Superman Reinvented: A Vision For a New Superman Franchise

The world of Superman has been busy of late and the news of Christopher Nolan bringing David Goyer to the table to write the next film, which he is shepherding to the screen, is a good sign of things to come.

We recently ran an article positing if we would see a Mark Millar scripted Superman, and now one of our writers, James Prescott, has sent in his thoughts on the future of the Man of Steel.

Here’s his take.

Lots of young men and women of my generation grew up watching Star Wars at the cinema, for them it was their first experience of a truly ‘epic’ film. For me, it was totally different. I didn’t see Star Wars until 2000. The film I grew up with with ‘Superman – The Movie’. It’s still one of my top films of all time. I make no bones about the fact that I am a big Superman fan, of both the films and the comic books, but you don’t need to be a massive fan to  know the ‘Superman’ theme do you? The first few bars of classic John Williams ‘Da-da-da, da-da-da-da-daaa’ (Go on, sing it, you know you want to) are iconic, and I’m sure most of us will remember the late Christopher Reeve, who became as famous for his brave fight against paralysis as he did for his iconic portrayal of the Man of Steel.

But in recent years Superman has become a movie franchise in transition. The first Superman film in 1978 was a timeless classic, the second pretty good, the third a big disappointment and the fourth an total embarrassment.

‘Superman Returns’ , the last attempt to reinvigorate the franchise in 2006, was a good film in itself, but in hindsight was an expensive remake of the first film at best, and more a continuation of a film series that finished in the 80’s. It was I think what Superman III and Superman IV should have been, and almost brought that film series to a natural end.

However, in other ways it was an expensive homage to a film series long since finished. Both Bryan Singer as director and Brandon Routh as Superman/Clark Kent performed admirably. However, no matter the quality of the film, in hindsight it turned out to be a mistake to approach it the way they did. At the time I loved the idea of rebooting it with the same theme tune, and to try and build a new film series on the foundation of previous films, but in hindsight it was more of a nostalgic, romantic idea that really was never going to work in the long-run. It was the safe option, and safe options don’t always work.

Ironically, the best interpretation of Superman and his world since the first couple of films is arguably a TV series in which we’ve never seen the costume. ‘Smallville’ is as good a version of the Superman legend as you will get around at the moment. The makers of the new film would do well to watch that and use it as inspiration.

Since Superman Returns came out there has been talk of another film, initially a sequel ‘Superman: Man of Steel’. However eventually – and correctly –  it was decided the series would be completely rebooted, since when we’ve had many rumours, but few hard facts.

From a purely business perspective, Superman, if done well and done right, has the potential to be one of the most epic, big-scale and financially successful film franchises of all. Probably as big as Star Wars, and bigger than Bond or any super-hero or science fiction film you can think of.  Bigger than Star Trek, Indiana Jones or even Batman.  The character is iconic.  It’s time the world got a Superman film worthy of the name, and relevant to the culture and the world we live in, with a director, story, budget, effects and actors worthy of such a character.

The rights to Superman change hands in 2012, from Warner Bros back to the families of the creators of Superman: Schuster and Seigel. So if Warners are to make a film, it has to be in production by 2012. So the first one has to work for the new owners of the character to allow Warners to make more. They have to get the next one right or the cycle will start all over again, and the wait will go on.  Hence, the sheer volume of rumour and speculation regarding what the future of the franchise will look like.

There were links with a project written by Mark Millar in conjunction with a ‘big director’, as well another story about getting Singer back to reboot and keeping Routh involved and more recently there were quotes from Warners, post-Dark Knight, suggesting they wanted to make the films ‘darker to the extent the character allows’. At the time these comments concerned me, simply because Superman is not Batman.  Superman does not creep around at night and hide himself away. Superman is not a vigilante of the night. He doesn’t need a suit to protect him from bullets or need any gadgets to help him.

Superman is a hero. He embodies truth, heroism, idealism, the best in all of us. He is the example to everyone else, who leads the way and is loved by all around him. In many ways he is an ideal to look up to. Superman and Batman are two very different characters and this cannot be ignored. Superman is a hero, a light, a beacon. He is above and beyond everyone else, in the public’s’ mind anyway. Yet in his personal life, away from people’s view, he can have problems just like the rest of us. He is the protector of all of us, yet as Clark Kent can face many of the human dilemmas we all face. In that sense, he is a true hero.

