With the success of TDK, Warrner Bros. has said they are now goign to restart the Superman franchise rather then make a sequel to Superman returns, which I think is terrific news. The bad news is, most reports say that the higher-ups at Warrner think the fans want dark heroes now, and plan to make a Superman movie darker, much like Nolans Batman, which I think is a terrible way to go. What works for Batman won't work for Superman, they are opposites of each other, thats why they work so well together as characters.

This is what I would like to see in a relaunched Superman franchise.

Cast

Superman/Clark Ken - Tom Welling. Why mess with perfection? Hes got the look, hes got the body, hes able to go from innocent farm boy to hero and back again. I think he could do a great job playing a full out Superman.

Lex Luthor - Michael Rosenbaum (last Smallville actor). Again, why mess with perfection. Hes played a fantastic Lex for 6 years, no reason he couldn't keep it up.

Lois Lane - Evangeline Lilly. Beautiful, smart, tough, everything she brings to Kate on Lost is what you need out of a Lois Lane. I don't think you could make a more perfect Lois.

Brainiac - Hugo Weaving. He's a big guy who knows how to act menacing. His line delieverly in the Matrix as Agent Smith would be perfect for Brainiac. Just imagine him saying "Kal-El" instead of Mr. Anderson.

Tone

Instead of being dark, the movie should be light, for the most part. Metropolis shouldn't be shown as realictly as Gotham in Nolans movies. It is susposed to be the biggest, richest, most advanced city on the planet. It should have an optimistic, "10 years a head of the world" look and feel do it. It should resemble Spider-Man, more then Batman, with a slightly "retro-futuristic" feel.

In terms of the themes of the movie. For a relaunch, I think they should use the Mythological King archatype for Supermans journy - most people would identify this as a King Arthur type story. True, Superman is not a King, but he could be if he wanted to be, which is a ruling decision/choice in of itself. These stories generally deal with the tests the hero must over come to prove himself (rather then him instainly gaining everyones favor like in past Superman movies), the battles he must fight, and very importantly to Superman, effects of his power. It would be great to see him fight Brainiac, destory half the city, and realize what hes capable of. Deal with that destruction. Another big theme with this archatype is the "Kings health" - a sick king means a sick land, a healthy king means a healthy society. I think that would be a great area to go into in a Superman movie.

Action

CAN WE PLEASE SEE SUPERMAN HIT SOMEONE. The end of the 3rd Matrix movie shows how cool a full out fight with Superman and Brainiac could be. They figured it out with the new Hulk movie, lets hope they figure it out in the new Superman.

Very happy to hear this about a relaunch. I was not looking forward to "superman's son" if a sequel were to be produced. As for the "darkness" that WB is looking for, it could be done appropriately given the right writer with a sense of the character. Let's just hope we get a good writer!

Superman 2 delved into that a bit.

I just hope they don't overdo the "dark" bit. That is NOT what Superman should be about. It concerns me.

thank god. bryan singer sucks, and tom welling is a good choice for supes.

I heard a rumour that Mark Millar wrote a Superman Trilogy. He handed it to the one of main person at Warner Bros. They said no thanks because you write for Marvel. But a big time Director or Producer heard about this & read the script & loved it. Then he went to one of the main person at Warner Bros & said we better make this movie. I don't know you the Director or Producer was

happy because of the re launch. about the darkness thing is COULD be good if is done VERY well, but really dark is not Superman.

I'd love to see Superman's first apperance in costume based off the cover of Action Comics #1.

Big thing though, if they did have Tom Welling as Supes, is to make sure they don't have the same continuity for movies as for Smallville.


Then again, I don't like Welling as Clark, and from what I hear, he don't wanna wear tights.

som should we call Tim Burton again.

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/images/20...n-superman.jpg

http://www.supermanhomepage.com/imag...es-costume.jpg

and don't you dare to talk bad about Batman (1989) !

Ugh. Tim Burton is good with surreal things (and I think he'd be perfect for a Doom Patrol or Sandman movie), NOT Superman.

I'm all for a Superman relaunch, if done with care. If a relaunch is done poorly, I have a bad feeling that Hollywood will experience its version of the early 1990s comic book scene:

• Producers and directors will all want to make superhero movies that are "grim and gritty" to try and replicate The Dark Knight's success. ("Let's make a Dazzler movie but give her a dark side by making her part of a vampire-hunting emo band!")
  
