SchumacherFan
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I really envisioned my Superman movies as a Trilogy...And I would like some honest feedback. I posted this here as I feel there are much more knowledgeable Superman fans as I don't want to butcher the mythology nor insult its fanbase.
I've been doing quite a lot of research. I've read some graphic novels that I felt were good research about the mythology. I didn't realize that Superman's rogue gallery is not as good as Batman. When I was younger, I thought Batman-Joker...Superman-Luthor... and they were always on equal grounds, but researching - Batman has Riddler, Penguin, Two Face, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Freeze, Bane, Killer Croc, Clayface, Man Bat, Ras Al Ghul, Talia, Posion Ivy, Harley Quinn, just a wonderful collection of villains that you can do several movies and not have the same reoccuring character. While superman films only showcased Zod & Luthor in all 5 movies, I felt maybe it was bad writing, but researching the Superman villains, his villain rogue gallery is weak. I researched Bruce Timm's Animated Series from 1996 and noticed he even mentioned that his villains were weak & had to buff them up. I did find the main ones Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid & Zod. Then the other ones like Bizarro, Metallo, Parasite, & Doomsday caught my attention. So I took the villains I felt could be translated into the big screen without going tooooo sci-fi (other dimensions). I felt Luthor, Brainiac, Zod, Metallo & Doomsday would be the 5 villains I've chosen for my trilogy and here is my brief outline....
Superman : The Last Son of Krypton - Re-imagination of the Superman origin. Loved Donner's versions so much, its going to be impossible to re-do, so things got to change. I would do Zod for this one, but not Luthor. Have the Krypton blowing up, Superman raised by ma and pa Kent in Smallville - then mid-point , he enters Metropolis. Then as he is adjusting to his reporter life & and saving people - Zod & crew enter Earth. I say do a re-imagination of Donnar Superman 1 and 2 for this one movie... Cut the Luthor / Kryptonite plot completely. Concentrate on Superman saving the city and then he meets a person (s) that can equal his power - Zod.
I like Henry Cavill, Olivia Wilde as Lois & Jeremy Irons as Zod.. I chose Irons because I want him to be a lot older than Superman - somewhat close to his father's age. I think it connects Zod more with his father, so he's not just battling a new enemy , someone his age like a Lex Luthor - but he's battling an enemy of his father... I would have Superman struggling with excepting Earth as him home. But as the movie goes forward, Superman realizes the teachings of Johnathan Kent have more meaning than just words. Its his teachings that brings Superman to adopt Earth & Metropolis as his true home.
Supporting Cast -
Michael Cera as Jimmy Olsen
Dennis Quaid as Johnathan Kent
Bruce McGill as Perry White
and....
for the casting of Jor-El - this would have to equal 70's Marlon Brando. In the 70's , Brando really made that movie successful and created a lot of buzz on the project. He was in Godfather and was iconic at that point, known as the greatest actor of that time.... And for my dream casting, I would mimick that casting choice and look for the best actor of today who would create a lot of buzz of the casting....
Daniel Day-Lewis as Jor-El
After Superman climax battle with Zod & winning the fight - the last scene has to be the cliff hanger just like a comic and something the fans would really be discussing. After the Superman character arc of him excepting Earth as his home and vowing to protect it - the last scene of the film features a woman walking up to a man with a briefcase handcuffed to her wrist. The mysterious man waves for her to open the briefcase. She unlocks it and a green glow appears on the face of Lex Luthor...
He looks up and asks how much does he have. The woman replies 15 pounds from the asteroid landing. Lex replies to write him a blank check. "I want it all....". Credits. This would also be a final scene the way Batman Begins did the joker card hinting at a sequel and getting people excited. Also a nod to Iron Man where Samuel L. Jackson (A-Lister) also appears in the final shot to hint a sequel. It is just a cool thing to do at the end of the movie.
.
.
.
.
