Reboot Superman with The Legion?

[ck1777]

I've noticed everyone who wants a reboot keeps saying that the WB has to update Superman for this century. What most people here don't understand is that it's pretty much a guarantee that a new take is going to be a lot more like Burton and Cage's Superman than anything from the comics. To the average person Superman is "Your Grandfathers Superhero" and in a way he is. Even in the comics, All-Star Superman and Geoff Johns run on Action didn't sell anywhere near Batman or Spider-man, and those are easily some of the best Superman stories in 70 years. Even with two of the most popular and talented writers at DC, Superman still couldn't reach anywhere near number 1.

Sadly Superman will never be seen as fresh or cool and the only way to make him cool is to completely change him. Another version of the origin like Byrne's Man of Steel or Birthright isn't enough. No Studio in there right mind would see either one of those stories and give 200 million dollars to any director. To us fans every origin in the comics is very different, but the truth is to the general public and to any studio exec it's all the same crap. We all just have to realize that the Superman we've been reading about for 70 years (pre or post crisis) will probably never be seen on film again.

So the truth is if you want Superman to be a big financial success, you're going to have drastically change him. With or without an origin. For all those people who say the WB need to give us a new take on Superman, I agree and that's why I think they should give us a Legion Of Super-Heroes movie. Now, I've never been a big fan of the Legion but I do see there is Huge potential with this concept.

1)Star Trek just showed us that an old franchise with a time travel story set in the future with a lot of action could definitely work in more ways than one.
2)Harry Potter will be ending soon, so a movie about a teen who wears glasses and is destined for greatness could be a substitute for kids who want to see something new.
3)X-men, at least the first two, proved that people like Superhero teams.

I just want to make it clear that this is not my idea of a dream Superman movie (and I'm sure it's not most of yours either), but I think if done well (which definitely won't be easy) this could be something that the fans, the general public, and the WB would like.

I'm also not saying it has to be like the classic Legion. They could meet Clark when he's 15 or when he's 25 so anyone who doesn't like the idea of "Superboy" relax, they could easily make it Superman in the Legion and not a kid.

If you don't agree with the Legion concept, please I'm begging you just post in another thread! I don't want a debate about Superman Returns or Pre vs. Post Crisis. All I want to know is:

Are you open to the Legion concept which is, a team from the future going back in time to meet Clark and then bring him to the future?

If so, list what you want or don't want in the movie? What I would want off the top of my head is:
1)A classic Superman villain like Bizarro or Metallo. They don't
have to be the main villains though.
2)I don't care if it's Superman or Superboy so age doesn't matter
3)Saturn Girl, Cosmic Boy, and Lightning Lad should be adults but
all the other members should be anywhere from 14-25 years
old.(Kind of like the X-men movies)

 

[mego joe]

I could get behind a Legion of Super-Heroes film. That would certainly be a new take on Superman. It could even be done with Superman as an adult and it's the first time he's seen the Legion in a number of years, somewhat like Johns' Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes arc from Action Comics a few years back.

 

[Webhead2006]

that is a nice idea and all. Personally i rather let legion be themselfs and not get fully intangled with superman. Sure touch upon that superman's life is what lead to the creatation of the group and all that. But i rather take superman alone with his own story and all that. Now i dont think we need to change the character 100% to make him cool or fresh. With the right story/writers they can easily make the character relivant to present day fans. The thing we need to do this go around is honnor the character and take the elements that made him best from each decade. Then create a new story with those elements. So then you are pleasing the comic fans at taking things from the comics and adapting more faithfully aspects we all want in the character. Then with the right marketing/promotions and all that you can easily get the non fans or joe movie goer to see.

 

[ck1777]

Again, I don't want to turn this into a debate. I agree that taking things from different decades is is the ideal situtation, but at the end of the day people will just see it as another version of Superman. No matter how different it is, It'll just have another lois, Jimmy, Lex etc.

