Man Of Steel

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

i like this news:
The good folks over at FilmIck have come up with some details about Man of Steel that are pretty interesting. BE WARNED, THESE SHOULD BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS. IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING, STOP READING NOW. Ok, here we go:

There's a new Kryptonian character coming to Earth as a result of Supes' pilrgimage to Krypton that took place before Returns.

Lex makes a deal with "a new villain" (I read this as new to the films, not new to the mythos, and indeed I have some idea who it is...) in order to have Superman eradicated. This villain double crosses Lex and takes over Lexcorp (yep - sounds like Brainiac to me too). What's more, Jason is a key part in the plot to trap Superman and... Poor little Jason. He's snuffed out.

personally i still hope the baddie is Doomsday. i wanna see shit get destroyed on a massive scale!

[AYHJA]

I don't think they'll touch the Doomsday story just yet, definitely I can see it for the 3rd installment tho...My guess is that its Brainiac, or maybe even Hank Henshaw....

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

i think you're right about it not featuring Doomsday.
esp since the Superman:Doomsday animated DVD is due out this month.

My money is on Brainiac too as i recently found out they retconned his origin so he's from Kryton too.

Hank who?!? *goes to check wiki*

[AYHJA]

Hank showed up as the Cyborg Superman after the Death of Superman series...

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

Source: Variety
October 21, 2007


Superman Returns screenwriters Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris have opted not to come back and pen a sequel to the 2006 summer film that would have reunited them with helmer Bryan Singer, reports Variety. The three also worked together on X2: X-Men United.

As a result, Warner Bros. is now taking pitches for The Man of Steel's next outing from other writers -- just as the studio is trying to figure out which actor will don the character's tights in Justice League.

Brandon Routh will likely wear the "S" on his chest again. Legendary Pictures is co-developing and co-financing the project, which is expected to up the action quotient.



Source: Mark Millar
October 22, 2007


With the news that Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris are not returning to write the Superman Returns sequel, Mark Millar wants to pitch Warner Bros. his vision of the franchise. He says on his official boards:

It's 8.58am right now, my guys at CAA get into the office in about seven hours and my call will be waiting for them to talk about this. I want to revamp Superman like Hillary wants thin ankles. Revamping this franchise is what I as given fingers for and so, invited or not, I'm putting my plan together now. I've been asked to work on half a dozen screenplays lately, but this is the only one I have ever truly wanted.

As most here know, I have literally hundreds of pages of notes and sketches just waiting for this opportunity. This would be my dream gig and, as a fan, I know exactly what this project needs to work. This has to be Superman for the 21st Century, keeping everything we adore, but starting from scratch and making the kids love it as much as the 30-somethings. I would honestly write this thing for free.

Anyway, my treatment is being polished as we type. Wish me luck. I want to do that Superman movie we all want to see.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

Update
WB Won't Take Millar for Superman...
Source: Mark Millar
October 24, 2007


Just a few days ago, we mentioned that Mark Millar was serious about pitching a story for the Superman Returns sequel. Now, he's saying that Warner Bros. has already thrown out the idea, and the reason might surprise you:

Okay, as you know I was very excited about the opportunity that WB were looking for a new writer on this project. Superman is the be all and end all for me (he's why I started reading and why I started typing). It's funny how quickly news spread because one little post on my message board here ended up literally all over the comic book and movie sites inside about twelve hours and the response from fellow Superman fans was incredibly positive. Thanks again for that.

Anyway, my agent is a big beast at CAA and can set up meetings with anyone. I'm always amazed by this because, like all comic guys, I do this job in a converted attic at home on a rainy rock some miles from mainland Europe and about as far from Hollywood as you can get. But my agent got my call around 4pm my time on Tuesday and within hours we were talking on the phone to some very nice exec at Warner Bros who said that several producers and director friends had already been in touch to push me for the gig because they knew how passionate I was about this project. And for about fifteen minutes things were looking very sweet. I had a massive three-picture epic in mind, cribbed from notes I've been putting together for the last five years for a Superman comic-book revamp and the people I spoke to absolutely loved it. Everyone said this was very, very exciting, but...

