World Burton's Concept Art

[Ultraman Nexus]

The resolution on the original image was a pain, but anyway, this is what I'd have done with that other Doomsday concept.

That is actually not bad at all.

 

[SUPERSEBAS]

By supersebas

 

[Wolfman]

That's great Supersebas, but I do have some suggestions. I would remove the silver belt, make Cage more pale and make dark circles around his eyes, like Burton's Sweeney Todd had. I would also make the hair like Ichabod Crane's was in Sleepy Hollow. Just to make it more like what Burton's vision might have been.

 

[BH/HHH]

Ya know as much as this would suck on a Superman level I would have been intrigued to see this as a film.

I agree with whoever said they should do a documentary on aborted Superman projects that'd be brilliant.

 

[BH/HHH]

Ya know as much as this would suck on a Superman level I would have been intrigued to see this as a film.

I agree with whoever said they should do a documentary on aborted Superman projects that'd be brilliant.

http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?i...illa:en-GB:official&hs=dem&sa=N&start=20&um=1

 

[theMan-Bat]

That's great Supersebas, but I do have some suggestions. I would remove the silver belt, make Cage more pale and make dark circles around his eyes, like Burton's Sweeney Todd had. I would also make the hair like Ichabod Crane's was in Sleepy Hollow. Just to make it more like what Burton's vision might have been.

During Superman's death and right after Superman's resurrection when he is virtually powerless wearing the black Kryptonian suit and recovering he probably would have had dark circles around his eyes and messed up hair. But not all the time.

 

[El Payaso]

That's great Supersebas, but I do have some suggestions. I would remove the silver belt, make Cage more pale and make dark circles around his eyes, like Burton's Sweeney Todd had. I would also make the hair like Ichabod Crane's was in Sleepy Hollow. Just to make it more like what Burton's vision might have been.

Well, he didn't do that with Batman so I don't see why it should be suggested for Superman.

 

[Sawyer]

By supersebas

I've been reading "Superman vs. Hollywood"... all I can say is thank God Superman Lives didnt happen.

 

[KalMart]

Correction:
Superman Returns was the best thing we could have possibly gotten out of any of the previous attempts, its the most faithful..
Burton's comes 2nd to Superman Returns, then comes Superman Reborn, the comes Superman V: The New Movie (the Salkind's one) and then comes Superman: Flyby (J.J. Abrams's movie.)


...How do you "'s" Abrams anyway? Would it be Abrami?
hmm.

Abrams'.

 

[Wolfman]

I've been reading "Superman vs. Hollywood"... all I can say is thank God Superman Lives didnt happen.

I found Superman vs. Hollywood to be verey innacurate. It based it's "facts" on rumours posted on Aintitcool.com. To get a better view on the matter I highly recommend "The Greatest Sci-fi Movie never made". It has great stories about, well, sci-fi movies that were never made.

 

[Catman]

By supersebas

lol.

 

[mjbull23]

Ya know...after seeing this image of Nic as Supes. I'm very happy this film never got made. LOL

 

[theMan-Bat]

Ya know...after seeing this image of Nic as Supes. I'm very happy this film never got made. LOL

You do know, or you should know, that's not exactly what he would have looked like in the actual film. That's just a manipulation. I can image the silly looking manipulations of Micheal Keaton as Batman in Adam West's suit and Jack Nicholson as Joker in Cesar Romero's suit that would have been made if Tim Burton's Batman had also been canceled in preproduction and had never been made and people would be saying, "Thank god that never happened." Aren't you curious as to how this film would have actually been? I am. It wasn't made because Warner Brothers got scared after Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin had just bombed in 1997, and Tim Burton's last film, Mars Attacks!, with a budget of $80 million, had also recently bombed in 1996 and Superman Lives would have also been an expensive film. I can tell by the preproduction designs that Tim Burton's Superman Lives would have been refreshingly creative and different for a Superman film. Tim Burton would have had Brainiac

and Doomsday

and other creatures

in Superman Lives.
Kevin Spacey as Luthor was originally Tim Burton's idea for Superman Lives.

Kevin Spacey said, "I went in to meet Tim Burton, 10 or 11 years ago when Tim was going to do it. And apparently Tim wanted me to play the Lex Luther part but I never read a script."
http://www.darkhorizons.com/interviews/1162/kevin-spacey-for-superman-returns-
Courtney Cox was going to be Lois Lane in Superman Lives.

Also if you look closely you will see Superman in the classic red and blue costume in the picture here, he would have worn more than one costume in the film.

