Clark Kent
Superman
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... and I need help. I know Matt started a thread about how would people round here make a Superman movie, but I don't wanna read that as it's people's own ideas about how they themselves would go about making one and I feel I'd be too subconsciously influenced by it. I'd read something, think it was good, absorb it, forget it, then later "come up" with it, and I don't wanna do that. I wanna create my own thing.
I loved Superman, although it was flawed, IMO. I loved Superman II, although it was flawed, IMO. I hated Superman III, Supergirl, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Steel, and Superman Returns, for various reasons. Some I find worse than others, but I hate all of them to varying degrees.
My script is gonna be a reboot script, a complete, total, and utter reboot. No confusing continuity conundrums, just a completely clean break, a fresh start. I know that the origin has been done at least 10 times on screen, but I wanna do it again. It's only really been done on the big screen once, and that was 30 years ago. I know that it was also done on the big screen 60 years ago in the Kirk Alyn Superman serial, but that wasn't really a movie. I really don't see any reason why the origin story can't be done again in a fresh and creative way, with new details never really explored before, and that takes full advantage of the budget and technology that are available to movies nowadays, but that aren't available to TV, live-action or animated.
This is the biggest project that I have ever embarked upon before in my life. I've tried it a few times before, but quite half-heartedly. I never really had the time that I needed to devote to it before, now I do. I started really going at it full throttle on Sunday, May 11th, and I plan on continuing all the way to the end, which might be a year or even more away, taking into account unforeseen circumstances.
I have never written a script before, but I have been in love with superheroes since I was at least 5 years old, and the fact that it is now 2008, the 70th anniversary year of Superman, and the first time, I think, that we have ever gotten as many as FIVE comic book superhero movies in a single year, has inspired me to go at this project full force, with the hope that, if I can get it up to a standard that I feel content with, I might be able to sell it to Warner Bros., or whoever owns DC Comics when I've finished it, and maybe, I hope, get a movie made that will greatly please a hugely significant number of general audiences, critics, and, IMO, most importantly, fans.
To do this, I need people's help. If you're against a reboot, against another retelling of the origin story, OK, fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion, but I really don't think there's any significant contribution that you can make to this thread. This thread is for people who would like to see a reboot that, hopefully, will surpass the standard set by all other big screen superhero origin stories.
There are two givens, namely, Lex Luthor, and Kryptonite. But if I was to write yet another movie in which the only real threat Superman faces is Lex Luthor, I'd never write again, so I would like to use one or more other villains. I just haven't quite decided who yet, but I would love to hear as many suggestions as people would like to put forth. If I really enjoy this experience as much as I hope, I plan on writing a sequel, and maybe another, and maybe another, and maybe on and on and on. Who knows? The point is that, as I read once, and happen to agree with, the threat should always get bigger and bigger movie by movie. I don't plan on thinking about the sequel(s) while writing this movie, that's not the way to go, but neither do I plan on using Superman's greatest enemy apart from Lex Luthor (who that is is a matter of opinion) in the very first movie, because then I'd have no way of going beyond that. I do, however, only want to use smart, capable villains who could, quite possibly, defeat the Man of Steel, without being easily outsmarted at the very last minute by some ridiculous and intellectually vacuous manoeuvre.
I plan on setting this movie within the DC Universe, meaning in a world where it is quite possible, and not at all unbelievable, in its fantasy context, that, at any moment, Superman could easily bump into Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, or J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, or any number of other DC superheroes. I don't want to make it at all campy, cheesy, or cartoony though, but something that, while hugely fun, entertaining, and reasonably humorous, is still intelligent, and can be taken seriously. I would also like to introduce non-superhero characters from Superman's world that have never been seen on the big screen before, and if they have been seen on screen at all, use them in ways that pay tribute to previous interpretations, but, most importantly, remain true to their comic book counterparts.
I would like people's suggestions on casting. I have a few ideas of my own, which I don't want to go into yet as I'd like to first do a very careful analysis, but I've heard that it's always good, when pitching a movie, to have an idea for a cast in mind. Also, as I've never written a script before, having specific actors in mind will help me to more easily visualise scenes.