Many writers and directors, most notably Mark Millar (as mentioned above), have been linked to the project. But his ‘Lord of the Rings-style’ vision of three long films beginning before Superman arrived on earth and ending at the end of the world really didn’t make sense to me. This proposed series of films didn’t fit in with what I believe the best of the character is about, and would again have had a Superman people are unable to connect to, with stories which don’t appear or relate to the character that appears in the comics or his story at all – which, historically, doesn’t work for comic book films.

I believe it would it have resulted not only in failure at the box office – no matter how good a writer Millar is – but would I think have been a disappointment to fans and critics alike, as there would have been no real connection to the character and the heart of the character would have been missed completely. It would just not have worked.

For me, I have long thought what Superman needs now is a reinvention of the character to be one more in touch with us. An invincible all-powerful superhero, but one who faces personal issues we all face; to be grounded in reality, not some ‘angry god’ (as Mark Millar described him) who is above all and almost invincible. How can any of us connect to that?  I say we need to go back to the heart of the character and his successful reinvention in the comics, along the lines of John Byrne’s ‘Man of Steel’, and bring that to the screen, with villains who can match Superman blow for blow and a more believable Lex Luthor.

‘Man of Steel’ was a hugely successful comic-book mini-series which made Superman edgier and more realistic, more relevant and modern, but without making it darker. That mix is what I have consistently advocated that any Superman reboot needs to be.  The Lex Luthor in this world no longer an insane master criminal, but a billionaire businessman with great power and influence a good reputation with the public, but who is privately out to kill Superman by any means necessary, and who, behind closed doors, is committing all sorts of criminal acts. A world where Clark and Lois are equals, where Clark isn’t a clumsy geek but successful reporter in his own right. I think an added edge could be taking out of Smallville the friendship/history between Clark and Lex, which has fallen apart – with Lex not knowing his secret identity. It would add depth and more conflict to the story, and was for a long time a strong driving force behind Smallville.

This is the kind of Superman world I believe the filmakers need to look at when making their reboot.

Essentially, he needs a makeover reminiscent of the one Batman got with ‘Batman Begins’. So the recent news that the co-writer of ‘Batman Begins’ and ‘The Dark Knight’, David Goyer, is being asked to pen the new Superman film, the reports of his vision for the character, very much in line with what I have just described, and also that Christopher Nolan, the director of the recent Batman films, is to act as a ‘godfather’ to the project, likely to be called simply ‘Man of Steel’, is in my opinion the best news I’ve heard about the reboot for some time, and has raised my, and most likely many others, expectations to a new level.

Goyer’s vision, as outlined below, seems to me a much better one.

When they wrote Batman Begins, Goyer and Nolan used the inspiration from an origin story called ‘The Man who Falls’ and graphic novel ‘Batman: Year One’ as inspiration, and reinterpreted them successfully for the big screen. They kept faithful to the best of the character from the comics, and to worked. It looks like they are doing it again. The vision outlined by Goyer apparently involves using ‘Man of Steel’ (appropriately enough, as the film is apparently to have the same title – another good move) as its principal inspiration, and I for one could not be happier with this.

The implications of this for the principal characters are very significant. An important change that needs to be made for any new film is to the character of Clark Kent. Clark can no longer be an idiotic, nervous, clumsy geek like in previous movies. It just doesn’t work anymore. Its not realistic and its nothing like the comic book either. The TV series ‘Clark and Lois’ got this spot on, as has Smallville. Clark is essentially an idealistic, decent guy. A good reporter, an intelligent, down to earth regular guy with common sense. The only ‘difference’ – outside of his powers –  is that maybe he’s a bit more idealistic than most other people. Not cynical like everyone else, but optimistic about life and people. A decent man.

One of the most annoying things about other Superman films was the idea of this total idiot being believable as a person and as a successful reporter. It makes no sense, and if Goyer is consistent with Clark character from ‘Man of Steel’, we will get a new kind of Clark Kent – which will be a big relief for me and I suspect many others. The character’s main identity will be Clark Kent, with his identity as Superman the public face he uses when he uses his powers, instead of him being Superman first with Clark as the geeky secret identity. A subtle but important shift.

