Tom Welling as Superman

[BareKnucklez]

Wow. This comparison between 'Lois and Clark' and 'Smallville' is ridiculous. Lois and Clark was pretty much the sitcom version of Superman while Smallville takes on the teen soap angle. I doubt too much of Smallville's non-comic book WB audience was watching L+C back in the day. It failed after four seasons because it was just a bad concept which wasnt overly popular in the longrun.

I do think Smallville puts much more effort in trying to nail the Clark Kent character properly than L+C ever did with Superman (which seemed almost like a 90s parody of the hero).

What were getting on Smallville is way better than the crap we got with Lois and Clark!

I agree on mostly everything except that Smallville try's harder on trying to nail the Clark character.. I recently got the box sets for the first two seasons of Lois & Clark, and the best thing on the show was the Clark, and Lois characters... They did a wonderfull job in those two characters, and nailed them to perfection.. Superman on the show was a bit suspect because Dean's acting range is limited... He didn't attend julliard afterall lol..
I do think that Smallville got the Clark character even better then L&C.
Smallville has really helped bring new life to the character, and yes it's a way better show...
The main problem with L&C was that it was to campy, and overall the writting was just terrible... The characters outside of (Lois, Clark, Perry White, and LEX) all sucked! Especially the 2nd Jimmy Olsen... Terrible actor...The original was good I don't know why he was replaced in season 2...

 

[avidreader]

Iactor...The original was good I don't know why he was replaced in season 2...

He was replaced because he looked too much like Dean Cain.

I liked the Jimmy Olsen character and I liked both actors that played him.

 

[AgentPat]

He was replaced because he looked too much like Dean Cain...

That's what I heard too, but I never understood why that was an issue.

There might have been another reason which wasn't publicized though.

 

[RakuMon]

If WB wants a direct-to-video Smallville movie, they've just set up an outlet where something like that could happen:

From Variety:

Raw footage on DVD
Warner homevid gets into genre prod'n

By MICHAEL FLEMING
Warner Home Video is getting into the production business.
Small-screen vets Tony Krantz ("24") and John Shiban ("The X-Files") are teaming with "Blair Witch Project" co-creator Daniel Myrick to form genre shingleshingle Raw Feed.

Venture will create low-budget features to be fully financed by WHV, with the ultimate goal to create its first branded film series that will bypass theatrical and go directly to DVD.

Raw Feed marks the first time WHV has gone beyond the distribution of library product. First pic in the series is "Rest Stop," a thriller about a young couple terrorized while on a cross-country trip.

The film was written and will be directed by Shiban, who is currently co-exec producer of the WB series "Supernatural."

This will be followed with films directed by Krantz, the former CEO and co-chairman of Imagine Television and exec producer of "24," and Myrick, who is also a partner in Haxan Films.

The open-ended deal with WHV encompasses horror pics, sci-fiers and thrillers. If a film emerges with the commercial promise of an "Open Water" or "Blair Witch Project," a theatrical release is possible.

But WHV has promised financing of budgets of about $5 million, plus a marketing launch, because it gives the distributor an opportunity to connect its product with a core genre aud without the huge P&A outlays that are part of every theatrical release.

Both WHV and the trio see Raw Feed as a litmus test of whether a pricey theatrical launch is a prerequisite for DVD viability, or whether a strong product and marketing can eliminate that step.

"The visceral reaction is that if you can't cut it theatrically, you put it right out on video," said Jeff Baker, WHV's senior veepveep and general manager for theatrical catalog, who put the venture together with the trio's agents at Endeavor Independent. "But we see an opportunity to overcome the benefit of prior consumer awareness by utilizing publicity and viral marketing on the Internet to reach a core audience."

Rated and unrated versions of the film will be released.

"The creation of content is evolving beyond just the traditional unspooling of film in a theater," Krantz said. "There are opportunities in direct-to-video, mobile phones and the Internet to speak to markets starved for exciting concepts." Krantz said he and his partners are convinced WHV has the marketing clout to brand Raw Feed product and keep it from falling into the void as many DVD releases do.

"Doing three films quickly indicates they are serious about creating a long-term brand," Krantz said.

Date in print: Wed., Mar. 29, 2006, Los Angeles
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117940515?categoryId=13&cs=1

 

[NHawk19]

hmmmmm the plot thickens

 

[Serene]

That is interesting. I guess I'm still unclear on the marketibility of direct to DVD movies. I can see if you are targeting a specific genre fanbase, you might have an idea of sales, and be able to budget accordingly? It still sounds risky to me, but it could end up being very profitable indeed, if handled correctly.

 

[Bruce_Wayne29]

Somebody has to ask Gough about these rumors so we can at least ensure ourselves that it will really be a film with the SV cast that they mentioned in that article and not a direct to video animation feature...

