative team and cast, but retain star Brandon Routh. The term "loose sequel" or "soft reboot" applies here.
• Or, using the mold established by The Incredible Hulk and Punisher: War Zone, you do a complete reboot, with new cast, new crew, new story, and ultimately new Superman.
• You cancel Smallville after its ninth or tenth season and do a spin-off movie starring Tom Welling and the series' cast.
• You go the really idiotic approach and hire Mark Millar.

Which one is it?

Complete restart. Get a better actor to play Supes/Clark. Get a better costume and keep people like Singer away from the project. And no more Lex Luthor.

How about a really good Braniac story?

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

I bet the average person can name Luthor and those other guys from Krypton. I could do 10 movies off the top of my head and never use Luthor once. What is the point of doing a reboot, if you want people to know what is going to happen. Begins definitely shows you can start over and just do another story. If it is good people will like it. Even Smallville has proven that, whether you like it or not.

The reason average people are only familiar with Luthor and those guys from Krypton is because they were in the only non-shitty Superman movies there are (actually i think a lot of people aren't even familiar with those guys from Krypton, i've felt that we've passed over into the next generation of fans who are way more familiar with TAS and Smallville than the Donner era movies).

Ask people to name Star Trek villains, and some people are going to say "Nero", and he's not even that great of a villain. Frankly it's about exposure. Superman uses Luthor all the time, so viewers are most familiar with Luthor. Make one GOOD movie with a new villain and if the movie is a big hit and people like it, that villain enters into the viewer consciousness.

 

[Trek4Ever]

I voted for the soft reboot. Routh was fine as Superman, although I wouldn't be heartbroken if the role was recast.
Everyone else should be recast. For Lois, I spotted an actress in this Stephen Bochco show called Raising the Bar that would be perfect for Lois, her name is Natalia Cigliuti. As for Jimmy and Perry I say go with an unknown as Jimmy (his character was never relevant in the films so why spend time on casting?) and Hugh Laurie for Perry.
Luthor should not be used except for a brief cameo (a scene showing the back of his head as the mastermind behind the main villain would suffice). Metallo, Brainiac or the Parasite would be my choices for villains (if the series gets a third film use Doomsday, use the whole Death of Superman/Return of Superman as a template. The animated film of the story showed how it can be done).
Have Superman slugging it out and struggling and by struggling I don't mean keep using Kryptonite (except in Metallo's case) have him use brawn and brains to deal with the villain.

 

[Captaindemotion]

Well, it seems from this article that a complete re-boot, including a new actor as Superman is what WB are going to do. James McTeigue from V for Vendetta and Ninja Assassin looks set to direct with the Wachowski siblings producing. SR is to be regarded as a bookend to the Reeve movies, not the basis for a new series of movies.

http://www.moviehole.net/200920072-superman-reloaded

 

[JacksonArcher]

I was just going to post that...

Anyway, while I enjoyed McTiegue's work on V for Vendetta, not so sure how I feel about him directing Superman.

 

[Bad Bishop]

Before I panic (on behalf of Brandon Routh) I think I'll wait for Variety or The Hollywood Reporter confirm the report.

 

[The Borgified Corpse]

Personally, I want a sequel to Superman Returns. I loved that movie and I'm dying to find out what else Bryan Singer has in mind.

• Using the Superman Returns continuity, you find a new director, a new creative team and cast, but retain star Brandon Routh. The term "loose sequel" or "soft reboot" applies here.
• Or, using the mold established by The Incredible Hulk and Punisher: War Zone, you do a complete reboot, with new cast, new crew, new story, and ultimately new Superman.

See, now I would actually define The Incredible Hulk as a "soft reboot." Other than the cast changes & a few vague flashback scenes, there's nothing in The Incredible Hulk that outright contradicts what was in Hulk (2003).

I'd make it a period piece albeit looking like something designed in the 50s to look futuristic. I'd have gizmos and gadets, robots and rockets, pen and paper reporting and typewriters and everyone wearing hats. I'd make the science completely absurd with things like the Earth being dragged into the Sun or something.

I like this idea, especially about eveyone wearing hats. (Of course, that doesn't fit with my idea, in which the soundtrack is composed by Men Without Hats.)

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Complete reboot. No protracted origin story - just have the credits sequence be a montage that shows the origin. Once the credits are over we immediately dive into the action with Superman as an established superhero in Metropolis.

Lex Luthor is a great villain, but he's been used too much in Superman films and TV shows. The character needs a rest. Perhaps you could establish - maybe in the opening montage - that Superman has exposed Lex as a villain and sent him to prison. Oh, and for the opening montage I wouldn't have footage of Superman in action, nor of him in the suit. I'd show the destruction of Krypton, the Kents finding baby Kal-El, young Clark's powers kicking in as he grows up in Kansas, Daily Planet headlines about Superman's debut, reaction shots of people watching Superman in action, etc, but I'd keep a full view of Superman in action for an opening action sequence following the credits.

I'm open to a Superman film with a contemporary setting or a period setting (although I doubt the studio would ever make the latter), but if it was a period setting I'd go for the late 1930s rather than the 1950s.

Whatever the time period, Superman films should have a tone and setting that allows for science fiction villains and outsized action.

Villains:

Film 1: Brainiac as the main villain; Metallo and Parasite as henchmen villains.

Film 2: Darkseid and the legions of Apokolips.

Cast: maybe Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Lois Lane (if the film was shot in 2011 they'd turn 28 and 27 respectively in that year).

 

[Admiral_Young]

I'm intrested in the Superman Rebooted article thing with Larry and Andy W producing and James McTiegue dircting. Is this going to be confirmed? Who would write the film? This intrigues me greatly.

 

[Jono]

Just watched Superman Returns tonight on TV and I enjoyed it more then when I saw in cinemas so I'd like to see a sequel to Superman Return with Routh back as Superman.

 

[Rulius]

Well how about somebody who actually has muscles? Like you know... Superman is supposed to have,,,big bulging biceps etc.. heh

 

[Captaindemotion]

What about Super Mad Men, a period piece set during the 1960s?

Superman/ Clark Kent: Jon Hamm

Lois Lane: January Jones (I mean, she even has a comic-book character sounding name!)

Jimmy Olsen: Vincent Kartheiser

Perry White: John Slattery

Lex Luthor: Mark Moses

Supergirl: Elizabeth Moss

Lana Lang: Christina Hendricks

Special appearance by Bryan Batt, as Captain Marvel.

(Ok, not too serious, but if they are getting rid of Routh and want an older Superman, I think Jon Hamm would be a superb choice).

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

Well how about somebody who actually has muscles? Like you know... Superman is supposed to have,,,big bulging biceps etc.. heh

Routh is the most muscle-bound guy ever to play Superman.

 

[RandyS]

Well, most people here seem to prefer Brainiac as the next movie villan, so my question is this? Which version? The one from the John Byrne comics, or the bald green guy in the pink pirate shirt? I prefer the latter myself, I always thought he looked funny.

 

[Admiral2]

Well how about somebody who actually has muscles? Like you know... Superman is supposed to have,,,big bulging biceps etc.. heh

Routh is the most muscle-bound guy ever to play Superman.

BULLSHIT!

Ever heard of Dean Cain? In his supersuit he actually looked like he lifted a weight once in a while!

Did you see the first publicity photos of Routh in the suit?? He looked like a strong wind could knock him down!

"Most muscle-bound" my ass...

 

[JacksonArcher]

I saw the behind-the-scenes of Superman Returns. Say what you will about his acting talent but the guy was ripped underneath that suit. He worked out hard.