News on the next Superflick: Dougherty and Harris have left the project. Singer is currently accepting treatments from other Hollywood screenwriters, and he intends to make the next film in the series a direct sequel to Superman Returns.
With that one stipulation in mind, what are your ideas? What would you put in your dream Superman film? Let’s brainstorm.
three words “KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!”
oh batman > superman
My dream Superman movie would probably involve Batman beating the snot out of him with a couple of Kryptonite Hulk Hands, like in DKSA. But my dreams never come true. So hopefully we’ll get Brainiac.
I never was too impressed with Superman’s rogues gallery beyond Luthor and Brainiac (and Darkseid, thanks to the cartoon), so unless they create a new villain, I wouldn’t mind Brainiac. But only if they got Corey Burton to do his voice again. It was Corey Burton, right? The dude who played Shockwave in Transformers?
Otherwise, Superman Returns Again: Kneel Before Zod sounds pretty enticing to me.
Fun fact: Zod was one of the many villains mentioned when Singer and crew were bouncing ideas around for SR. They actually asked Jude Law if he’d be interested in playing the role, but when Law declined, the Zod idea fell out of interest.
Personally, I don’t want to see Zod again. Unless it’s Terence Stamp in that weird black jumpsuit, which is one of the greatest things in the history of cinema.
I’m not sure yet what my story would be, but I know for sure I’d grab stacks of Superman comics, pick out the ideas I really like, and try to find a common thread running through some of them that would translate well for the screen. Though a lot of fans would certainly disagree with me, I would prefer a film that teaches the audience something about Superman than another cookie-cutter villain beat 'em up movie.
If you were to twist my balls and make me pick out a villain now, I would say Brainiac or Darkseid. There are a lot of good Superman villains to pick from, but these two would be appropriately “big” for the screen, and would also lend themselves well to a fleshed-out, three dimensional story. They’re not just the latest villains to roll into town and threaten Metropolis.
If it were Brainiac, I would introduce the Bottled City of Kandor. It’s a little bit cheesy, but it’s another twist of the knife for Superman. Part of his character is that he’s cut off forever from his culture and his people, and Kandor represents a chance to rectify that. The conflict here, of course, is that it happens to be in the hands of a formidable and merciless opponent. And, of course, even if he wins, one of Superman’s legendary unsolvable problems is the restoration of Kandor and its people to their natural size.
I think the key to a good Darkseid story is understanding that Superman is more than just a physically powerful dude. The greatest lesson he learns in his career as a superhero is that physical power alone cannot save the world. He can put out fires, but in order to win the hearts and minds of human beings, he must be a heroic icon and lead by example (sound familiar?). Darkseid represents a huge problem: even if Superman can beat him physically, he still hasn’t won the war. The people of Apokolips know nothing but the rule of Darkseid, so they’ll flock back to that iron-fisted rule if they’re given the chance. Supes can stomp Darkseid’s guts out, but that won’t save the people that Darkseid has oppressed.
In other words… heavy stuff. That’s the key. Give Superman a problem to chew on that’s more than just a physical challenge. Don’t be afraid to let him fail. People might not be able to relate to Superman when he’s streaking through the sky and pounding villains into a pulp, but they can relate to him when his efforts aren’t met with 100% success.
Time for an SK-style countdown.
Eight days.
Seven days.
Six. Five, actually. Five.
Four days.
Eighteen days, actually. It got pushed back again.
Where do you think they’ll take the next movie with Supes’ kid and the loss of his crystals?
I mean it kinda sucks that he lost all that knowledge contained therein.
I liked “For Tomorrow,” it was kinda cool how he tried to stop the fighting by taking away everyone’s weapons, and they resort to stones.
Fuck, dude, they might as well cancel it at this point. What, are they shooting for a bi-yearly book now?
I’m not sure. The crystals aren’t necessarily lost. They’re on the island, which is currently space born. It’s a problem for Supes, since the thing is laced with green K and he can’t exactly just land on it and go looking for the crystals, but they’re hardly gone for good.
As for the kid, I wouldn’t mind this being the beginning of a Super-dynasty, in which the kid isn’t necessarily a part of the action but might help people covertly and receive training in his abilities for the future, but I don’t know if they’d do that. Hopefully they don’t just turn the boy into Super-hostage.