 

[triplet]

Actually, one of the biggest expenses in releasing a film is the print costs... They're outrageously expensive to produce and they don't last long, like only a week or two. So you're always having to replace the prints...

Aside from producing expensive prints, actually mass producing DVDs is extremely cheap, you can print them at like 25 cents a disk....

Unlike VHS reproduction, which is relatively more expensive (believe it or not), the packaging of a DVD costs more than producing the disk does...

I think that there is definitely money to be made in Direct to DVD movies if you have the right product since it cuts out so many expensive parts of releasing a film...

 

[AgentPat]

I think that there is definitely money to be made in Direct to DVD movies if you have the right product since it cuts out so many expensive parts of releasing a film...

There is, and it does, but this bugs me...

But WHV has promised financing of budgets of about $5 million...

Five bills? That's IT? Good grief.

I know money doesn't equal quality - we ALL know that quite well, in fact - but $5M wouldn't even cover the catering costs on a typical summer actioner.

Here's a better perspective: Warners just spent $7M on the hour-long Aquadude pilot.

I'm kind of hoping they're talking about animated DTVs for kids now.

 

[RakuMon]

Five bills? That's IT? Good grief.

I know money doesn't equal quality - we ALL know that quite well, in fact - but $5M wouldn't even cover the catering costs on a typical summer actioner.

Here's a better perspective: Warners just spent $7M on the hour-long Aquadude pilot.

I'm kind of hoping they're talking about animated DTVs for kids now.

To also quote the Variety piece, the unveiling of WHV's production arm is only in the "litmus test" stage. If successful, we could see higher budgets for higher profile films. The AdAge article from last week mentioned something about Warner looking for a direct to DVD Superman feature in between theatrical sequels. That would peg it coming out in 2008. Plus, if we're still going off of the conjecture that said DVD feature would be a SV-inspired film, by the time something like that were to happen, WHV will have a better idea of the marketability and finances involved.

The reason I posted that article in here is only to show that right now, if our speculation is correct, Warner seems to be planting the seeds for a direct to DVD Smallville movie. All this could also be for naught. We'll just have to see.

Maybe Jack can shed some light.

I dunno about you all, but this speculation has me excited. I haven't been this hopeful since August 2004!!

 

[avidreader]

I think the appealing part to Warners of doing a direct to DVD movie of Smallville is that they already have alot of the sets in place. Cuts down on some of the production costs.

 

[Logan Howlett]

I just can't wait to see Welling in the suit, because to me that is gona be the only thing that saves Superman. I mean having Superman Returns as a sequal to the first two movies was just a bad idea, not just because Singer said he was gona completely forget about the other two, but becaus we finaly had what we had all been waiting for, a SUPERMAN that could feel real! And they pissed it all away. I mean with all of the ways they have reinvented Spider-Man, Batman and the rest I was realy looking forward to a reinvented Superman, something that wouldn't feel like a joke. The original movies just always felt like that, a joke, something not to be taken seriously, but now we have the ability to make even the most outragous story lines feel real, like what they are doing in Smallville. But instead Waner Bros. decided they couldn't wait and they had to bank on the superhero obsesed fans NOW! And it completely takes away from what we could have seen. Imagine if we at least had a reinventing origin story like we saw in BB, that would be cool, but to make a sequal to the original two and forget about the last two, thats insane! And disrespectfull to those who made the last two movies, I'm not saying they were good movies, but they did exist, and if your going to make a sequal make a sequal, if your going to make a prequal make a prequal, but don't try to literal throw something in the middle! I just realy look forward to the day I see Tom Welling in the suit, that will be the rebirth of a dead Superman.

 

[Pickle-El]

I think the appealing part to Warners of doing a direct to DVD movie of Smallville is that they already have alot of the sets in place. Cuts down on some of the production costs.

There are a ton of flying rigs I'm sure they could use......There have been overwhemingly positive reports about the new movies realistic looking flying down downtown Metropolis.

(Probably because they used that HUGE crane)

I don't see what WB wouldn't want a SV movie to use some of these.

 

[Pickle-El]

I just can't wait to see Welling in the suit, because to me that is gona be the only thing that saves Superman. I mean having Superman Returns as a sequal to the first two movies was just a bad idea, not just because Singer said he was gona completely forget about the other two, but becaus we finaly had what we had all been waiting for, a SUPERMAN that could feel real! And they pissed it all away. I mean with all of the ways they have reinvented Spider-Man, Batman and the rest I was realy looking forward to a reinvented Superman, something that wouldn't feel like a joke. The original movies just always felt like that, a joke, something not to be taken seriously, but now we have the ability to make even the most outragous story lines feel real, like what they are doing in Smallville. But instead Waner Bros. decided they couldn't wait and they had to bank on the superhero obsesed fans NOW! And it completely takes away from what we could have seen. Imagine if we at least had a reinventing origin story like we saw in BB, that would be cool, but to make a sequal to the original two and forget about the last two, thats insane! And disrespectfull to those who made the last two movies, I'm not saying they were good movies, but they did exist, and if your going to make a sequal make a sequal, if your going to make a prequal make a prequal, but don't try to literal throw something in the middle! I just realy look forward to the day I see Tom Welling in the suit, that will be the rebirth of a dead Superman.