But back on topic, I think this would be a great way to test the waters. If it succeeds you can have a sequel with or without Clark, and even better you can give Superman his own spin-off in Present Day.

Personally I think this would work well in a Battlestar Galacticca type show, but because of Smallville that definitley won't happen.

 

[Webhead2006]

oh no i am nto trying to debate with you ck1777. it could work out very well. I would be very curious to see if a live action legion film could happen. I really enjoyed geoff johns take in the smallville episode last season.

 

[ck1777]

oh no i am nto trying to debate with you ck1777. it could work out very well. I would be very curious to see if a live action legion film could happen. I really enjoyed geoff johns take in the smallville episode last season.

Sorry, I just know how it gets around here with the same fights over and over. I think this has so much potential, and from a studios perspective it seems even better.

1)A completely fresh new take on Superman (most important)
2)Since it's in the future they would use a lot more CGI for cities and background stuff which is cheaper than building huge sets.
3)It would be a prequel to EVERY version of Superman, but it would also be a reboot.
4)If successful, we could get TWO different franchises. A legion movie plus a Superman spin-off with all the classic characters in present day.
5)And one of the biggest things if it is Superboy they choose, the WB actually has an excuse to cast someone young. The Hollywood mentality is the younger the better so at least this time they have areason to do it.

Also, I know I mentioned Bizarro and Metallo as the villains but really I would love Cyborg Superman as the main villain. I think it would be cool if he tricked the Legion to go back in time to bring back Superman. If any one reads Geoff Johns Green Lantern, Cyborg Superman's goal is to die and I think it would be a cool twist on the Legion story if that's why Clark was brought to the future.

I know the chances of a movie like this being made are pretty slim, but sadly the way things are looking right now that could be said about any Superman movie.

 

[Webhead2006]

totally things could work out, and we could probably get a great superman/superboy with the legion. The legion is a pretty interesting group to go with and there is many characters and stories you could go with them. Personally i dont know much on legion myself besides seeing them in dcau, their animated show, and the appearance on smallville. I read some info on them via wiki. There is alot you can do. Plus if they are worried with budget getting way to huge with all the many characters and cgi that would be needed. they could always start the series with just a small group of 3-7 legionaires so you limit things. Plus using either superman villains and/or legion guys like fatal five could make for some good battles.

But like i said in above post since we know wb still doesnt really know what they want to do with superman. its doubtful they would want to restart him with legion. When legion could be its own separate thing. Personally like i said i rather stick to the basics for superman and let them reboot him by himself with his supporting characters.

 

[ck1777]

I could get behind a Legion of Super-Heroes film. That would certainly be a new take on Superman. It could even be done with Superman as an adult and it's the first time he's seen the Legion in a number of years, somewhat like Johns' Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes arc from Action Comics a few years back.

That would be cool too, but it could also backfire. If the movie would fail, people would see it as a Superman movie that failed. If it fails with a Superboy, I think people would just think "oh that movie about young Superman failed". For example, If Smallville got canceled after the first season it wouldn't have been anywhere near as bad as if a full on Superman show was canceled. I think it would be less risky to do it more like Harry potter with a 16 or 17 year old kid (but the actor could be 20 something).

That being said I'd defintley be cool with a Adult Superman in the Legion like you said.

 

[ck1777]

But like i said in above post since we know wb still doesnt really know what they want to do with superman. its doubtful they would want to restart him with legion. When legion could be its own separate thing. Personally like i said i rather stick to the basics for superman and let them reboot him by himself with his supporting characters.

Right, but what I'm saying is this is just a plan B. If they have a better idea that I and most fans would love go for it. But I don't think that's going to be happening any time soon.

With the Legion they could at least be getting there feet wet. If the Legion would make around $400 million like the X-men, I would say just keep making sequels. But if it makes Iron-man to Spider-man numbers, they could take much more chances with a Superman spin-off. Hell if it makes anything near Spider-man numbers, I bet they'll be working on a Matter-Eater Lad spin-off.