Superman 2: Man of Steel - The sequel would be the classic tale of Lex Luthor vs. Superman that people would be excited for from the first film due to nostalgia. IF the first movie is successful, people would want to see the film maker's interpretation of Luthor. But naturally, you have to boost up Luthor in this film, which means you have to add more action, bulk up the character of Luthor. If you have Luthor vs. Superman / Kryptonite, that sounds cliche and fans would be upset. But if you make the characters interesting rather than a comedic performance like Gene Hackman or a not-so-interesting lifeless Kevin Spacey version, it could entertain the audience. Give Luthor some real character. Make him intelligent, cynical, and savvy. But whats the problem with Superman Returns ? Superman doesnt punch Luthor. Wheres the action ? Superman vs. Luthor human goons would be boring and pose no threat. In my opinion and I've been researching Superman villains, one comes to mind that could make the film work and tie in with Luthor / Kryponite plot. Metallo would be the secondary villain, the villain that supplies the film with the action sequences. If you have Luthor uncover the secret of Kryptonite - you can have his people implant it as an energy source for a dying John Corben...
I chose Paul Bettany as Metallo. I know a lot of people want Kevin Bacon from the SHH threads of casting choices, but the truth is I want my dream cast to have no previous comic book franchise films. I am a big fan of his acting.
But thats just plot, plot , plot I mention. The thing that drives a Superman movie, mostly part 1 and 2 only, was the development of the character. With Superman, here he is embracing Earth as his homeland, but he is truthfully lonely.... He has his parents to discuss things, but the woman he has a crush on Lois, he can't tell his secret to. It seems that he can't connect with anyone or talk about what he really feels, even though he deeply cares about Lois..... Enter Superman's inner conflict in the form of his former high school sweetheart Lana Lang.
Jessica Chastain (The Help, Take Shelter). Lana Lang knows his secret. Clark can discuss his inner problems and talk about himself freely with Lana. Then you have a love triangle and decision for Clark Kent. Kent wants to be with Lois, Lana wants to reconnect with Clark. Presents a challenge for the characters. So when Clark says he feels Lana is more of a sister and doesnt have that connection with her, the same way he feels about Lois... Inner problems for the characters.
The final battle is Superman defeating Metallo & then Lex Luthor revealing the Kryponite suit, trying to kill Superman. You need Superman vs. Luthor fight somehow, imo.... Metallo a secondary villain is out and now Superman must fight the intelligent and now powerful because he advanced the kryponite technology.
After defeating Lex, he doesn't kill him as it is part of his nature to save human life, not take it. He killed Zod because he had to, but feels because the human race is not as superior as him, he must take a higher road. Instead, he locks up Luthor...He realizes that if he truly cares about Lois, he must reveal the truth to her. The end is him telling Lois he is Superman. They then have a fly sequence that is similar to the one in the Donner film. She realizes she loves him too... And you gotta have a cliffhanger... So as Superman flies with Lois around Metropolis, a large what looks to be a meteor crashes nearby in a deserted forest area. The scene is similar to the Super 8 teaser trailer. You see the meteor is not a meteor, but an unknown space craft vessel. You hear a bang. Then a louder bang... Then a FINAL bang that reveals a giant alien fist.
Superman 3: The Death of Superman - The final act. Lois Lane & Clark plan to wed. Superman discovers a secret his father left him in Fortress of Solitude which is a hidden Krytonian technological machine embedded on Earth. He learns that Krypton's advanced scientists sent a machine known as Eradicator to each planet in case a Kryptonian was stranded on the planet, they would use the Eradicator machine to get back to their planet in case of an emergency. As he learns of the machine, the govt calls upon Superman's help because a giant space craft is near earth and they want Superman to make sure its safe. The ship is controlled by Brainiac.
Jason Isaacs as Brainiac
Superman has dialogue with Brainiac who ensures Superman that he is only there for research purposes to collect data, sent by his homeworld and means no harm. The conversation is interupted by Doomsday, causing chaos in a small town. Superman rushes and stops the creature, only for the two to be seperated by a blast of some sort. Superman returns to Brainiac and that is the dialogue revealed of Doomsday creature backstory / origins. Doomsday is a monster that must be stopped. Lois & Superman share moments of happiness that seem to be going well for Clark. Until Doomsday reaches Metropolis and Superman (midway for the movie) fights him. The two kill each other similar to the comics, death punch at the end. Lois cries and a very high impact moment.
Lex Luthor / Brainiac have some sort of interaction where Brainiac sees the evil & greed in Lex and justifies himself to destroy Earth. I believe I want the scene to have Lex trying to steal his technology (which he is successful at, but is caught). He feels that the Kryptonian was good in nature & powerful , but the people of Earth are evil & weak in his eyes. Since Lex might have certain access to Brainiac technology, it can be used against Brainiac. To protect his species, he decides after downloading the information on the Earth that he must destroy it.