• Movie posters will be bagged, die-cut, chrome, gatefolded, etc.
  
• McG will write and direct a Hawk & Dove movie where Hank and Don Hall (Tom Cruise and John Travolta) are revenge-seeking religious zealots with European accents who become underground cult heroes after ridding the streets of crime and drugs.
  
• Rob Zombie will direct the long-awaited Misty Knight/Colleen Wing movie, starring Rose McGowan as Colleen Wing and Rosario Dawson as Misty Knight as vampire-hunting prostitutes (with hearts of gold!) and Abigail Breslin as their psychic tween sidekick, Layla Miller.
  
• Spawn will become relevant again.
  
• Todd McFarlane will become relevant and draw again because Spawn is relevant again.
  
• Korn will become relevant again because Todd McFarlane is drawing their album covers again after he becomes relevant. Again.
  
• Wizard Magazine will become relevant again.
  
  And everyone's worst nightmare:
  
  
• Rob Liefeld will become relevant again after Jon Peters announces that he wants to produce Youngblood: The Movie and picks Joel Schumacher as its director.

OK, I'm exaggerating. But if I recall correctly, waaaaay back when Nick Cage wanted to be Superman, Jon Peters was attached to the project and wanted Supes to be "darker." (Dude also wanted a giant spider in the movie, just because he thought it would be cool. He eventually got that dumb giant spider in a movie: Wild Wild West.)

See, to me Superman shouldn't be darker, but I do like the idea of a darker world that needs a bright light to inspire it. That's what Superman should bring. Heck, do a near-fascist Luthor-run (Lexcorp) city/world and let Superman show up and inspire people to want their freedom again. Trust, Justice, and the American Way. I think I've read something like that before regarding Supes...


Though for a light in a dark world, I do want to do a Starman movie or eight.

Not to be a naysayer, but I don't want a Superman relaunch. The Christopher Nolan "Batman Begins" was great because it outshone the 1960's campy Bats flick and Burton's 1989 "Batman" (with apologies to Jack Nicholson.) A Superman relaunch would have to "take on" Christopher Reeves' and Marlon Brando's interpretations of Kal-El/Clark and Jor-El - not to mention one of the most iconic movie soundtracks of all time (kudos to John Williams.) Can't be done.

Singer might have missed the mark with "Superman Returns", but he paid homage to the established movie canon. It should've been a better movie, sure. However, neither Brandon Routh nor Kevin Spacey were horrible in their roles (IIHO.) The point is that what we need is a movie maker who can continue the saga, not one who is looking to re-boot it.

And sorry, but the writers and cast of Smallville don't have what it takes to bring Superman to the big screen.

There are my two cents. Bring on the kryptonite bullets!

I think if done right, the "light" and "dark" motifs could be played nicely in contrast to each other by using a darker, more threatening Lex Luthor.

My big problem with Superman, Superman II, and Superman Returns is that Lex is more of a comedic villain surrounded by henchmen with learning disabilities rather than the criminal mastermind we've been more familiar with in Smallville, the Justice League cartoon, and any comics post-Crisis on Infinite Earths. That, and the Superman baby from Superman Returns. That was rather silly.

I, for one, am glad they are going to relaunch the franchise. However, I'm not keen on sitting through yet another Superman Origin story. If that portion can be cut back to get to the heart of the action/ tension between Lex and Clark and prehaps splice in Clark's origins throughout the film or even a sequel, I'd be happy.

personally I will make a "dark" Superman in a phicologic way.

If you are Superman and you could save the World will you try to "solve" hunger? end all wars? find the cure to all sickness? use your powers to change things for good?. And if you do that, what will be the price? Can you pretend to be a human if you are not? the powers make you who you are or is the way you use your powers?

another take could be make a movie about the first alien who step his feet on Earth, how people will react knowing about a alien like Superman on Earth? will the people believe in his good intentions?

that is just a few ways that they could make Superman "darK"m the problem is that if is do it wrong, it could be very wrong, and even if is do it right still will not feels a lot like the real Superman.