He was going to wear the classic costume until he dies and is resurrected and is then temporarily virtually powerless and wears the black armored Kryptonian Eradicator suit.

And Superman did wear a black suit in the comics temporarily after he returned in "Reign of the Supermen".

Then the K suit would disintegrate to reveal him in a dark blue update of the classic blue suit, with a red cape.

But Warners were afraid of change so they went with Bryan Singer's Superman Returns with just ol' baldy and Kryptonite again *yawn* and Bryan Singer's metrosexual version of the suit with little low-riding short-shorts which makes people think Superman is gay and a Lois that looks way too young, and has a kid.

 

[theMan-Bat]

This would have been how Metropolis would have looked, that's the Daily Planet building. Which is appropriately different and lighter for Superman than the Gothic architecture of Gotham City in Tim Burton's Batman.

 

[Wolfman]

That black and white picture is new to me. Very nice. Too bad Wesley Strick's screenplay is nowhere to be found. I have searched Strick's contact information, but so far nothing. I did send e-mail to the company that published his book, but they gave me no reply. Lol.

 

[batman strikes]

I read Strick's script a long time ago. In my opinion it was one of the worst screenplays that came out of the Superman Lives era, it just wasn't Superman at all to me.

 

[theMan-Bat]

I read the final script of Superman Lives by Dan Gilroy that Tim Burton wanted to film. There was a detailed review of it on superman-v.com while the site was still up.
http://www.superman-v.com/reviews/gilroy.php
It's a slightly darker, more serious version of Kevin Smith's script. The Burton/Gilroy version is Smith's script void of all of Jon Peters rediculous suggestions of a gay robot, polar bears and Superman never flying, and Keven Smith's too comic-booky, ultra-fanboy, silly wink-wink aspects, and tongue-in-cheek moments. In the Burton/Gilroy script he flies. Superman is about hope, optimism, heroism, fun cheer moments. Strength and compassion. That's Superman. Not Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh's bleak and brooding, sad emo character. The Burton/Gilroy Superman Lives script has plenty of cheer moments. Superman saves dozens of children and Lois's niece in the elevators at Lexcorp. Superman saves a kid from a burning building. Superman saves Lois from Brainiac. Superman gives a speech about how his place is here on earth, this is his home, these are his people, etc. that is faithful and respectful to who Superman is and what he symbolizes.

Superman is suppose to be a positive role model. Nicolas Cage said "The death of Superman and his resurrection will be a part of the story, but I have other points that I want to address. I saw it for me as an opportunity to reach a lot of kids around the world and say something positive. I've never really made a movie for children before, but to me, Superman is an opportunity to reach children all around the world, and to say something to them that I believe. I guess I'm trying to take the judgment out of the way kids treat each other. To me, this project is very important because it's going to affect children around the world. What do I want to see happen to children around the world? I can't claim that I'm really going to be able to do this, but at least I can try. Which is if I can play up to Superman's feelings of being an alien, feeling different, feeling weird basically feeling like the kid I felt like when I was in school then I can maybe get that little boy to stop teasing that little boy because Superman is different. That's my thought process. It's okay to be different because Superman is different. If one child sees that and says 'maybe I'm Superman' then I've done my job."

The following is from this site http://www.newsaskew.com/page/2/?s=supes
"This latest draft, which had the date 9/20/98 on its cover page, was written by Dan Gilroy, a well-known script doctor. Gilroy’s produced credits include “Chasers” and “Freejack,” and he currently has several high profile projects set up around town.
Whatever Warner Bros. (WBDX) is paying Gilroy to work on “Superman,” it’s well worth it because the script has greatly improved since the Smith version. Here are some details about the script. Then I’ll update you on what’s happening with its eventual production. I should warn you, there are some spoilers below…
Fade In on Metropolis
The script weighs in at 111 pages and begins not unlike the Christopher Reeve version of “Superman,” with Jor-El rocketing his son off the doomed planet of Krypton. However, in the yet-to-be-filmed version, it turns out Jor-El had been working on a humanoid creation that went awry. It has taken on an evil life of its own and doesn’t like the fact that Jor-El has given up on him in order to raise some puny little baby. Brainiac, who survives and feeds on electrical energy, destroys Krypton and vows to find Kal-El, Jor-El’s son… Superman.
What’s interesting about the new script and what Gilroy has given the super-hero are some true character traits. You see, Clark Kent/Superman is unaware that he’s from another planet, nor is he certain why he has special powers, until Lex Luthor, a wealthy tycoon, announces that his satellites have discovered an alien spacecraft buried beneath the earth in a rural town named Smallville. The ship is literally buried in the backyard of the farm Kent grew up on. That’s when he realizes that he must be from another world.
It turns out Lois Lane and Superman are actually having an affair, though she wants more of a commitment from him while he is torn between his work and his personal life. (Sound familiar, girls?!) Clark Kent decides to tell Lois that he is really Superman over a Japanese dinner. It takes all the fun out of it if she is having an affair with Superman, and Clark has nothing to hide. How lame! That’s what was so touching about the previous Superman film.
Thanks to the unearthing of Superman’s escape pod, Brainiac discovers his whereabouts in the galaxy and makes his way toward Earth. By the middle of the film, Brainiac has taken over the body of Lex Luthor with the intent of finding and destroying Superman. In an amazing action sequence (often referred to as a set piece by industry types), Brainiac actually succeeds in offing the super-hero, and he dies in Lois’ arms. Yes, Superman dies. I’ve given away so much by now, I don’t think I’m going to give away how he’s reborn and saves the world. I’ve gotta leave you in suspense until the movie is released. Just know that while the script may need a little work, it is in much better shape than any of the earlier drafts I’ve gotten my hands on." - HSX, October 14th, 1998.