At this point, Earth is doomed. Lois & Jimmy Olsen have their own adventure to locate the Eradicator. Using Clark's notes and dialogue from previous in the film, Lois manages to locate the hidden Krypotanian technology located beneath the surface. The Eradicator is activated which turns into a human like machine.
The Eradicator takes Superman's corpse to Fortress of Solitude & brings him back to life...
Superman takes on Brainiac in the final act of the movie. Naturally, Superman defeats Brainiac.
I would mimic this movie on the rebirth of Christ. The whole first movie is biblical in nature. God sends his only son to Earth, outcast the devil (Zod). Grows up with adopted parents. Life of smallville is quite unknown the way Jesus disappeared. And this third movie reflects the death of Superman. Died for the good of humanity. And rises after three days (Easter).
But what I described in this threequel does not cover a character arc of Superman as I outlined in the previous two. I have the idea of Brainiac, Luthor, Eradicator & Doomsday in the film that should bring a lot of excitement & anticipation, but as we all know - just bc of a big budget ; without great characters and characters you can relate to, the movie will just be a michael bay pile of crap... So I think this one will mimic Jesus' death, dying for us. I think the idea of sacrifice & resurrection will be the thematic element of the final chapter of my trilogy. When Superman goes to Brainiac to ask him about Doomsday, Brainiac - an intelligent robot / alien - will tell Superman he can stop him, but might cost him his life. Superman asks if the people of Earth can stop him with their technology, Brainiac replies yes - but the death toll would be in the hundreds before they can stop him. That is when Superman decides that he must sacrifice himself to save human life. Its not only Superman that has his character arc, but its Lois who has her own character arc as she'll reach the Eradicator to bring Superman back to life. Superman will realize that the people of Earth (Lois, jimmy & more who helped locate the Eradicator) value/love him and are good people. While Luthor even has his own character arc, as he nearly destroys Earth by trying to outsmart Brianiac to activate him to destroy the planet. Luthor appreciates Superman and leaves on good terms to the point where he surrenders to Superman.
The final scene is Superman & Lois together kissing in the air with the orange sky & Sun in the background. This is Superman who will continue to fight for the world has grown to love against all challenges. Obviously no cliffhanger scene at the end as this will be a final chapter.
I've been doing quite a lot of research. I've read some graphic novels that I felt were good research about the mythology. I didn't realize that Superman's rogue gallery is not as good as Batman. When I was younger, I thought Batman-Joker...Superman-Luthor... and they were always on equal grounds, but researching - Batman has Riddler, Penguin, Two Face, Catwoman, Scarecrow, Freeze, Bane, Killer Croc, Clayface, Man Bat, Ras Al Ghul, Talia, Posion Ivy, Harley Quinn, just a wonderful collection of villains that you can do several movies and not have the same reoccuring character. While superman films only showcased Zod & Luthor in all 5 movies, I felt maybe it was bad writing, but researching the Superman villains, his villain rogue gallery is weak. I researched Bruce Timm's Animated Series from 1996 and noticed he even mentioned that his villains were weak & had to buff them up. I did find the main ones Luthor, Brainiac, Darkseid & Zod. Then the other ones like Bizarro, Metallo, Parasite, & Doomsday caught my attention. So I took the villains I felt could be translated into the big screen without going tooooo sci-fi (other dimensions). I felt Luthor, Brainiac, Zod, Metallo & Doomsday would be the 5 villains I've chosen for my trilogy and here is my brief outline....
Superman : The Last Son of Krypton - Re-imagination of the Superman origin. Loved Donner's versions so much, its going to be impossible to re-do, so things got to change. I would do Zod for this one, but not Luthor. Have the Krypton blowing up, Superman raised by ma and pa Kent in Smallville - then mid-point , he enters Metropolis. Then as he is adjusting to his reporter life & and saving people - Zod & crew enter Earth. I say do a re-imagination of Donnar Superman 1 and 2 for this one movie... Cut the Luthor / Kryptonite plot completely. Concentrate on Superman saving the city and then he meets a person (s) that can equal his power - Zod.
I like Henry Cavill, Olivia Wilde as Lois & Jeremy Irons as Zod.. I chose Irons because I want him to be a lot older than Superman - somewhat close to his father's age. I think it connects Zod more with his father, so he's not just battling a new enemy , someone his age like a Lex Luthor - but he's battling an enemy of his father... I would have Superman struggling with excepting Earth as him home. But as the movie goes forward, Superman realizes the teachings of Johnathan Kent have more meaning than just words. Its his teachings that brings Superman to adopt Earth & Metropolis as his true home.