Using ‘Man of Steel’ as inspiration will also open the door to bring conflict to the character. The one thing that people can connect to with this version of Superman is the ‘human’ issues and dilemmas he faces. The day-to-day issues he faces that we all face, that powers can’t solve. Love, grief, loss, sickness, having to keep secrets from people he cares about the most, for their own benefit – things not even he can change using his powers. Clark will face some of these issues, and the conflict he faces when it comes to hiding his secret  – and his feelings – from Lois, well as his closest friends, in contrast to his public image, confidence, powers and achievements as Superman, will be a key dimension to the story.

Another positive sign for me is that Goyer has by all accounts decided that although Lex Luthor will be around and present in Superman’s world, the principal villain in the new film will be Brainiac – one of Superman’s most powerful enemies, from his own homeworld, and there will be a nod to his Kryptonian heritage. This is in line with another principle I have always advocated for Superman, which is the need for him to have  an opponent, whose powers are equal to his, who provides a real test for him, and that the film needs to be an epic – but at its heart driven by a good plot and strong characters, and defined by their relationship to each other – principally Lois and Clark, but also Superman and Lex to a degree.

The other piece of news that I read which encouraged me was the news that Superman would not be played by Brandon Routh, and Bryan Singer would not be directing.The simple truth is, to do a proper reboot, they do need new actors to play the lead roles, and a new director at the helm. New Superman, new Lois, a new, younger Lex Luthor,  a new everything – including a new soundtrack (preferably written by Hans Zimmer, who did such a good job with Batman’s new theme). A clean break from the past.

One of the biggest questions is just who would play Superman. Brandon Routh did a good job as Superman, but as I mentioned earlier the character – especially Clark – would be very different from the one he played. In my opinion it shouldn’t be a well-established, ‘big name’ film actor, because the key to this character is that Superman has to be bigger than anything else. Bigger than the actor, bigger than the film almost. It can’t be ‘that actor in a Superman suit’, when we see him it has to be ‘that’s Superman’. The character of Superman is too big for a big star to play him. It has to be a young, rising actor still making his name, or someone talented but largely seen on TV but not in films, or an unknown. The realistic identity of this man is the one question I don’t know the answer to, though in my opinion Tom Welling from ‘Smallville’ is the best person for the job.

Indeed, he himself has said he’s been approached (which is encouraging news). The new Superman film would be a natural progression from Smallville – although not directly linked – and the Clark Kent he has played is more the type of character Clark needs to be, and surely he above all knows the character inside out having played him for 9 years. It would be a bold but brilliant choice. The only potential negative is that he has been so linked to Smallville, that to put him in the suit with different actors in the other roles may get confusing, or wouldn’t look right to fans used to seeing him without the costume. However, at the moment, I don’t see many other contenders for the role. That may change in time, but at the moment there appears to be no other obvious choice.

As for the other lead roles? Well, Lois Lane needs to be someone young, feisty, intelligent and of course with the pre-requisite looks – and who has chemistry with Superman/Clark. In my opinion the outstanding choices for this would be Anne Hathaway and Rachel McAdams. They have the looks, the intelligence, talent and that spark that Lois really needs. As for Lex Luthor? Someone young, good looking but with a darkness and depth about him. For me Zachary Quinto would be perfect for this role (if he’s not too busy with Star Trek).

Now for directing issues. Bryan Singer is top director and did a good job on ‘Superman Returns’, but to bring him on board for a reboot would make no sense. This is effectively a new franchise, a new beginning for the character, and as such needs a new director. Hence, the news he won’t be involved (he’s too busy with other projects anyway) is good news. However, it is absolutely vital to get the right director – someone who can handle character driven films and epic, grand films on a big scale. Who buys into the vision for the new film and supports it totally. They have a brilliant writer on board already, but the director is a key appointment.

My suggestions for director? Well its a tough one. J.J.Abrams did a brilliant job rebooting Star Trek, he could do an excellent job and I wouldn’t be averse to him taking it on, but he’s probably too busy with Star Trek.  Although Michael Bay handles big scale films well would probably be linked, he isn’t so hot on storylines and plot development, so I think would be a bad choice. Christopher Nolan might seem an obvious choice after his Batman films, but is unlikely to want to spend another decade making superhero films after finishing his Batman trilogy. Truth is, there is no obvious choice right now. It would be interesting too to find a rising director with great potential, who is making good films but is yet to hit mainstream – much like Nolan was when he made Batman Begins. But who would that be?