http://www.mania.com/superman-lives-...cle_21288.html
"I had been working on the project for a year, and it didn't happen," says Burton. "I basically worked very hard. I made the movie; we just forgot to film it."

The rumor at the time was that part of the problem was the casting of Cage. Burton refutes this. "No," he says, "that was a done deal. I mean, that's why I wanted to do it. I love him. That's what people said about Michael Keaton for BATMAN. You'd have to ask Warner Bros, but I think and this is only my opinion, of course that it wasn't filmed because it was going to be an expensive movie, and they were a little sensitive because they were getting a lot of bad press that they had just screwed up the Batman franchise. Because of the corporate environment, all of the decisions are basically fear-based. So I think one of the aspects that lead to their decision was that somehow they were going to **** up another franchise."

"If they'd just allowed us to make the film," adds Burton, "I think that we could have done something interesting. And, you know, it was going to be an expensive movie. They made a choice. They had this, and WILD, WILD WEST, and they opted for that and canned this one. It's frustrating. I like to be positive, but I really feel that I wasted a year of my life. That's a terrible feeling. You never want to feel that in anything you do."

 

[batman strikes]

I read that script to and I got to agree with you that it was best version of the script. I think the movie would of been just as good as Batman 89. It's to bad Warner Brothers didn't want to take a chance on it. At worst it would of put us in the same situation we are now in after the release of Superman Returns. Maybe we would of had a reboot now since Burton's film was supposed to be released in 1998.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Here are excerpts from the book Superman vs. Hollywood about Superman Lives:

 

[batman strikes]

Could you maybe post more excerpts from Superman vs. Hollywood section that involves Tim Burton and Superman Lives, if you can that is?

 

[theMan-Bat]

Could you maybe post more excerpts from Superman vs. Hollywood section that involves Tim Burton and Superman Lives, if you can that is?

Sure.

 

[batman strikes]

You do know, or you should know, that's not exactly what he would have looked like in the actual film. That's just a manipulation. I can image the silly looking manipulations of Micheal Keaton as Batman in Adam West's suit and Jack Nicholson as Joker in Cesar Romero's suit that would have been made if Tim Burton's Batman had also been canceled in preproduction and had never been made and people would be saying, "Thank god that never happened." Aren't you curious as to how this film would have actually been? I am. It wasn't made because Warner Brothers got scared after Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin had just bombed in 1997, and Tim Burton's last film, Mars Attacks!, with a budget of $80 million, had also recently bombed in 1996 and Superman Lives would have also been an expensive film. I can tell by the preproduction designs that Tim Burton's Superman Lives would have been refreshingly creative and different for a Superman film. Tim Burton would have had Brainiac

and Doomsday

and other creatures

in Superman Lives.
Kevin Spacey as Luthor was originally Tim Burton's idea for Superman Lives.

Courtney Cox was going to be Lois Lane in Superman Lives.

Also if you look closely you will see Superman in the classic red and blue costume in the picture here, he would have worn more than one costume in the film.

He was going to wear the classic costume until he dies and is resurrected and is then temporarily virtually powerless and wears the black armored Kryptonian Eradicator suit.

And Superman did wear a black suit in the comics temporarily after he returned in "Reign of the Supermen".

