Christopher Nolan to Shepherd a Brand New Superman Film
It was last September when Diane Nelson, head of DC Entertanment, said, “we don’t have current plans behind Superman.” A lot can change in five months as Deadline Hollywood has discovered, Christopher Nolan, has been asked to ‘godfather’ a new Superman flick. Let’s be clear that he’s not directing the movie (not yet anyway), but rather guiding the film in the right direction for critics and fans alike. This brand new Superman iteration won’t be a sequel, or even a pseudo reboot/sequel like Superman Returns, but rather an entirely new franchise. It’s about damn time Warner Brothers got the right guy to help Superman fly.
After Superman Returns didn’t quite get the reaction execs were hoping for, the studio learned its lesson and ever since then they’ve been trying to figure out what they wanted to do with Superman. Someone at Warner Bros. told Deadline: “We know what we don’t want to do. But we don’t know what we want to do. We learned a lot from the last movie, and we want to get it right this time.” Hiring Chris Nolan is a step in the right direction, but even a cinematic genius like Nolan could have some trouble with the franchise. More than a few heavy hitters have attempted to get Superman off the ground (no pun intended) and failed.
Tim Burton tried to make one with Nicolas Cage, a then-relatively unknown J.J. Abrams wrote the first script in a trilogy but wasn’t a big enough name to direct, so Brett Ratner and McG tried to do it with Abrams script, but both never got there. But when Bryan Singer was brought on board, it seemed like all was well. Solid set reports, stunning trailers, a seemingly decent Superman, but ultimately, no one really believed a man could fly; at least not enough to return on the $270 million budget. Singer is still in the cards as a director, but I wouldn’t count on it since he’s off preparing his own reboot with X-Men: First Class.
Aside from a desire for a decent Superman flick to do Krypton’s last son justice, there is literally a ticking clock attached to a Superman flick from Warner Brothers. Deadline breaks down the legal mumbo-jumbo:
Attorney Marc Toberoff, who keeps suing Warner Bros on behalf of creative rightsholders, warns that, in 2013, the Jerome Siegel heirs along with the estate of co-creator Joe Shuster will own the entire original copyright to Superman — ‘and neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros will be able to exploit any new ‘Superman’ works without a license from the Siegels and Shusters.’ He’s also pointed out that, if Warner Bros does not start production on a new ‘Superman’ sequel or reboot by 2011, the Siegels could sue to recover their damages on the grounds that the deal should have contained a clause in which the rights returned to the owners after a given time if no film was in development. The heirs of Siegel have already been awarded half the copyright for Superman. And in 2013 the heirs of co-creator Joe Shuster get the remaining half. After that, neither DC Comics nor Warner Bros will be able to use Superman without a financial agreement with the heirs.
Well that sucks for WB and DC. Sounds like someone should’ve gotten a fire lit under their ass a couple years ago. Alan Horn told a court hearing, “We had hopes to keep the character alive and to once again reinvent Superman. Our hope is to develop a Superman property and to try again. What hurt us is that the reviews and so on for the Superman movie did not get the kind of critical acclaim that Batman got, and we have other issues with Superman that concern us.” The fans could say the same thing with the studio approach to Superman, which has largely ignored the comic books in favor of staying true to the campy, albeit somewhat respectful, original films with Christopher Reeves.
Here’s the thing: Superman doesn’t necessarily need to be darker or edgier, which many will assume that’s what Nolan is going to do. He simply needs to be more sophisticated and have more substance. Superman struggles with more than Kryptonite and his love for Lois Lane. There are more limitations on his powers than the green space rock of his home planet, and he fights more villains than simply saving falling people or catching big debris. Superman needs a worthy adversary to fight. And if Lex Luthor’s schemes are going to challenge Superman, then maybe we should move away from that real estate plan. Because no one wants to buy land on a planet made up of jagged Kryptonite, and no one wants to see Superman wasted like this.
And for those of you worried that this is really going to delay a third Batman film, Jonah Nolan and David S. Goyer are indeed working on the screenplay for the next installment like we previously heard. So things will still be on track for the Caped Crusader, and DC Comics should have one hell of an upcoming slate with an established Dark Knight returning soon, a very promising Green Lantern, and an all-new Superman in the works as we speak. Are you guys pumped to see a Christopher Nolan-infused Superman?
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Interesting…. Nolan a part of both Batman and Superman…. World’s Finest movie anyone???
