Death of the classic Superman franchise. Next version to be Iron Aged?

[Superman Forever]

Variety reports that writers Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris of Superman Returns are out of the sequel. Bryan Singer can be next, and the real Superman franchise originated by Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve would be dead. Mark Millar wants to write the new movie. They´re using OMACs and Mawell Lord in Justice League script. Is this the beginning of the new Iron Age in DC movies?

[DBN]

[Mr. Burns]Excellent[/Mr. Burns]

If it means that we get something more geared to the SA/BA of comics, then I'm all for it.

[Superman Forever]

You see, that´s what i don´t understand about the Donner and Singer movies complains from Bronze Age fans. I think they are the more close we can get to a Maggin-esque version of Superman on screen. The first was, in fact, inspired by Maggin work and guidance. And Singer´s was a direct follow-up, also influenced by works of Mark Waid, Mark Millar, Kurt Busiek and Jeph Loeb. All the Krypton conection, loneliness angle, Superman/Clark Kent dichotomy and Messiah themes are  there. How can we get a more Bronze Age and less Iron Age movies than that?

[Klar Ken T5477]

Forget what age..

it's called pastiche.  Like "Beatlemania" -- an incredible simulation but lacking any depth, originality or soul.  It's like someone cut and pasted the best and worst of the Donner/Reeeve flicks without doing anything original.

Why rehash the origin again?  Lets go right into the classic environment with the players in place and bring on the bad guy(s).  Zoners?  Nah.  Why not Brainiac --Kandor and all?  or an all out Bizarro invasion ala All Star?

[DBN]

You see, that´s what i don´t understand about the Donner and Singer movies complains from Bronze Age fans. I think they are the more close we can get to a Maggin-esque version of Superman on screen. The first was, in fact, inspired by Maggin work and guidance. And Singer´s was a direct follow-up, also influenced by works of Mark Waid, Mark Millar, Kurt Busiek and Jeph Loeb. All the Krypton conection, loneliness angle, Superman/Clark Kent dichotomy and Messiah themes are  there. How can we get a more Bronze Age and less Iron Age movies than that?

For one thing, the SA/BA Kal-El was his own man. He didn't need a giant Brando hologram to guide him. Didn't need a Vulcan mind-meld with the hologram to gain his knowledge. He actually built his own fortress instead of growing it with a goofy crystal. And so on and so forth.

The Donner movies and the imagery associated with it has been with us for nearly 30 years. It's time to move on. With today's technology, they can finally give us an epic view of Krypton that isn't the Planet Hoth or a Fortress (as Nightwing once put it) that doesn't look like pick-up sticks.

I just hope that Millar doesn't get the writing job. I've read of what he would do if in charge and it sounds more like Marvel's Sentry or Miracleman than it does Superman.

[Great Rao]

For one thing, the SA/BA Kal-El was his own man. He didn't need a giant Brando hologram to guide him. Didn't need a Vulcan mind-meld with the hologram to gain his knowledge. He actually built his own fortress instead of growing it with a goofy crystal. And so on and so forth.

The Donner movies and the imagery associated with it has been with us for nearly 30 years. It's time to move on. With today's technology, they can finally give us an epic view of Krypton that isn't the Planet Hoth or a Fortress (as Nightwing once put it) that doesn't look like pick-up sticks.

I agree.  Look at the incredibly fun retro-graphics of Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (which actually had the giant robots from the Fleischer Superman cartoon) and of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius.  I really think the way to do this is to place the movie in the 1940s and to show the "Flash Gordon" Krypton with all sorts of incredible retro-technology.  Finally have a wonder-filled Fortress in the Arctic, show the miniaturized Bottle City of Kandor with the sky-ways and the flying cars.  The fact that the SPFX technology exists to do all this but that it hasn't been used is unbelievable.  And there are 70 years worth of amazing comic-book stories waiting to be told.

[nightwing]

Yes, it'd be awesome if they did a "Sky Captain"-like take on Superman, but I'm not going to hold my breath for that.

It's good news that they may be going in a new direction, and pretty much what I expected.  Singer and the studio tried to put a good face on things for a while with the "we're working on the next one" routine, but I think it was all a charade to buy some time...the further it gets from SR, the less a change of direction will look like an admission of failure.

I still like SR better than 3 of 4 of the Reeve films (which overall were cheesy junk), but it forms a trilogy with 1 and 2 and there's really nowhere else to go.  They painted themselves in a corner with the kid and not only can I not imagine what they'd do with him next, I can honestly say I don't want to find out.

The "Donner Superman" was an interesting take on the character, but nowhere near definitive to my mind and more than ready for retirement.  Here's hoping they take the "Hulk" route and reimagine the franchise from the ground up. They may screw it up, of course, but at least it'll be a novel screw-up for once.

I only ask two things.  No origin story and no Tim Burton!

[Michel Weisnor]

Instead of Superman looking down on Earth as a god, why not have Superman defending Earth from an intergalactic threat? As everyone is stating, they've got the Special Effects so lets see WB use them! He's Superman not Spider-Man. Who says he needs to stay on Earth? It's Space Opera time on a grand scale. Get everyone talking about the new Sc-Fi Superman franchise for the 21st century. However, I hope the writers do not ultimize the Big Red S. The template is there, if it's not broke don't fix it. Please, no new black costume or change in demeanor. Superman is not a Wildstorm "hero". Everyone around the world knows who Superman is and what he's about. The last thing we need is Superman killing or acting all Smallville on us.   

Although, UK writers usually hold Superman in high regard, Mark Millar doesn't stand a chance writing a Superman franchise. I just hope whomever gets the nod he or she knows better than to strictly read what DC gives them. Otherwise, we just might get Byrne Superman or a Doomsday storyline also known as Unimaginative Dull Superman.


...As Nightwing stated, please no Tim Burton!!!