Wrong Forum.

 

[NHawk19]

To also quote the Variety piece, the unveiling of WHV's production arm is only in the "litmus test" stage. If successful, we could see higher budgets for higher profile films. The AdAge article from last week mentioned something about Warner looking for a direct to DVD Superman feature in between theatrical sequels. That would peg it coming out in 2008. Plus, if we're still going off of the conjecture that said DVD feature would be a SV-inspired film, by the time something like that were to happen, WHV will have a better idea of the marketability and finances involved.

The reason I posted that article in here is only to show that right now, if our speculation is correct, Warner seems to be planting the seeds for a direct to DVD Smallville movie. All this could also be for naught. We'll just have to see.

Maybe Jack can shed some light.

I dunno about you all, but this speculation has me excited. I haven't been this hopeful since August 2004!!

I think Raku has it. The $5 mill they're getting at is only for the ones to test the market, and would/could be stories not linked to anything known at the time. Plus I would think they'd have a somewhat rushed porduction timeline.

If and when SV does a DTV movie, it's got a following so budget wise it would have to be larger than a regular ep or pilot just to keep within the time constraints, and meet fan expectations. Look at the first 6 Star Trek movies.

Just have to wait and see.

 

[AgentPat]

...I dunno about you all, but this speculation has me excited. I haven't been this hopeful since August 2004!!

Gosh, I SOOOOOOO know THAT feeling, lemme tell ya. I miss that feeling, I really, really do. Talk about being over-the-top happy. My husband use to laugh at me 'cause I'd even mow the lawn with a big-arse smile on my face.

Aaaaanywaaay.... looking to the future, I honestly don't think it would be possible to make a 2 hour SV movie - for television - for 5 bills, so I'm not too worried about them trying to do it for a DTV. That said, I definitely see where Bruce_Wayne29 is coming from. I would much prefer a feature film that took the typical route to home video *after* it unspooled in theaters, but it remains to be seen if Warners is daring enough to consider such a risky endeavor given all the coin they've already sunk into Flyboy V2.5. DTV seems to be a happy, safe option between the two mediums. And they have the home video sales for four (going on five) seasons as a good argument for why a DTV SV film would likely garner a very nice ROI.

I think a LOT of what happens come 2008 will depend on variables that are impossible to predict at this point. Things to consider (in no particular order) include: ratings for S6 and S7 (if it goes that far), B.O. receipts on SR, home video sales for SV box sets as well as the plethora of other Superman titles being released this year, and finally, public demand, which pretty much influences everything else on the list. Remember, the restaurant will add new items to the menu if enough people request it.

Lets look at the big picture again come August. SR will have had five solid weeks to sink or swim with audiences, critics, and investors. This will in turn influence Warner's attitude towards the franchise as a whole. SV fans will also be getting the first whiffs of spoiler info for S6, so we'll have a better feel for where they're endeavoring to take the show and the audience they're looking to target. I think it's still to early to predict anything. The only thing we can know for certain is that Warners wants a win win situation no matter what, and they will redirect traffic accordingly should any pot holes appear in the road.

<- ordering a Supreme tonight to celebrate SV's return from hiatus.

 

[The Incredible Hulk]

Lets look at the big picture again come August. SR will have had five solid weeks to sing or swim with audiences, critics, and investors.

LOL Freudian slip?

 

[AgentPat]

*&%$'n typo. LOL

'Tis fixed.

 

[rumpuso]

*&%$'n typo.

My eyes! My eyes!

Watch your language.

 

[JackMercy]

.
<- ordering a Supreme tonight to celebrate SV's return from hiatus.

Heh. Me too...




As for the other stuff, pay attention, class, Pat knows her biz...

 

[RakuMon]

Heh. Me too...




As for the other stuff, pay attention, class, Pat knows her biz...

Hmmmm....

So are you saying the formation of a production arm of WHV isn't indicative of a Smallville DTV movie? Or is it?

 

[Pickle-El]

Why don't you guys just email Steve Younis?

 

[triplet]

Why would Steve know?

 

[Scooter]

A Supreme?

 

[Pickle-El]

Steve is one of those guys who would go ahead and ask Gough or Millar like he's done in the past.