Actually, I was just kidding about the new delay. I was just wondering what your reaction would be.
You son of a bitch. I love you.
Three.
nope. still four for me
Good thing Lex Luthor hasn’t blown off a chunk of your state, otherwise Superman would have to reverse time and then it would still be four days for me too.
In other news, I probably need to get more sleep.
If you see this message before you go to sleep, I would like to know what your all-time favorite Superman issues and/or stories are. Other than All-Star and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, I mean. I already know you hate those comics with all your heart because they don’t match up to the Death of Superman (aka, Greatest Comics Saga of the '90s and, thus, of ALL-TIME).
Otherwise, answer me when you wake up.
Man, you are just full of lulz tonight.
If I had to pare things down to just a handful of favorites, I’d pick:
For The Man Who Has Everything (Supes Annual 11)
Since you’re not letting me pick the obvious Alan Moore Superman story, I’ll pick this one. Not only is it written by Alan Moore, but it’s drawn by Dave Gibbons, so you know it’s going to rule. The JLU television adaptation of this story is pretty good, but it sorely lacks the spot-on recreation of the Mort Weisinger Krypton featured in Moore’s version. A lot of writers try to get Supes angry, but Moore does it here in a way that feels natural and in-character.
Exile At The Edge Of Eternity (Superman 400)
I’m not overly familiar with Steranko’s stuff, but I’ve checked out a few of his more “out there” pieces, and this is one of my favorites. The experimental format is cool as hell, telling the story in a unique way without becoming distracting, and the artwork is suitably epic. 2001: A Space Odyssey is my favorite movie, and this story sort of reminds me of that, in the way that it follows the evolution of super-humanity through various stages. And like Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow, this is one of the last great stories before the reboot.
The Showdown Between Luthor And Superman (?)
This story is great. Supes and Luthor maroon themselves on a wilderness planet that orbits a red sun, so they have to match wits and survive the harsh environment in order to finally settle their score. The twist end shows that there is more to Luthor than just two-dimensional mad scientist megalomania (in an era when writers typically didn’t do this), and it is a little satisfying to see Superman get scuffed up a bit. I don’t remember off the top of my head which issue number or which book it is, but I’m pretty sure it was published in 1960 or something like that. I think you can get it in a trade collection. I know you can get the first two in trades.
(I don’t remember what this story was called, but I found it deeply touching. Kindly try not to laugh at me.)
Since you’re making me feel obligated to pick at least one token Death Of Superman-era story, I will. I don’t remember the title or the issue number, but there was one story in which the Justice League visits the Metropolis post office, shortly after Superman’s “death.” They learn that Supes had a tradition of going there every year on Christmas Eve, when he would read all the letters sent to him and try to help out the people who asked for it. Since Supes is obviously not around, the JL members take it upon themselves to act in his stead. I actually got a little choked up when (I think) Flash and Green Lantern built a new house for the woman whose home was destroyed in the Doomsday rampage. Again, stop laughing at me.
Peace On Earth
I haven’t exactly made my opinion of Alex Ross a secret, but this is one instance in which I think he did alright by Superman. Here, he teams up with Paul Dini (who helped everyone remember the true nature of Batman and Superman during the dark age of the 90s), and tells a simple story that explores themes that are classic Superman.
Must There Be A Superman? (Superman 247, or the 1970s trade collection)
People usually see Superman’s sense of virtue and ethics to be unshakable. This story is cool because it challenges that idea. The Guardians of the Universe implant the notion in Superman’s head that his activities hinder the natural growth of humanity, which forces him to reappraise which situations he should or shouldn’t help in. There’s one memorable moment in which Supes has a confrontation with a group of farmhands, who seek his help with a problem they could solve for themselves. Supes refuses and tries to explain why, but his lesson is lost on them when an earthquake forces him to help them anyway.
Yeah All-Star Superman will not ship this week. At the very least, it is not on Midtown Comics’ list of books coming out this Wednesday.
We will see about that.
EDIT:
Son of a bitch. It has been delayed another week.
Ten days.