Supporting Cast -
Michael Cera as Jimmy Olsen
Dennis Quaid as Johnathan Kent
Bruce McGill as Perry White
and....
for the casting of Jor-El - this would have to equal 70's Marlon Brando. In the 70's , Brando really made that movie successful and created a lot of buzz on the project. He was in Godfather and was iconic at that point, known as the greatest actor of that time.... And for my dream casting, I would mimick that casting choice and look for the best actor of today who would create a lot of buzz of the casting....
Daniel Day-Lewis as Jor-El
After Superman climax battle with Zod & winning the fight - the last scene has to be the cliff hanger just like a comic and something the fans would really be discussing. After the Superman character arc of him excepting Earth as his home and vowing to protect it - the last scene of the film features a woman walking up to a man with a briefcase handcuffed to her wrist. The mysterious man waves for her to open the briefcase. She unlocks it and a green glow appears on the face of Lex Luthor...
He looks up and asks how much does he have. The woman replies 15 pounds from the asteroid landing. Lex replies to write him a blank check. "I want it all....". Credits. This would also be a final scene the way Batman Begins did the joker card hinting at a sequel and getting people excited. Also a nod to Iron Man where Samuel L. Jackson (A-Lister) also appears in the final shot to hint a sequel. It is just a cool thing to do at the end of the movie.
.
.
.
.
Superman 2: Man of Steel - The sequel would be the classic tale of Lex Luthor vs. Superman that people would be excited for from the first film due to nostalgia. IF the first movie is successful, people would want to see the film maker's interpretation of Luthor. But naturally, you have to boost up Luthor in this film, which means you have to add more action, bulk up the character of Luthor. If you have Luthor vs. Superman / Kryptonite, that sounds cliche and fans would be upset. But if you make the characters interesting rather than a comedic performance like Gene Hackman or a not-so-interesting lifeless Kevin Spacey version, it could entertain the audience. Give Luthor some real character. Make him intelligent, cynical, and savvy. But whats the problem with Superman Returns ? Superman doesnt punch Luthor. Wheres the action ? Superman vs. Luthor human goons would be boring and pose no threat. In my opinion and I've been researching Superman villains, one comes to mind that could make the film work and tie in with Luthor / Kryponite plot. Metallo would be the secondary villain, the villain that supplies the film with the action sequences. If you have Luthor uncover the secret of Kryptonite - you can have his people implant it as an energy source for a dying John Corben...
I chose Paul Bettany as Metallo. I know a lot of people want Kevin Bacon from the SHH threads of casting choices, but the truth is I want my dream cast to have no previous comic book franchise films. I am a big fan of his acting.
But thats just plot, plot , plot I mention. The thing that drives a Superman movie, mostly part 1 and 2 only, was the development of the character. With Superman, here he is embracing Earth as his homeland, but he is truthfully lonely.... He has his parents to discuss things, but the woman he has a crush on Lois, he can't tell his secret to. It seems that he can't connect with anyone or talk about what he really feels, even though he deeply cares about Lois..... Enter Superman's inner conflict in the form of his former high school sweetheart Lana Lang.
Jessica Chastain (The Help, Take Shelter). Lana Lang knows his secret. Clark can discuss his inner problems and talk about himself freely with Lana. Then you have a love triangle and decision for Clark Kent. Kent wants to be with Lois, Lana wants to reconnect with Clark. Presents a challenge for the characters. So when Clark says he feels Lana is more of a sister and doesnt have that connection with her, the same way he feels about Lois... Inner problems for the characters.
The final battle is Superman defeating Metallo & then Lex Luthor revealing the Kryponite suit, trying to kill Superman. You need Superman vs. Luthor fight somehow, imo.... Metallo a secondary villain is out and now Superman must fight the intelligent and now powerful because he advanced the kryponite technology.
