2008 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

Superman vs. Hollywood

February 19, 2008: Exclusive “Superman vs Hollywood” Interview with Jake Rossen

By Barry Freiman

Jake Rossen is the author of the book "Superman vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon", which takes a look behind the scenes of every major Superman production outside the comic books.

    Q: What compelled you to write "Superman vs. Hollywood"?

    A: Two things: a magazine assignment and a rare moment of sustained ambition.

    Prior to the release of "Superman Returns" in '06, I was contracted by Wizard magazine to research and write a truncated history of the character's difficulty in returning to theaters. I had heard of the broad strokes - Tim Burton's plans, Kevin Smith's script, the casting fiasco - but really wasn't prepared for the sheer volume of material that I kept uncovering.

    As a result, my first draft of the Wizard piece was probably twice as long as the magazine's space could allow. I kept getting heartburn over what I was forced to excise, and that's when I struck upon the idea of a book.

    Superman has logged nearly 70 years of being puppeteered by Hollywood; he's had his hands in virtually every form of media there is, and you can trace just about any industry personality back to him in some way. Kevin Bacon has nothing on this guy.

    To encapsulate all of that, long-form narrative was the way to go.

Read the complete interview right here at the Superman Homepage.

NOTE: Later this week the Superman Homepage will be giving away a copy of "Superman vs. Hollywood" and publishing an exclusive excerpt from the book.



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