Looking at the bigger picture, in terms of overall vision for the franchise, I think they need to plan for a trilogy, but at the same time make a film that stands on its own (as they did in ‘Batman Begins’). The natural sequel would be to make the comic series ‘Superman – Doomsday’ into a film (with that as its title). There would be epic grand battles between this powerful monster and Superman, who is, at the same time, also dealing with issues with his relationship with Lois, who ideally would at some point in the film find out his true identity, before he later dies in defeating this monster. This would probably be an even bigger film than the first, much like ‘The Dark Knight’ was with the recent Batman films. Superman would die at the end when defeating the monster, but you could end it with hope of a resurrection.

Then in the third (and final) film – Superman: Resurrection –  would bring him back to save the world again, again using the story of his resurrection in the comics (‘Reign of the Supermen’) as inspiration and bringing the series- and Lois and Clark’s romance – to a natural conclusion (with the happy ever after for Clark and Lois at last, right at the end).

While we’re on Clark and Lois, one thing that I think is important is that Lois Lane should eventually discover Clark’s identity at some point in the new franchise (and not be allowed to forget it through a ‘magic kiss’) – although maybe not to begin with. For such a good reporter it’s always been ridiculous that she doesn’t figure it out sooner. She has to figure it out, and this can then form part of the dynamic between Lois and Clark and their relationship. It makes so much more sense and is much more realistic, and another thing that eventually happened in the comic books too. I get the feeling that given Goyer’s style this would be something he would be interested to do at some point in a trilogy, possibly in the second film. It could be a subplot that develops over the first film – as she notices little things (like Clark and Superman never being in the same place), and over time puts the puzzle together, until he is compelled to reveal his secret – and his feelings. She discovers his true identity and they realize their feelings for one another, he dies and she loses him, then finally he comes back and she has to deal with it. Lois and Clark is a great love story, and done well can be the undercurrent which drives the whole film series.

Making a trilogy using these stories and ideas would give the films a natural story arc which would take Superman on a big journey both personally, as Clark and also in his identity as Superman,  a combination of action and character depth, and would keep people interested and connected with the characters. This I think is the kind of story arc that might appeal to Goyer, one which retains strong links to the comics, which would test Superman but which can be adapted for the big screen. Being faithful to original material worked for Batman, and has worked throughout the history of comic book films. It can work again.

Goyer is unlikely to choose these ideas, but nevertheless after the work he has done with Batman, and having heard his vision for the new Superman from ‘Man of Steel’, I am sure whatever they choose to do will be of a very high standard. Certainly my confidence that the next Superman film will deliver has been heightened sharply through hearing of his, and Christopher Nolan’s, involvement.

A few words of advice to the filmakers though. Don’t cut corners and try and do it on the cheap. Superman needs and deserves a big budget and things to be done well, by the best people around, with talented performers in key roles in front of and behind the camera. Not cheap CGI and special effects – and of course, post-Avatar, in 3D as well. Do it properly, and do it well, and you will get the payoff in ticket sales.

Finally, one other little thing. Get the suit right. You need to keep to the heart of the Superman costume, but make it believable for today. Get rid of the red pants and make the red in that part of the suit part of the suit design and make sure the ‘S’ is bigger than in ‘Superman Returns’, and put the gold ‘S’ on the back of the cape – and allow for the cape and costume to get torn, as it is in the current incarnation in the comics. Don’t make it black or science-fictiony with daggers, gadgets and weapons, or invulnerable like its owner. Keep to the heart of the costume, its part of the essence of the character. Very important.

As a big fan of the comics, the character and the films this is what I believe is required to bring Superman the film series he deserves – one which will be both critically acclaimed, popular with fans of the character and successful at the box-office. The news of David Goyer’s involvement, with Christopher Nolan overseeing the project – as long as he doesn’t interfere with work on actual film itself (which I don’t believe he will) and his vision for the character, seem to be the best news the franchise has had for a long time, and provides great hope that we will finally get a modern Superman film – and indeed a film series – worthy of the character.