I would also like people's suggestions on things like ...
Pre-Crisis vs. Post-Crisis aspects, elements, and characterisation (I certainly don't plan on making this movie one or the other, but a careful balance between both).
How much of the movie's running length (I'd like it to be 2 1/2 hours) should be devoted to the origin?
Action. How much should there be? I want to maintain a careful balance between style and substance. I don't want Batman ('89), and neither do I want Hulk. I also don't want to do anything that has been seen before. If I am forced to reuse old ideas, I don't want to use ones that are clichéd by now, and what I do use I'll hopefully be able to freshen up so that it will seem as if you've never seen anything done quite like that before.
Tone. This is very important. I don't want Batman Begins, because this is Superman. It doesn't have to be that dark. I don't want Iron Man, because this is Superman. It doesn't have to be that light. I don't want Superman Returns. This is Superman.
The research materials I will be using are:-
Of course, if any of you have any screenwriting tips for me, either general or geared specifically to the comic book universe, they'd be greatly appreciated.
So, to finish, if you've reached the end of all that without putting a gun in your mouth to end the boredom, I hope that you'll all help me as I embark on the biggest, most important project I've tried to achieve in my whole life, which has not been littered with successes. I hope that, with your help, I can make this my first.
Thank you.
P.S. If a mod thinks this is in the wrong section, please feel free to move it, but please move it to a section where it will be seen. Thanks,
.
And to The Guard, I disagree with you on so many fundamental issues, I find your arguments largely incoherent, and I frown on your sense of morality. And I don't like you and I have you on ignore. So, if you read this, please, don't reply. In fact, go away, please, now.
Yes, now.
Thank you.
I loved Superman, although it was flawed, IMO. I loved Superman II, although it was flawed, IMO. I hated Superman III, Supergirl, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Steel, and Superman Returns, for various reasons. Some I find worse than others, but I hate all of them to varying degrees.
My script is gonna be a reboot script, a complete, total, and utter reboot. No confusing continuity conundrums, just a completely clean break, a fresh start. I know that the origin has been done at least 10 times on screen, but I wanna do it again. It's only really been done on the big screen once, and that was 30 years ago. I know that it was also done on the big screen 60 years ago in the Kirk Alyn Superman serial, but that wasn't really a movie. I really don't see any reason why the origin story can't be done again in a fresh and creative way, with new details never really explored before, and that takes full advantage of the budget and technology that are available to movies nowadays, but that aren't available to TV, live-action or animated.
This is the biggest project that I have ever embarked upon before in my life. I've tried it a few times before, but quite half-heartedly. I never really had the time that I needed to devote to it before, now I do. I started really going at it full throttle on Sunday, May 11th, and I plan on continuing all the way to the end, which might be a year or even more away, taking into account unforeseen circumstances.
I have never written a script before, but I have been in love with superheroes since I was at least 5 years old, and the fact that it is now 2008, the 70th anniversary year of Superman, and the first time, I think, that we have ever gotten as many as FIVE comic book superhero movies in a single year, has inspired me to go at this project full force, with the hope that, if I can get it up to a standard that I feel content with, I might be able to sell it to Warner Bros., or whoever owns DC Comics when I've finished it, and maybe, I hope, get a movie made that will greatly please a hugely significant number of general audiences, critics, and, IMO, most importantly, fans.
To do this, I need people's help. If you're against a reboot, against another retelling of the origin story, OK, fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion, but I really don't think there's any significant contribution that you can make to this thread. This thread is for people who would like to see a reboot that, hopefully, will surpass the standard set by all other big screen superhero origin stories.
There are two givens, namely, Lex Luthor, and Kryptonite. But if I was to write yet another movie in which the only real threat Superman faces is Lex Luthor, I'd never write again, so I would like to use one or more other villains. I just haven't quite decided who yet, but I would love to hear as many suggestions as people would like to put forth. If I really enjoy this experience as much as I hope, I plan on writing a sequel, and maybe another, and maybe another, and maybe on and on and on. Who knows? The point is that, as I read once, and happen to agree with, the threat should always get bigger and bigger movie by movie. I don't plan on thinking about the sequel(s) while writing this movie, that's not the way to go, but neither do I plan on using Superman's greatest enemy apart from Lex Luthor (who that is is a matter of opinion) in the very first movie, because then I'd have no way of going beyond that. I do, however, only want to use smart, capable villains who could, quite possibly, defeat the Man of Steel, without being easily outsmarted at the very last minute by some ridiculous and intellectually vacuous manoeuvre.
