2008 Movie News Archives

Superman

September 5, 2008: Speculations and Opinions on Next Superman Movie

With the announcement that Warner Bros. are looking to re-introduce the Superman film franchise, it was inevitable that newspapers the world over would start weighing in with their opinions and speculations about what should happen in the next movie.

Geoff Boucher at the LA Times posted an article titled "The Superman problem: Can he still fly in the 21st century?" in which he says:

    To my mind, the best thing Warner Bros. could do with the next Superman film is to go cosmic, not gritty. Take Superman into space, have him fight off an alien invasion of earth or grapple with Darkseid or Mongul. The movie can be fun (a la "Iron Man") without being corny or campy, and you can make his enemies as dark and dangerous as you want. But leave the pure heroic nature of Superman intact, or don't bother putting that famous costume on him. Batman succeeded not simply because he was dark, but because director Christopher Nolan found the authentic heart of the character. The movie broke box-office records not by copying the approach of another film, but by daring to go its own way. Do the same soul-searching for Superman. Instead of bringing him down to street level, let him fly higher than ever.

While David Bentley at the Coventry Telegraph sets about speculating who might be cast in the role of Superman...

    Online, there is a growing campaign for Smallville actor Tom Welling to get his trunks on over his tights for the next Superman movie. He's played a teen version of Clark Kent for long enough - fans want him to finally become the fully-fledged hero.

    But Welling isn't the only candidate in this race. There's also strong support for British actor Henry Cavill, who has smouldered as Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, in The Tudors and in a men's fragrance commercial for Dunhill.

Then there's Don Kaye at MSN.com who, via his "Franchise Resurrection" article, gives his opinion on "Superman Returns" and what he thinks the next movie should be about...

    Status: A recent entry in the franchise resurrection game, Superman was not served well by director Bryan Singer's colossal misfire, which introduced the utterly bland and way too young Brandon Routh in what was essentially a more morose remake of the original 1978 classic. With talk of another reboot floating around, here are some suggestions for either Singer or a new director: ditch Routh in favor of someone older (our suggestion: put Jon Hamm of "Mad Men" fame in the tights), and get rid of Lex Luthor and his real estate scams once and for all.
    Plot: A dynamic Superman is busy watching over the world when he is suddenly confronted by villainous alien (and fan favorite) Brainiac, who has miniaturized and encased Krypton's sole surviving city, Kandor, in a force field. Brainiac's demand: Turn Earth over to him in exchange for the last remnants of Superman's home planet. Which world does the Man of Steel choose?

There are sure to be many other such opinion pieces and blogs posted over the coming months.



2008 Movie News

Listed below are all the Movie News items archived for 2008 organized into various categories:

“Superman Returns” & Sequel/Reboot Movie News:

“Justice League of America” Movie News: Christopher Reeve Movie News: Direct-to-DVD Animated Movie News: Other Movie News:

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