Xerxex i aint saying Nolan cant do it or wouldnt be great on the project, just id rather someone like Fincher to put his stamp on Superman, take it somewhere it hasnt gone before. Think Nolan owns the Batman, just the idea of him running both Batman and Superman sounds like warners being a bit lazy. Come on you gotta admit the idea of Fincher doing Superman is pretty cool.
bryan r I think Nolan can do it, I mean Batman 3 is a long ways off, For both Bale and Nolan. Bale is involved in a lot of films, and in one of those films he lost a dropped a lot of weight similar to The Machinist, and if indeed Nolan is going to be apart of the Superman film then that puts Batman back a few good months, years even.
Jon Hamm for Superman and all will be well.
Nolan is not a cure-all and just because he did well with Batman, doesn’t mean he’ll hit a homer with Superman…..this whole incestuous regurgitation from the same folks is what holds Hollywood back and pins the movies down for audiences to pummel.
I dont think the draw, fanbase or curiosity for a new Superman is strong enough to justify a DC/WB fast-track. Too soon + too fast = Superman will continually be a loss for the studios and a let down for audiences.
Its good news, but are warners just running to Nolan like lost children. They are moving in a great direction but how much of Nolans heart will be in it with Batman 3 around the corner. I would LOVE to see David Fincher have a go at a superhero movie. His Superman could get it back on track, and Lois has got to be someone with more edge then Bosworth.
Excellent news, I know its a bit premature but any choices to play The Man Of Steel? I do not think an unknown will fly with WB
How are you going to take Superman, a hero with near limitless powers, and have him spiritually guided by a director who’s done everything to AVOID those types in his Batman series?
So what I don’t get, is why would you have Nolan, who’s created this very real world based Batman character, with no super powers, facing no villians with super powers, who disdains super powers, sheperd the creation of one of the greatest super power based characters of all time? It’s not making much sense to me. Don’t get me wrong, I really like Christopher Nolan, I love Memento and Batman Begins (and I’ll grudginly admit I enjoyed TDK even if I will not say “it’s teh greatest evah!”) But he just seems stylistically WRONG for helping develop Superman.
You want to know how to reboot the franchise? Simple, GO READ – Superman Birthright – simple. Translate to film, bring the movie in fast, 2 hours 50 minutes and you’ve got a whole new world to play in, not to mention it sets up a Justice League world quite nicely.
The problem is how the story is told, how Superman is presented. I think modern audiences don’t want a bumbing Clark Kent, not necessarily suave or anything, but not the bufoon of the 80′s Superman movies. We don’t want him to be afraid of who he is.
And I’ll step out here too, WE DON’T WANT A PANSY LEX LUTHOR who’s greatest threat is Kryptonite and holding the world hostage via nukes, or land or what have you!
Give us a movie with Darkseid, with Kryptonian Mimic Technology, give us the Bad A super tech Lex Luthor, give us Doomsday.
And we’re tired of the damsel in distress Lois Lane. Seriously thats tired now. The comics figured it out, why can’t the movie makers?
The problem with Superman isn’t the story, it’s the folks making the movies.
Superman is Science Fiction, and thats how you can keep it relevant. Rather than having him try and fight earth bound super villians i.e. whimpy sniveling money making Lex Luthor, give him challenges, open up space. We’re excited about Green Lantern for this very reason!
I know I’ve already mentioned it once in this thread, but I’ll open up this challenge, Go pick up a copy of Superman: Birthright. Read it, and tell me that if they made that into a movie, as is, super technology and all, that you wouldn’t go watch that movie.
24 hours later…
I hate to say this, and will probably be booed off the site for suggesting it, but maybe a deep character driven Superman movie isn’t what we need right now. I’m all for Superman fighting giant robots powered by Brainiac, or even a fight with some mutates from Apokolips that could segway into a sort of “to be continued” theme leading to Darkseid being in a sequel. Let’s see the man of steel cut loose as the devestating effects juggernaut he could be. I’m sick of watching Clark Kent moon over Lois Lane, I want to see Superman heaving some mountains or shattering small moons.
YES YES YES!!! As long as they don’t make superman a BoyScout. My problem with Superman at least in TV and film is that he’s portrayed as someone who never does anything remotely morally wrong, which no one can relate to. Hopefully Nolan will give him some personal issues to deal with, which the average Joe can relate to. I could never get into Smallville because of Superman’s goddie goodie personality. If given the proper control, I know Nolan will fill this character out in a way that will make this movie the most successful Superman to date…
yes Nolan is a master at his craft it can only help the franchise
so basically make another Superman film that is actually good or forever lose the chance to do it again.
this is a good thing, it gives Goyer and The Nolans pleanty of time to flesh out the story.
I hope they remake superman. The orginals sucked. The Remakes sucked worse. No Director has given Superman the movie he deserves, like Nolan has given Batman.