The Official Choose A Director Thread

[Reebee52]

I just want a MOS sequel, I really think Singer would get it right.

I would agree, if it weren't for the damned kid. If every aspect of Superman Returns was the same except for that, I'd be okay with a sequel. But what do you do with the hybrid species between an unmarried Clark Kent and Lois Lane when they're technically not even the same species and Lois has a live in fiance who thinks the boy is his?

I don't think anybody would like to see a story that focuses on this 'Superboy,' and yet the gravity of the situation requires it.

Here's my mini-review of Superman Returns. As a film, in general, it's great. It's moving, it's epic, the characters are good. From a pure writing stand point, making Lois's son the son of her old lover who left her makes for a powerful story, so I can understand that. The problem is, as a SUPERMAN film, this aspect leads to a colossal failure. That's why I think most critics would say the film is respected rather than liked.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie. And I thought it was even a good Superman movie. But there are tenants of it that just should never have happened.

But this isn't what the threads about.
Birthright was great.

 

[luca_frontino]

For the administrators:
Please, delete the previous thread.

I now want only Zack Snyder.
The Watchmen trailer is gold!

 

[BH/HHH]

I would agree, if it weren't for the damned kid. If every aspect of Superman Returns was the same except for that, I'd be okay with a sequel. But what do you do with the hybrid species between an unmarried Clark Kent and Lois Lane when they're technically not even the same species and Lois has a live in fiance who thinks the boy is his?

I don't think anybody would like to see a story that focuses on this 'Superboy,' and yet the gravity of the situation requires it.

Here's my mini-review of Superman Returns. As a film, in general, it's great. It's moving, it's epic, the characters are good. From a pure writing stand point, making Lois's son the son of her old lover who left her makes for a powerful story, so I can understand that. The problem is, as a SUPERMAN film, this aspect leads to a colossal failure. That's why I think most critics would say the film is respected rather than liked.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie. And I thought it was even a good Superman movie. But there are tenants of it that just should never have happened.

But this isn't what the threads about.
Birthright was great.

I actually think what they could do with the kid could be interesting, end of the day its something different, I've said before I dont get why people want to see the same superman stories told the same ways, its gonna get boring. End of teh day we dont know what could happen to this kid, he could die, anything. If he is at risk and Superman has to make a choice between his son and the world he loves would that not be interesting?

I'll admit I dont think he should've included the kid, wasnt Lois having a BF enough to create a dilema for Superman upon his return after five years? I just dont think the kid angle is enough to stop a sequel been made to SR. We dont know where they could go with it.

 

[\S/JcDc\S/]

I would agree, if it weren't for the damned kid. If every aspect of Superman Returns was the same except for that, I'd be okay with a sequel. But what do you do with the hybrid species between an unmarried Clark Kent and Lois Lane when they're technically not even the same species and Lois has a live in fiance who thinks the boy is his?

I don't think anybody would like to see a story that focuses on this 'Superboy,' and yet the gravity of the situation requires it.

Here's my mini-review of Superman Returns. As a film, in general, it's great. It's moving, it's epic, the characters are good. From a pure writing stand point, making Lois's son the son of her old lover who left her makes for a powerful story, so I can understand that. The problem is, as a SUPERMAN film, this aspect leads to a colossal failure. That's why I think most critics would say the film is respected rather than liked.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the movie. And I thought it was even a good Superman movie. But there are tenants of it that just should never have happened.

But this isn't what the threads about.
Birthright was great.

Indeed it is seen as a better general movie than a Superman movie. I still think the problem is Singer tried to do something more complicated instead of just keeping to the basics like Nolan did. If we had started with an origin film done well, it could have been a movie in all merits liked. Ah well...

 

[luca_frontino]

If he had full creative control, I would see it.
He is aware of his own mistakes (B&R).

 

[DChero]

I agree....some in here dislike Birthright, but I think adapting some elements of that book along with Geoff Johns current Action Comics run into a origin style film would work. Clark and Lex being friends from Smallville would not work though, and adding Braniac as the main baddie work well.

I completely agree. It worked for our current Batman series, why not use it for Superman?