After defeating Lex, he doesn't kill him as it is part of his nature to save human life, not take it. He killed Zod because he had to, but feels because the human race is not as superior as him, he must take a higher road. Instead, he locks up Luthor...He realizes that if he truly cares about Lois, he must reveal the truth to her. The end is him telling Lois he is Superman. They then have a fly sequence that is similar to the one in the Donner film. She realizes she loves him too... And you gotta have a cliffhanger... So as Superman flies with Lois around Metropolis, a large what looks to be a meteor crashes nearby in a deserted forest area. The scene is similar to the Super 8 teaser trailer. You see the meteor is not a meteor, but an unknown space craft vessel. You hear a bang. Then a louder bang... Then a FINAL bang that reveals a giant alien fist.
Superman 3: The Death of Superman - The final act. Lois Lane & Clark plan to wed. Superman discovers a secret his father left him in Fortress of Solitude which is a hidden Krytonian technological machine embedded on Earth. He learns that Krypton's advanced scientists sent a machine known as Eradicator to each planet in case a Kryptonian was stranded on the planet, they would use the Eradicator machine to get back to their planet in case of an emergency. As he learns of the machine, the govt calls upon Superman's help because a giant space craft is near earth and they want Superman to make sure its safe. The ship is controlled by Brainiac.
Jason Isaacs as Brainiac
Superman has dialogue with Brainiac who ensures Superman that he is only there for research purposes to collect data, sent by his homeworld and means no harm. The conversation is interupted by Doomsday, causing chaos in a small town. Superman rushes and stops the creature, only for the two to be seperated by a blast of some sort. Superman returns to Brainiac and that is the dialogue revealed of Doomsday creature backstory / origins. Doomsday is a monster that must be stopped. Lois & Superman share moments of happiness that seem to be going well for Clark. Until Doomsday reaches Metropolis and Superman (midway for the movie) fights him. The two kill each other similar to the comics, death punch at the end. Lois cries and a very high impact moment.
Lex Luthor / Brainiac have some sort of interaction where Brainiac sees the evil & greed in Lex and justifies himself to destroy Earth. I believe I want the scene to have Lex trying to steal his technology (which he is successful at, but is caught). He feels that the Kryptonian was good in nature & powerful , but the people of Earth are evil & weak in his eyes. Since Lex might have certain access to Brainiac technology, it can be used against Brainiac. To protect his species, he decides after downloading the information on the Earth that he must destroy it.
At this point, Earth is doomed. Lois & Jimmy Olsen have their own adventure to locate the Eradicator. Using Clark's notes and dialogue from previous in the film, Lois manages to locate the hidden Krypotanian technology located beneath the surface. The Eradicator is activated which turns into a human like machine.
The Eradicator takes Superman's corpse to Fortress of Solitude & brings him back to life...
Superman takes on Brainiac in the final act of the movie. Naturally, Superman defeats Brainiac.
I would mimic this movie on the rebirth of Christ. The whole first movie is biblical in nature. God sends his only son to Earth, outcast the devil (Zod). Grows up with adopted parents. Life of smallville is quite unknown the way Jesus disappeared. And this third movie reflects the death of Superman. Died for the good of humanity. And rises after three days (Easter).
But what I described in this threequel does not cover a character arc of Superman as I outlined in the previous two. I have the idea of Brainiac, Luthor, Eradicator & Doomsday in the film that should bring a lot of excitement & anticipation, but as we all know - just bc of a big budget ; without great characters and characters you can relate to, the movie will just be a michael bay pile of crap... So I think this one will mimic Jesus' death, dying for us. I think the idea of sacrifice & resurrection will be the thematic element of the final chapter of my trilogy. When Superman goes to Brainiac to ask him about Doomsday, Brainiac - an intelligent robot / alien - will tell Superman he can stop him, but might cost him his life. Superman asks if the people of Earth can stop him with their technology, Brainiac replies yes - but the death toll would be in the hundreds before they can stop him. That is when Superman decides that he must sacrifice himself to save human life. Its not only Superman that has his character arc, but its Lois who has her own character arc as she'll reach the Eradicator to bring Superman back to life. Superman will realize that the people of Earth (Lois, jimmy & more who helped locate the Eradicator) value/love him and are good people. While Luthor even has his own character arc, as he nearly destroys Earth by trying to outsmart Brianiac to activate him to destroy the planet. Luthor appreciates Superman and leaves on good terms to the point where he surrenders to Superman.
The final scene is Superman & Lois together kissing in the air with the orange sky & Sun in the background. This is Superman who will continue to fight for the world has grown to love against all challenges. Obviously no cliffhanger scene at the end as this will be a final chapter.
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