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Once herald as an American Icon of the Twentieth Century, Superman, the Man of Steel, has become no more of an icon, in the 21st Century than baseball and apple-pie. The times has pass him by and the American icons of the 21st Century, now consist of football, pizza-pie, and oh yeah, that superhero called Spiderman. Not to diminish his status in iconic history, who once played second fiddle to Mickey Mouse in the 30’s and 40’s, before taking his rightful place atop of America’s symbol for the world; Superman is no longer the flagship of D.C. Comics, which seemingly, has shifted to Batman. However, hold your heads high fans of the MoS, for a change is comingThere is not just one factor, hindering the success of the MoS on the silver screen. Much of it has to do with Bryan Singer’s insatiable need to interject political correctness and acceptance into a genre, that is rooted in different values, from a different era. Yes it’s true, today’s society is not so rooted in America’s favorite pastime, the sweet smell of candy apples and apple-pie in every window seal, the isolationist and entrepreneur’s ideals of the west, in the 50‘s, and the moral fiber of a husband, wife, 2.5 children, and a white picket fence. A Superman film rooted in the 50’s theme, today, would be unrealistic; but was it necessary to make major changes to the core essence of the character. NO. However, much of the hindrance of the MoS, stems also from DC lack of generating sales and creating and sustaining a new fan base amongst the youth. The next generation, 25 years and younger, are more compel to buy Batman and Justice League core titles, not to mention core titles from DC competitors.
Another problem with the franchise is the writing. Singer impressed on his writers to formulate a story that is conducive to today’s society, that the paying public could relate to, in it’s title character and, the situation and changes to a world he must adjust to; as well as, maintaining some sensibility to the Richard Donner films. The team failed horribly. No one accepted Superman having an illegitimate, asthmatic son, being a borderline stalker, and similarity to closet issues I won’t discuss; a Lois Lane that is emotionless, timid, and far from the tough independent thinking, NOW organization, I Am Woman character(maybe a little much), cherish by fans of Noel Neill, Margot Kidder, and even Teri Hatcher; and, a Lex Luthor, that once again, not taken seriously and is relative to comic relief, not deserving of the title “Greatest Criminal Mastermind of the Century“. Through it all, marketing a Superman sequel to the public, maybe the more difficult; but, there may be a glimmer of hope for the franchise and its fans.
Comments attributed to Dan Harris, states, “We have to have a real villain(s), that pose a real threat not just to Superman, but to humanity. We can’t repeat the same mistake of past films, saving passengers on a plane, children on a bus, and a cat up a tree. We have to have a villain(s) just as strong and powerful; yet, intelligent enough to devise a situation or circumstance, that even the greatest of heroes, may not be able to withstand.” When asked about the direction the sequel may take and its possible villains. “The basic premise is there, left open in “Superman Returns”, that will facilitate that sort of transition to the next film. The film itself was more of a reintroduction of this profound hero, to a world, that have learned to live and continue on, in his absence. So we have distinct ideas that will pick up the story from there. Although, at this time, we have not ran it by the chiefs at Warner Brothers; we have characters solidly in place now... one that may not be as recognizable and maybe introduce a new character, who existence can easily be explain by the implications of the previous film; that will allow us to create more action, more battles, and take advantage of technologies that today’s special effects can achieve.”
Many speculate that Kevin Spacey will return to reprise his role as a more serious Lex Luthor. Others have speculated that villains such as Brainiac and Bizarro are possibly prime to make their big screen debut. Bizarro the more likely, because of Superman leaving precious DNA material(blood) on the Kryptonite Island(Bizarro World) cast in space. More hardcore fans want heavyweights like Doomsday or Darkseid, which more likely will never grace the silver screen. However, there is a recurring thought that little Jason White may house the spirit of Mr. Mxyzptlk, whom could pose a huge challenge to the MoS. Neither-the-less, Bryan Singer may deliver a Superman film, that many die-hard fans are demanding. We will be watching.