I actually see a lot of Birthright in Batman Begins. The unanswered questions of who they are, they travel to find their answers, then the end shows them as the characters we know and love.

I also agree with adding in material to develop a new villain such as Brainiac to the story. That would make my year.

 

[Dark Knight]

I completely agree. It worked for our current Batman series, why not use it for Superman?

I actually see a lot of Birthright in Batman Begins. The unanswered questions of who they are, they travel to find their answers, then the end shows them as the characters we know and love.

I also agree with adding in material to develop a new villain such as Brainiac to the story. That would make my year.

Oh yeah...can you imagine a Superman film that has elements of Waids' Birthright, Loebs' Superman for All Seasons, Johns' Action Comics arc featuring Braniac, with the Superman look and suit design that Jim Lee used in Superman For Tomorrow??

Potential for GREATness!

 

[Lead Cenobite]

3) If Schumacher had full creative control, chances are he could make a decent Superman movie. Hell, chances are with full creative control he could make a pretty damn good Batman movie being as the character-type and villain-type is right up his alley.

I'm not sure exactly what it is that Warner Bros. told him to do beyond making the movies kid friendly. If that's the only restriction he had, then that's no excuse for his choices. Kid friendly doesn't equal overusing neon lighting or putting nipples on the batsuit. Look at Superman: The Movie or the Spider-Man movies. They might be considered kid friendly, but they're also good movies that anyone can watch and enjoy. Why couldn't Schumacher do that?

 

[Jochimus]

I'm not sure exactly what it is that Warner Bros. told him to do beyond making the movies kid friendly. If that's the only restriction he had, then that's no excuse for his choices. Kid friendly doesn't equal overusing neon lighting or putting nipples on the batsuit. Look at Superman: The Movie or the Spider-Man movies. They might be considered kid friendly, but they're also good movies that anyone can watch and enjoy. Why couldn't Schumacher do that?

I know ONE part of the problem may have been Akiva Goldsman's scripts. I remember a Starlog interview from 1997 when Goldsman said something to the effect of the first two movies dwelling too much on him obsessing over the murder of his parents, and that now being a grown man it'd be time for him to get over it. Trouble is, he wasn't a grown man when he saw his parents get blown away right in front of him; he was nine. I can imagine that would probably still leave SOME permanent psychological damage, even if the grown man DIDN'T go out at night in his playsuit and jet-propelled Power Wheels beating up mean men. But from that comment alone, I very quickly got a feeling that Goldsman's attitude was not quite right for the property, IMO. Of course, my fears proved justified.

Still, he seems to have wised up a bit since then, and stuck to producing on Constantine and Hancock.

 

[darknite17]

If Shumacher did Superman? It would've made more gay undertones than Bryan Singers.

But I have to say Shumacher did well on Lost Boys, Falling Down and Phone Booth.

 

[DIGITAL_SHOWER]

Bryan Singer hands down.

 

[Alex Logan]

IMO we probably would have gotten more action, more elements from the comics and less of a romantic angle with the female lead...

Unfortunately, this also means that we would probably also have gotten Superman/Clark being uncomfortably close to Jimmy instead of Lois; nipples, buttocks and an enlarged codpiece on the Super-suit - ALL versions, as you know we'd have to have at least a dozen Super-suits appear in the movie so as to whet the toy fetish; a day-glo Suicide Slum and a Fortress of Solitude draped with glitter and disco-ball lighting; and Brainiac, Mxyzptlk and Metallo all in the same movie, with Metallo reduced to a mindless hulk repeating his own name throughout the movie and the other two villains doing nothing but spout awful puns over how evil their plans are. Oh, and he might throw in Supergirl for NO REASON except to draw in the kiddies, and then mutilate her origin in the process so that she's Lucy Lane given superpowers or something.

Oh... oh... Oh my god, I needed that!

 

[p4poetic]

Chances are it would've been better than a Singer-version.

1) Schumacher gave Warners what they asked for.

2) Schumacher is an incredibly talented and accomplished director, far more so than Bryan Singer.