Whatever kind of reboot they do, if it fails that would be the final nail for Superman. With the Legion it wouldn't be a Superman movie that fails, it would be a Legion movie that features Superman that fails.

 

[solidsnake86]

I don't really think the legion is the way to go if you want to do a "superman" movie. The legion doesnt even have a quarter of the popularity of x-men.

In fact I would even go so far as to say the reason why the superman attempts havent been working is because writers and directors are trying to hard to drastically change the character to make it work (I.e. SR by giving him a child to make him more connected to humanity, good concept, didnt work in execution). I think the superman "problem" is a lot simpler, give the fans something in the vain of ironman, batman begins, spider-man, and you have a surefire hit on your hands. Focus on the fun parts of the lois and clark relationship which was able to hold its own tv series and is probably whats keeping smallville alive at this point.

People say superman's villains are garbage, to them I say why is it that you need 20 villains, you just need 3 great villains which superman already has. Reinventing the wheel seems like a great approach and people want it, but at the same time, the safe approach is whats going to make them money and bring the fans back in IMO.

 

[Webhead2006]

yea there is no need to reinvent superman sure update a few things and edit the story here and there. But we dont need to do a 100% change on him.

 

[ck1777]

I think the superman "problem" is a lot simpler, give the fans something in the vain of ironman, batman begins, spider-man, and you have a surefire hit on your hands. Focus on the fun parts of the lois and clark relationship which was able to hold its own tv series and is probably whats keeping smallville alive at this point.

Like I said before I didn't want this to be a debate, so I'll just say this. The studio doesn't give a damn about pleasing the fans, they're worried about pleasing the average person. Superman is not like Iron-man, Batman, or Spider-man. Superman is more like Dracula, Robin Hood, Three Musketeers, and a lot of other great characters that have been done to death.

I remember two or three weeks before Superman Returns came out, I thought the movie was going to be huge. I went to Walmart or Bestbuy and I saw a Superman booth that had the George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, Lois and Clark, Smallville, Superboy, Kirk Alyn, S:TAS, JL:TAS, Smallville versions of Superman (I might have missed a couple). That's when I realized not only that Superman Returns wouln't be successful, but that sadly the WB was right all a long. For years they wanted a drastically different version of Superman because they have to.

It reminds me of a joke Bill Maher said a while ago. It doesn't matter if the person you're having an affair with is good looking or not, the reason people cheat on their spouses is because it's something new vs. something old. If we get to see a reboot, the WB isn't going to try to please the fans. They're going to want to get their moneys worth.

Tell you what ask, ask a bunch of people if they want to see a new version of Robin Hood (one of the greatest characters ever) with one of the greatest directors alive (Ridley Scott), and greatest actors alive (Russell Crowe). I guarantee you'll get little to no reaction. Warner Brothers, no matter what any of us think, are going to give us a completely new version of Superman. The costume will be closer to the one Jon Peters is sitting with in that picture, than anything we've seen in the comics. The story will be much more Matrix than anything we've seen in the comics. They want what's cool, not what's right.

Since I know that, I'm trying to come with a completely different take on Superman that will please the fans and the public. I'm not saying it has to be the Legion but I do believe this idea has a lot of potential, especially after J.J Abrams Star Trek. It's cool if people don't like the Legion idea, but lets try to come up with different ways to come up with a new take on this classic character. You and I (and pretty much everyone on these boards) know the smartest and obvious thing to do is to just look back on the history of the character and come up with a great story, but the Studio doesn't want that and never has! If they did, they would have done that a long time ago.

My goal with this thread was to come up with a cool completely new version of Superman that the General Public would never expect, but also that the fans would accept. It doesn't have to be the Legion, but IMO this could be the drastic change that the fans and the average person could really get behind. After all, if people want a new origin, what better way than to give them something that's been a part of the characters origins since the 50's! And also, the fact that Hollywood copies every idea that becomes successful (like Star trek) doesn't hurt either.

