Superman Returns Did Brandon Routh's Publicity Hurt Superman Returns?

[Mr. Walters]

Okay, we all know Donner wanted to cast an unknown as Superman back in '78. And he did that. No one had a clue who Christopher Reeve was. Flash forward to present day. Singer also wanted to cast an unknown. BUt I saw so much Brandon hype prior to the movie's release that he was in some sense already a star. I didn't see Superman on scrren the way I did with Reeve, I saw Brandon Routh in tights. DO you think all the publicity prior to the film's release hurt the film?

 

[Mr. Socko]

Donner really did not WANT to cast an unknown in Superman: TM. He was looking at an already established guy for the role(I can't recall who) but he was shooting another movie and couldn't do it so Donner tried out some other people and ended up with Chris Reeve.

But nah, I don't think so

 

[Mr. Socko]

Sorry about the dp, stupid slow connection

 

[Mr. Walters]

Donner really did not WANT to cast an unknown in Superman: TM. He was looking at an already established guy for the role(I can't recall who) but he was shooting another movie and couldn't do it so Donner tried out some other people and ended up with Chris Reeve.

But nah, I don't think so

Really? In all the interviews with Donner I've seen he said he couldn't imagine a star (Robert Redford was his example) flaying around in tights. he said Superman had to look and sound like he steped out of our collective consciouness. He didn't want people to look up on screen and say, "Hey look that's so and so." he wanted people to say, "Hey look that's Superman!"

I heard the same thing about Steven Spielberg with Jaws though. I heard once that because the shark didn't work he had to shoot the movie the way he did, with barrels, with the girl getting pulled down from below, etc. but then in an interview he said he never wanted to show the shark much at all.

It sounds like maybe both Donner and Spielberg are taking credit for things that weren't their ideas.

 

[y2jversion1]

IMO Routh & the rest of the cast were excellent - the material they were given to work with was not at the same level though.

 

[matthooper]

Donner really did not WANT to cast an unknown in Superman: TM. He was looking at an already established guy for the role(I can't recall who) but he was shooting another movie and couldn't do it so Donner tried out some other people and ended up with Chris Reeve.

Not true.

In the Superman documentary, Donner states quite clearly he wanted to cast an unknown. He goes out of his way to say how stupid the stars of the day would have looked in tights.

The entire casting call was made up of unknowns.

 

[Mr. Walters]

Not true.

In the Superman documentary, Donner states quite clearly he wanted to cast an unknown. He goes out of his way to say how stupid the stars of the day would have looked in tights.

The entire casting call was made up of unknowns.

See? That's what I heard too.

 

[Mr. Socko]

Donner is ofcourse dressing it up. But hey, I don't exactly know. It's just what I read in a magazine.

Back in the 1800s, a doctor accidentally invented Coke-a-cola, then he later stated he meant to create a refreshing drink everyone would love.

 

[The Caped Knight]

IMO Routh & the rest of the cast were excellent - the material they were given to work with was not at the same level though.

Right on .

 

[Mr. Thing]

I think it was the Salkinds who wanted a big name star, and they had some lined up but Donner had Chris Reeve in mind, and he wanted him for an audition. After that the Salkinds eventually budged.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

blame the movie, not other movies, or the budget, or the actors, or the month of the year, or the alignment of the celestial bodies......

 

[Mr. Socko]

I do blame the movie for not delivering like it could have. But there are other things to blame for it's failure in the BO.

 

[matthooper]

Donner is ofcourse dressing it up.

No he's not. Only unknowns were seriously considered for the role. That's how the casting went. We can see this in the screen tests and casting calls. There were never any serious offers to stars. There is no conspiracy here. Donner wanted an unknown and he got one.

 

[LostSon88]

Okay, we all know Donner wanted to cast an unknown as Superman back in '78. And he did that. No one had a clue who Christopher Reeve was. Flash forward to present day. Singer also wanted to cast an unknown. BUt I saw so much Brandon hype prior to the movie's release that he was in some sense already a star. I didn't see Superman on scrren the way I did with Reeve, I saw Brandon Routh in tights. DO you think all the publicity prior to the film's release hurt the film?

People are really reaching for reasons why SR is failing at the BO it seems...

First people were saying SR failed because he had a kid.
Then it was because of Singers lack of originality.
Next it was because of the rumors of Superman being gay.
After that it was becuase of the movies lack of action.
Soon it became because of his boyscout image.
Now its because Routh was too popular pre-release?

C'mon people.

 

[Mr. Walters]

blame the movie, not other movies, or the budget, or the actors, or the month of the year, or the alignment of the celestial bodies......

I don't know, you'd be amazed at the the things that make movies fail at the box office. I agree, the movie was simply terrible, but the wrong actors and certainly the month of release can have a big impact on a film's success. If Superman Returns wasn't released a week before Pirates of the Carribean, it might have done better.

 

[matthooper]

People are really reaching for reasons why SR is failing at the BO it seems...

.

It failed because it was not very good.

 

[Mr. Walters]

People are really reaching for reasons why SR is failing at the BO it seems...Now its because Routh was too popular pre-release?

C'mon people.

sigh...

I didn't say it is why the movie is failing at the box office, I meerley asked people if they thought the hype hurt the movie.

 

[Mr. Socko]

I really don't know why it's failing at the BO. Maybe because it's not that great, but not entirely. Batman Forever and Batman & Robin both did pretty good in the BO. And dare I not forget F4.

 

[LostSon88]

It failed because it was not very good.

Well look, that's all opinion and if that's yours than so be it...but to pick the movie apart and find what I think are frivilous reasons why it's underperfoming is really shady and pretty sad.

Superman Returns was hurt because people Brandon Routh was overexposed? Gimme a break...

 

[Steelsheen]

i didnt know who Routh was until this movie.

Chris Reeve is still the best Superman. arguing about that is moot. the question is did Routh do a good job as a successor?


i think he did, for the most part. he's still a little green, but he certainly didnt suck. not bad for a guy whose last job was bartending at a bowling alley.

 

[Galactical]

nobody remembered a thing about brandon routh when they were deciding to go see it or not.

so no.

 

[D-Bone]

Donner really did not WANT to cast an unknown in Superman: TM. He was looking at an already established guy for the role(I can't recall who) but he was shooting another movie and couldn't do it so Donner tried out some other people and ended up with Chris Reeve.

But nah, I don't think so

Donner is a good director, but he's embelleshing his own image if he says he only considered unknowns. I've read in more than one place that, get this, the guy that was signed and set to play Superman was the Hulk's wacky Dad, Nick Nolte. Yep, Nolte. But he pulled out to make another movie, so they looked over their previous choices and then picked Chris Reeve.

Interestingly, Warren Beaty also screentested for Superman.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

and Burt Reynolds too

 

[Pickle-El]

Fox put out a few nice articles questioning Brandon's orientation......hmmmmm. Fox news, foxnews.com, The LA Times, etc.........I'm sure that didn't help for the younger teen audience.

The real funny thing is, SR was NOTHING like what they were implying. Go figure.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Well, thing is....LA TIMES and all FOX outlets are run by homophobes...so, they jsut think anyone with good hair must be. So.....I really never take any of those outlets, without proof.