Then the K suit would disintegrate to reveal him in a dark blue update of the classic blue suit, with a red cape.

But Warners were afraid of change so they went with Bryan Singer's Superman Returns with just ol' baldy and Kryptonite again *yawn* and Bryan Singer's metrosexual version of the suit with little low-riding short-shorts which makes people think Superman is gay and a Lois that looks way too young, and has a kid.

Do you know if it was ever said who was going to be cast as Brainiac or Perry White? I know Chris Rock was pretty close to being cast as Jimmy Olsen before the film was canceled. Also I thought Burton wanted Courtney Cox as Lois Lane but because of her schedule she couldn't do it. Later Burton was looking at actress like Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, and Linda Fiorentino.

 

[theMan-Bat]

Do you know if it was ever said who was going to be cast as Brainiac or Perry White? I know Chris Rock was pretty close to being cast as Jimmy Olsen before the film was canceled.

Yes, Chris Rock was going to be Jimmy Olsen. Jimmy is comic relief so why not cast an actual comedian and I have no problem with an African American Jimmy Olsen. Comics2Film reported that Jack Larson, who played Jimmy Olsen on the George Reeves Superman TV show in the 1950s, expressed interest in playing Perry White because he was a huge fan of Chris Rock. Rumors flew of Tim Allen, who had originally been considered for Luthor, possibly playing Brainiac or Jim Carrey, but I seriously doubt Tim Burton would have gone with either of them. Tim Allen said he'd love to try his comedy chops in the role of Brainiac, the villain in Tim Burton's Superman, starring Nicolas Cage. "They immediately say Jim Carrey, but I wouldn't mind trying that." http://jam.canoe.ca/Movies/Artists/A/Allen_Tim/1997/12/07/756335.html
Jim Carrey or Tim Allen as Brainiac sounds like Jon Peters' ideas rather than Burton's. Brainiac looks like he was going to be either an Animatronical mechanised puppet by Stan Winston or Computer-generated with somebody doing the voice. AICN reported that Kevin Spacey would play both Brainiac and Luthor, in a dual role. (This could actually lead credence to the rumors of Brainiac as a robot -- Spacey could voice the character -- and the merging of Brainiac and Luthor as "Luthiac", which is somewhat similar to the occurrence in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?")
http://www.supermanhomepage.com/news/1998-news/1998-news-movie.php?topic=1998-news-movie/0304

Also I thought Burton wanted Courtney Cox as Lois Lane but because of her schedule she couldn't do it. Later Burton was looking at actress like Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, and Linda Fiorentino.

Various actresses were considered, and it was rumored that Courteney Cox was not available but Courteney Cox was available from my understanding, and the best choice. She was not making Scream 3 at the time. And all of the Scream films were made while Courteney Cox was on Friends. She could have made Tim Burton's Superman Lives if Warner Brothers actually ponied up and had the balls to let them make the film.

 

[Wolfman]

This pic shows one of many concepts for Doomsday:

There's also the somewhat translucent suit:

So there was lot of ideas that ewre floating around. can we tell for sure what suit was going to be what?

Wasn't this

the final suit for Superman?

Maybe this for eradicator?

 

[theMan-Bat]

This pic shows one of many concepts for Doomsday:

That's not Doomsday. And neither are these other creatures.

"Menagerie" is a zoological collection of various species on Brainiac's Skull Ship in space collected by Brainiac during Brainiac's journeys throughout the cosmos.

There's also the somewhat translucent suit:

So there was lot of ideas that ewre floating around. can we tell for sure what suit was going to be what?

The Eradicator's programming allows him to shape-shift into any form. This is the Kryptonian Eradicator suit after the Eradicator resurrected Superman from the dead. Notice the wires in his head. Notice how pale he is. The small amount of hair, which looks Grey here. The dark circles around his eyes. And how the suit is in the process of expediting his recovery. It supports his strained back muscles, it is repairing the fracture in his shoulder, his ankles need support, it's protecting his vertebrae.

Wasn't this

the final suit for Superman?

The Dan Gilroy script says the K suit would disintegrate to reveal him in his final suit - a dark blue update of the classic blue suit, with a red cape. The black suit is the eradicator suit in the final state of his resurrection as he is recuperating, regaining his health, his strength. He has color to his face again and his hair is back and black.

Maybe this for eradicator?

The Kryptonian Eradicator resurrects Superman from the dead. The Eradicator becomes a resuscitive suit to progress Superman's resurrection in stages of evolution, to expedite his recovery.
Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4