3) If Schumacher had full creative control, chances are he could make a decent Superman movie. Hell, chances are with full creative control he could make a pretty damn good Batman movie being as the character-type and villain-type is right up his alley.

4) Insulting Shumacher is so 1998.

I agree. Besides, fans should be grateful if anything.

It woulda been cool. His visiosn for Bats were too kiddy and light for the character but theyd fit supes well.

What? Superman isn't kiddy and light either.

And Batman in the 1960s was kiddy and light too, it doesn't mean its wrong. Just a different version.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

Yeah, the ending was great....very emotional and quite a fitting ending.

I'm currently reading the Superman For Tommorrow story from Azzarello and Jim Lee.

Oh yeah...can you imagine a Superman film that has elements of Waids' Birthright, Loebs' Superman for All Seasons, Johns' Action Comics arc featuring Braniac, with the Superman look and suit design that Jim Lee used in Superman For Tomorrow??

Potential for GREATness!

Have you finished For Tomorrow yet DK? One of my favourite Superman stories I thought it was awesome, loved Birthright a lot too of course.

I was kind of shocked to read through this thread and see some of the hate that Birthright has garnered, and it almost hurts me. I was a late comer to Superman fandom, and the last medium I took to were comics. The first Superman graphic novel I read was Birthright, and it literally blew me away. I've read many, many since then (Superman and otherwise) and it remains to be my favorite graphic novel (tied with Watchmen). I thought Birthright nailed the character of nearly every person in the mythos. From the origins at Krypton to Luthor's plot, I thought it was great. I'll admit, it gets a little weaker towards the end. But the beginning, particularly Clark's adventures in Africa, was incredible. I think that aspect, Clark traveling the world before becoming Superman, should be incorporated to every story from now on.
I'm going to confront a the common arguments against Birthright.

The aptly named "soul vision:" This really didn't bother me. All it really did was broaden the spectrum of light that Superman can see, which makes sense. Since the introduction of Superman's 'X-ray' vision, a lot has been learned about light and it's properties. It's okay that they've broadened that a little. This vision is really only an emission of light that living beings emit. This doesn't take anything away from the character, it doesn't really make him more powerful, and it gives an explanation for his devotion to preserve life. Sure, it's a little Zen, but it's not nearly a big of deal as people are making it to be.

Lex at Smallville in high school: I might be a little biased since one of my earliest exposures to Superman was Smallville, and I got used to the idea quickly. I can kind of understand why some people don't like this, but I really like how it was handled in Birthright. It takes nothing away from Clark and adds a little bit too Lex. Overall, not worth the hatred it's getting. In a movie, it certainly does not have to be included. But it didn't make Birthright bad.

I'd say those are the big ones. And I think a lot of it could be included in a movie. I think there would have to be a superpowered being included/instead of the fake Kryptonian army (Metallo Parasite and the like), but the story could work. One thing Birthright did that I think is important is that Superman was not immediately embraced, he was feared. That, I think is crucial, because if something like that happened today, if a man flew through New York City, people would be absolutely terrified.

I think if you took Birthright along with some of the other stories mentioned, we'd have a great origin. I find "For All Seasons" to be a little overrated. I really don't like the artwork, and it had some great stuff. I find it had great moments (Clark after the tornado with the preacher is perfect), while Birthright had a better cohesive story.

Bottom line, Birthright was great, and it could be used for a movie.

I have to agree, I thought Birthright would be a disaster when I read it judging by the comments on here, it even took be a LONG time to actually buy it. But I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through, and thought the ending topped it off to perfection. One of THE best Superman stories I have read and while I was also late to the game, I have read a lot. If they adapted this into an origin movie, removed some things and added others it could add up to a great movie.

 

[Daredevil_2003]

I love Birthright, but I'm in the camp that we really don't need another origin story. The only good reasoning for doing a faithful version of it is for an easy out to making Lex the Lex he is in the modern age comics. But then they can easily just have him as the corrupt businessman anyway with no real explanation, if this is really going to be a reboot rather than another loose sequel to the (superb) Donner flick.