I plan on setting this movie within the DC Universe, meaning in a world where it is quite possible, and not at all unbelievable, in its fantasy context, that, at any moment, Superman could easily bump into Batman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, or J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, or any number of other DC superheroes. I don't want to make it at all campy, cheesy, or cartoony though, but something that, while hugely fun, entertaining, and reasonably humorous, is still intelligent, and can be taken seriously. I would also like to introduce non-superhero characters from Superman's world that have never been seen on the big screen before, and if they have been seen on screen at all, use them in ways that pay tribute to previous interpretations, but, most importantly, remain true to their comic book counterparts.
I would like people's suggestions on casting. I have a few ideas of my own, which I don't want to go into yet as I'd like to first do a very careful analysis, but I've heard that it's always good, when pitching a movie, to have an idea for a cast in mind. Also, as I've never written a script before, having specific actors in mind will help me to more easily visualise scenes.
I would also like people's suggestions on things like ...
Pre-Crisis vs. Post-Crisis aspects, elements, and characterisation (I certainly don't plan on making this movie one or the other, but a careful balance between both).
How much of the movie's running length (I'd like it to be 2 1/2 hours) should be devoted to the origin?
Action. How much should there be? I want to maintain a careful balance between style and substance. I don't want Batman ('89), and neither do I want Hulk. I also don't want to do anything that has been seen before. If I am forced to reuse old ideas, I don't want to use ones that are clichéd by now, and what I do use I'll hopefully be able to freshen up so that it will seem as if you've never seen anything done quite like that before.
Tone. This is very important. I don't want Batman Begins, because this is Superman. It doesn't have to be that dark. I don't want Iron Man, because this is Superman. It doesn't have to be that light. I don't want Superman Returns. This is Superman.
The research materials I will be using are:-
- The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier. I couldn't afford a library of screenwriting books. This one seemed to be the most comprehensive in terms of the overall information it provides. That said, it hasn't arrived from Amazon yet, so I don't know.
- The Superman Chronicles, Volumes I-III.
- Superman: The Man of Steel, Volumes I-III.
- The Adventures of Superman radio series.
- The Max & Dave Fleischer Superman cartoons.
- The Kirk Alyn serials.
- The George Reeves TV series.
- The New Adventures of Superman (the '60s cartoon series)
- The movies, all of them, even the bad ones, apart from Steel, which isn't available on DVD. Yes, I know that the movie about Steel makes no explicit mention of Superman, but I don't believe that I can learn how to make a good superhero movie by watching only the good superhero movies. I have to watch the bad ones as well, and since John Henry Irons is a major element of the Superman mythos, I consider his movie as a Superman-related movie. Having said that, I consider myself profoundly lucky that it isn't available on DVD, so that I didn't have to buy it. I've already bought Supergirl, isn't that bad enough?
- The Superboy TV series.
- Lois & Clark.
- Superman: The Animated Series.
- Wikipedia.
- The Hype.
Of course, if any of you have any screenwriting tips for me, either general or geared specifically to the comic book universe, they'd be greatly appreciated.
So, to finish, if you've reached the end of all that without putting a gun in your mouth to end the boredom, I hope that you'll all help me as I embark on the biggest, most important project I've tried to achieve in my whole life, which has not been littered with successes. I hope that, with your help, I can make this my first.
Thank you.
P.S. If a mod thinks this is in the wrong section, please feel free to move it, but please move it to a section where it will be seen. Thanks,
.And to The Guard, I disagree with you on so many fundamental issues, I find your arguments largely incoherent, and I frown on your sense of morality. And I don't like you and I have you on ignore. So, if you read this, please, don't reply. In fact, go away, please, now.
Yes, now.
Thank you.
.