 

[Webhead2006]

well its all really about what writers/directors they get invovled next go around. With the right story they can get what the fans want to see. Then do what jj did with trek and get more accesable to non fans/general fans. But we have no clue how things will go with superman if/when it does get into production again. Now yea the legion idea is nice and all that. But still we dont know if that is a direction they would want to fo with.

 

[Webhead2006]

well its all really about what writers/directors they get invovled next go around. With the right story they can get what the fans want to see. Then do what jj did with trek and get more accesable to non fans/general fans. But we have no clue how things will go with superman if/when it does get into production again. Now yea the legion idea is nice and all that. But still we dont know if that is a direction they would want to fo with.

 

[ck1777]

well its all really about what writers/directors they get invovled next go around. With the right story they can get what the fans want to see. Then do what jj did with trek and get more accesable to non fans/general fans. But we have no clue how things will go with superman if/when it does get into production again. Now yea the legion idea is nice and all that. But still we dont know if that is a direction they would want to fo with.

I agree with what you're saying, but I just know that the WB isn't going to be open to doing a classic version of Superman. Before Star Trek I never would have even suggested the Legion, but now it's not that crazy an idea. Everyone knows that all movies now are remakes or just flat out copies of other films, so I wouldn't doubt it if the WB would be open to the Legion concept if someone pitched it to them.

 

[Webhead2006]

yea thats the thing we have no dam clue what the execs want, and how we the fans are on thier minds over the general public. Though the best they could do is something like jj did with trek. Please the hard core fans with keeping the known elements true and the characters are who they should be. But then adding their own spin on things and make it open to non fans who may or may not know the ins and outs to the character.

But thats the problem its the execs that keep things in this run around when we are not looking at the dam legal stuff thats a problem.

 

[Fresh Prince]

IF it can be done right, the legion thing could work.

 

[Webhead2006]

anything could work great if they find solid writers/directors, and promote/market the thing just right.

 

[Fresh Prince]

Then again if Superman gonna be young, its bascially gonna bel ike SV.

 

[Webhead2006]

not really

 

[ck1777]

Then again if Superman gonna be young, its bascially gonna bel ike SV.

The only thing it would have in common with Smallville is that it has a young Clark Kent. And this Clark would have to become Superman in the first movie and not 10 years.

 

[ck1777]

I didn't mention it in the first post, but really the point of this was to see if people who loved or hated Superman Returns could accept something like the Legion. For people who hated SR it would be a complete reboot. For the ones who loved it this would be a prequel.

Let's say this movie was a huge success, and The WB decided to make a spin-off origin story, you could think of it like Star Trek and say the Legion going back in time changed Clarks future and that's why it's not like Donner's origin.

Putting a side the general public and the studio for a second, I think this concept could be something that lovers/haters of Superman Returns could enjoy together.

 

[solidsnake86]

Sorry ck1777 but it is a message board and debates are natural.

Second, superman is not like batman, which hasn't been done to death? Batmans been shoved down our collective throats for years so that point doesnt hold much water.

Thirdly, superman can be cool without going the legion root and smallville is obviously proof of that having lasted 9 seasons.

Fanboys like to displace themselves from the general audience but in reality most of the core elements of the characters are what the general audience likes to. Thats why batman, ironman and spiderman were popular. At there core, they are all stories that have been written in books and shown in other forms of media, there stories of good vs evil.

 

[The Guard]

Anything can work. But I just don't see the point. You'd reduce Superman and his supporting casts screentime to the point where development would be incredibly difficult, so you'd end up with a franchise full of cardboard characters. And if it was faithful at all it would be unbelieveably cheesy, and it would also be ridiculously expensive, because not only are you rendering Superman's powers and feats, but the Legion's as well.

 

[The Batman]

The thing is, they tried this with that "Legion of Superheroes" cartoon, which didnt last long...but i see what you're getting at here....have superman be to the legion what wolverine was in the x-men films....