As for the Wachowskis? They made The Matrix. That's it. Reloaded/Revolutions and Speed Racer were about as close to dung on celluloid as you can get. Singer has a much better array of work under his belt. Including Superman Returns. Lacking, especially in the action dept, as it may be, it's still a good film and better than any of the trash the W brothers have turned out since Matrix 1.

I'd like to see someone else get a shot, but if I'm forced to choose between these two options, give me Singer, anyday.

 

[DChero]

It hasn't been mentioned in a while, but I'd like to throw out the idea of the Watch-OUTski! brothers doing a Superman movie. They work very well with visual effect supervisors, but it's when they try to work with the story and art direction that their work is found moot. There are better options available.

 

[Webhead2006]

It would be interesting to see what they could bring to the character and his world. I wouldnt be against them. Others i wouldnt mind seeing is cameron, spielberg, a few others too just blanking on names.

 

[the_joker]

I would love an adaptation of Birthright, it's by far one of my favourite Superman books. The artwork is great too. But I would rather someone adapted it instead of the Wachowski Brothers. Superman would be the wrong project for them completely.

 

[Webhead2006]

Yea there is tons of great directors out there i would love to see what a few of them could do with superman. Though who ever is the next director for a superman film be that a routh sequel or a reboot. He should love and understand who and what the character is and not just the love of one take on the character.

 

[AVEITWITHJAMON]

I love Birthright, but I'm in the camp that we really don't need another origin story. The only good reasoning for doing a faithful version of it is for an easy out to making Lex the Lex he is in the modern age comics. But then they can easily just have him as the corrupt businessman anyway with no real explanation, if this is really going to be a reboot rather than another loose sequel to the (superb) Donner flick.

As for the Wachowskis? They made The Matrix. That's it. Reloaded/Revolutions and Speed Racer were about as close to dung on celluloid as you can get. Singer has a much better array of work under his belt. Including Superman Returns. Lacking, especially in the action dept, as it may be, it's still a good film and better than any of the trash the W brothers have turned out since Matrix 1.

I'd like to see someone else get a shot, but if I'm forced to choose between these two options, give me Singer, anyday.

Agreed, totally, the Wachowskis have been involved in 2 great movies for me The Matrix and V For Vendetta. I wouldnt really want them near a Superman movie, and I think Singer has a lot more talent as a director than they do.

I am more talking about an adaptation of Birthright at the moment, if we HAVE to have an origin movie, then IMO WB could do MUCH worse than adapt Birthright to the big screen.

 

[X Knight]

Agreed, totally, the Wachowskis have been involved in 2 great movies for me The Matrix and V For Vendetta. I wouldnt really want them near a Superman movie, and I think Singer has a lot more talent as a director than they do.

I am more talking about an adaptation of Birthright at the moment, if we HAVE to have an origin movie, then IMO WB could do MUCH worse than adapt Birthright to the big screen.

like....say......a Krypton that never exploded.....Lex being a Kryptonian CIA agent......Superman's "spirit" impregnating Lois.......and........

 

[Webhead2006]

yea alot of those 90s ideas were so out there and what the heck were they smoking.

 

[X Knight]

yea alot of those 90s ideas were so out there and what the heck were they smoking.

KRRRRRRRRYPTONIIIIIIIIIITE!!! of course.

 

[Webhead2006]

also wasnt there kryptonite in that script wouldnt make any sense how could there be any if the planet didnt blow up right.

 

[Daredevil_2003]

Agreed, totally, the Wachowskis have been involved in 2 great movies for me The Matrix and V For Vendetta. I wouldnt really want them near a Superman movie, and I think Singer has a lot more talent as a director than they do.

I am more talking about an adaptation of Birthright at the moment, if we HAVE to have an origin movie, then IMO WB could do MUCH worse than adapt Birthright to the big screen.

Well, if we have to I'm all for Birthright. Best damn version of said origin. And I might not be against the Wachowski's adapting it to a screenplay, after being reminded that they did V. But only that. No directing, no designs, no 'artistic license' like Burton and company had in the 90's...just adapt the damn comic, collect your paycheck and go home! lol