Well, sadly, I'm a Marvel guy and we were surprised to find out that WB couldn't hire me for a DC property. They were incredibly nice and superbly apologetic about it, but when they discussed the matter seriously DC explained just how associated I am with Marvel Comics at the moment and it's against company policy to hire the competition. It's absolutely nothing personal. I spoke to some friends at DC and they explained this has happened with a couple of big Marvel writers in the last couple of years and I absolutely respect that. It's a business after all and to have a guy writing Fantastic Four, 1985, Kick-Ass and another super-big project for Steve McNiven this year which would be mentioned in every article about a Superman movie is not only an insult to their own writers, but makes bad business sense. I have nothing but respect for the DC high-ups and, though obviously disappointed, can absolutely appreciate their position. They're the custodians of these properties and they obviously know what they're doing.

So no Millar-penned Superman movie at this stage, I'm afraid. That situation may change, of course. As a Warner chum said to me last night, the last Superman movie had a number of starts and stops and who knows what will happen over the next couple of years, especially after my Marvel contract expires. In the meantime, I'm keeping my 200 pages of notes and sketches on a slow boil, just in case. As for the next movie, I wish whoever does land this gig nothing but the best of luck. I wanted to bring my vision to the screen out of nothing but pure love and hope to be as thrilled as everyone else. They're talking to a couple of guys with a better screen-writing track record and, like the rest of you, I'll keep my fingers crossed that this sequel to Bryan's first picture all works out great.

Thanks again for all the support and backing for my involvement in this project. It stunned me that the WB people had seen this and it absolutely factored in how quickly all those doors opened for me.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

News

Nothing Happening for Superman Sequel?
Source: Variety
January 12, 2008


Variety's Anne Thompson has written a bit more on the Superman Returns sequel:

No screenwriters are on board. "Returns" writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris opted out of penning "Superman: Man of Steel," and the strike arrived just as other scribes were to pitch ideas. Internally, Warners has moved the release date from 2009 to 2010.

After "Superman Returns" delivered a disappointing box office take of $386 million worldwide, Warner Bros. and Singer debated how to proceed with the next "Superman" pic. The studio even considered rebooting the franchise with someone else.

But eventually WB execs Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov agreed to proceed with Singer at the helm of a $170 million "Man of Steel" packed with more action, a super-powered villain and less romantic melodrama. Before Singer started production on UA's "Valkyrie," WB and co-financier Legendary Pictures closed a deal for him to produce and direct "Superman: Man of Steel."

According to a spokesman for the director's reps at William Morris," 'Superman' is moving forward with Bryan Singer attached." But inside the studio, "Superman" is not on any fast track, and word is that Singer may wind up not directing it.

[AYHJA]

Sucks, but I'll rather them stall it than not get it right...

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

thats how i feel too. do it well. or not at all.

[Sir Jig-A-Lot]

Empireonline has this:
11 March 2008
Singer Talks Superman Returns Sequel
Exclusive: Director confirms development

Earlier today, IESB reported that there was a strong rumour that Bryan Singer was working on a sequel to Superman Returns and that Transformers' Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman would be writing the script. Well, we've spoken to Singer and, though we have no news on whether the Orci/Kurtzman story is true, he's confirmed that work's under way on the film that some said would never happen because the first was perceived as a flop.

"That movie made $400 million!" Singer says incredulously. "I don’t know what constitutes under-performing these days...Look, I can understand, I suppose, what some people mean. Perhaps some people went in with the expectation of it being like an X-Men film, and Superman is a tougher character than that. Especially bringing him back. It really goes back to the fact that you can only please some of the people some of the time. But, yes, I’m just getting back with writers after the strike. We’re just in the development phase. I’m starting to develop a sequel...with the intention of directing it."

Singer knows that there was some negative reaction to the fact that the first film focused more on story at the expense of action and is looking to redress that next time.

“The first one was a romantic film and a nostalgic film,” he says. “I’ll be the first person to own up to that without making any apologies for it. I knew it was going to be that from the outset. And now that the characters are established, there’s really an opportunity to up the threat levels...Clearly there’ll be a body count [laughs]. From frame one, it will be unrelenting terror! All those teenage girls who found the movie and mooned over James Marsden or Brandon? Well, I’m going to wake them up!” He may be joking about the unrelenting terror.

We have to say, we actually enjoyed a huge amount about Superman Returns. Brandon Routh made a terrific Superman and Clark Kent and Singer clearly cared about the characters. It was light on action, so it would be great to see a sequel in which we get to actually experience what Supes can really do.