2001 TV News Archives

Rosenbaum, Welling and Kreuk

August 29, 2001: More "Smallville" Media Attention

Alfred Gough and Miles Millar recently spoke with Reuters reporter Dan Cox about the premise of "Smallville" and the absence of the famous Superman costume within the show. Below is a excerpt from the Reuters article.

It seems the media is trying to create a frenzy of controversy over "Smallville", referring to some perceived "protest" from Superman fans over the "new interpretation". Personally, I haven't seen it. If you ask me it's a fabrication on their behalf to make their news reports more interesting. With this in mind, I'll give Alfred Gough and Miles Millar the benefit of the doubt over their comments (quoted in the article below)... but they're not doing themselves or the show any favors if they are perceived to be belittling Superman fans or the character himself.

Superman is back, but with a change of wardrobe

By Dan Cox

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He still leaps tall buildings in a single bound, but he no longer does it in tights.

The latest version of "Superman," debuting this fall as the WB network series "Smallville," will still have the beloved comic-book superhero flying faster than a speeding bullet. But he will be wearing a work shirt and jeans, not the tight-fitting costume and red cape of yore.

Writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar said Tuesday that they had reconceived the popular icon as a geeky high school student. "It's difficult to sympathize and really connect to someone who is wearing underpants (over his) tights," Gough said.

Millar added: "For us, we wanted a new interpretation. It added a cheesy element when he was a young man. We thought, strip it away, and you could really get inside Clark Kent." None of this "It's a bird! It's a plane!" stuff for these two.

The coming television "reinterpretation," which will chart Superman's growth as a teen, has fans of the Man of Steel on the verge of taking kryptonite in protest.

For example, the Los Angeles Times quoted Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal, who has the Superman logo tattooed on one of his massive arms, as saying: "My question is, how can people determine who Superman is (without the costume)? That's crazy."

Screenwriter and director David Mamet told the paper, "I am a big fan of anyone who can make his living in his underwear."

Read the complete report/interview at the Yahoo News page.

Have an opinion on this? Want to discuss it with other Superman fans? Then visit the Superman Homepage Message Board.



2001 Television News

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