Why are so many people deadset against showing the origin?

[SuperDaniel]

Jenny( 867-5309)

I think Batman Begins handled the origin the best way .

That's what WB should do for Superman now.

 

[sithgoblin]

1st rule of an action movie and storytelling:

Action needs to escalate.

If we show Superman in the first 5 min and slow it down a lot in the middle, people won't care about the rest of it. Besides, in my script, i don't want to return to Smallville after i've finished with it in the first 20 mins. We can see Superman in full glory for the rest of the movie.

However, we can show glimpes of the powers and all.

Did Iron Man appear in the first 5 mins?

Didn't think so...

That didn't make people leave the theaters.

Huh?

Every James Bond movie ever made. Every Indiana Jones movie ever made.

Having a short adventure at the start of an action/adventure film is an established format. There's nothing wrong with it.

And in the case of Indiana Jones, it was even used to introduce the character. We didn't need to see him being raised by his parents to love history and deciding to dedicate his life to it. At least not in the first movie.

 

[KalMart]

I'm going to do all you're saying but i won't show Superman in the first 5 mins. I just don't think it works. It didn't work in the Abrams script, IMO, and it wouldn't work in the story i'm trying to tell. We'll still have superpowered action and clever editing in the beggining to tease people.

So, agreed to disagree.

Start the movie off with TV news interviews of various cityfolk, recalling some calamity that just happened on a 'normal day, just like any other...'. Cut to a scene of the time in question, everything normal, guy getting his lunch at a deli, woman coming out of a bank, newsstand guy giving his customer change, etc. 'And then...that's when it happened...' BOOM....something big and disastrous overhead, everyone looking up and screaming. 'I thought that was it...I'm dead...........but then....' Out of nowhere.......

Give it a shot and see where it takes you. If you like it, you can thank me later. If not, never mind then.

 

[KalMart]

Huh?

Every James Bond movie ever made. Every Indiana Jones movie ever made.

Having a short adventure at the start of an action/adventure film is an established format. There's nothing wrong with it.

And in the case of Indiana Jones, it was even used to introduce the character. We didn't need to see him bring raised by his parents to love history and deciding to dedicate his life to it. At least not in the first movie.

Hey now!

 

[SuperDaniel]

It's what happens in my script. My script starts with Clark pre-Superman days saving an US soldier named John H. Irons and inocents from terrorists in a War zone in a middle western country called Caznia. It's a scene very reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan. But there's about 3 pages of introduction before this scene that serves purpose to the story in the things to come.

I don't show Superman but i certainly tease his existence. Something like the first X-men did with Magneto and all.

 

[KalMart]

Sounds a bit too Smallville, to be honest. But instead of the 3-page intro to that scene or what have you, just go right into it. As if we're thrown into a war movie...and somehow there's a young man involved who doesn't introduce himself or anything. He could have most of his face covered because of all the dust, maybe dressed in local garb....is he a villager? If it's like you said...like SPR and explosions everywhere, then make it chaotic and confusing. Bodies strewn everywhere with dozens of soldiers/people screaming. You can barely make out in all the dust that village guy grabbing a wounded soldier...dragging him away...then another....we see people on the ground being grabbed by the collar or vest, etc. Then as we move away from the main battle, out from the dust/smoke emerges the kid dragging some 20-30 people all at once towards a safe house. What is this guy, a freak?

Only later do we see his face as a caucasian-blue eyed man in his late teens/early twenties...not even breathing hard and refusing water. So on and so forth.

But....something like that could also be used later in the movie or in another chapter as a flashback as well. Somehow transitioning into it so we don't know it's the 'past' at first, until we see a noticeably younger Clark reveal his face at the end. Narrativelty, what was going on back then could tie into what's going on in the 'present'....Luthor could have been part of those arms trades, or what have you.

I dunno, though...something about the whole 'Clark in the peace corps' thing, like in that Birthright story or whatever it is....feels a bit too preachy. I didn't like it or the whole 'travel the world' as a teen idea. Yeah, I know BB did some stuff on that order with young Bruce, but that had more of an edge, and this feels kinda' like it's trying to do that, but from the nice-guy angle. But you never know...with the right kind of filmmaker....

 

[luca_frontino]

Not to be rude, SuperDaniel.
I appreciate your work to give Superman the cinematographic glory he deserves since before Superman Returns came into pre-production.
But your story is surely nothing original and not as exciting as Reign Of The Supermen.
After all these years, ROTS still keep the crown as the best Superman story (excluding Kingdom Come from the equation because is a more of a DC story).
Well, Peace On Earth is more profound and includes the essential answer of why there should be a Superman (a nod to Elliot Maggin' story), but there are no supervillains in the Dini & Ross GN.

 

[SuperDaniel]

Sounds a bit too Smallville, to be honest. But instead of the 3-page intro to that scene or what have you, just go right into it. As if we're thrown into a war movie...and somehow there's a young man involved who doesn't introduce himself or anything. He could have most of his face covered because of all the dust, maybe dressed in local garb....is he a villager? If it's like you said...like SPR and explosions everywhere, then make it chaotic and confusing. Bodies strewn everywhere with dozens of soldiers/people screaming. You can barely make out in all the dust that village guy grabbing a wounded soldier...dragging him away...then another....we see people on the ground being grabbed by the collar or vest, etc. Then as we move away from the main battle, out from the dust/smoke emerges the kid dragging some 20-30 people all at once towards a safe house. What is this guy, a freak?

Only later do we see his face as a caucasian-blue eyed man in his late teens/early twenties...not even breathing hard and refusing water. So on and so forth.

But....something like that could also be used later in the movie or in another chapter as a flashback as well. Somehow transitioning into it so we don't know it's the 'past' at first, until we see a noticeably younger Clark reveal his face at the end. Narrativelty, what was going on back then could tie into what's going on in the 'present'....Luthor could have been part of those arms trades, or what have you.

I dunno, though...something about the whole 'Clark in the peace corps' thing, like in that Birthright story or whatever it is....feels a bit too preachy. I didn't like it or the whole 'travel the world' as a teen idea. Yeah, I know BB did some stuff on that order with young Bruce, but that had more of an edge, and this feels kinda' like it's trying to do that, but from the nice-guy angle. But you never know...with the right kind of filmmaker....

Judge it after you read it. To compare it to Smallville is an insult.

 

[SuperDaniel]

Not to be rude, SuperDaniel.
I appreciate your work to give Superman the cinematographic glory he deserves since before Superman Returns came into pre-production.
But your story is surely nothing original and not as exciting as Reign Of The Supermen.
After all these years, ROTS still keep the crown as the best Superman story (excluding Kingdom Come from the equation because is a more of a DC story).
Well, Peace On Earth is more profound and includes the essential answer of why there should be a Superman (a nod to Elliot Maggin' story), but there are no supervillains in the Dini & Ross GN.

LOL. Superman for all seasons, All-Star Superman, Action Comics 775 are MUCH better than RofS, IMO. What hell does have to do with a reboot? It's not gonna happen at all.

 

[KalMart]

Judge it after you read it. To compare it to Smallville is an insult.

Wasn't meant to be...and honestly, I wonder how insulted those writers would feel if their work were viewed that way in comparison. They might only be writing for a 'teen show' or what have you, and I'm not particularly a watcher of it,,,but they didn't get to that position by not knowing their stuff and putting in the time/work....and being noticed for it.

The 3 page intro is like 3 mins worth of screentime or less. It's just Jonathan and Martha finding baby kal-el but i don't show them finding him actually. The ship crashes making their truck to spin and hit the side of the road and we cut to the warzone as something similar happens. Similar to Birthright and the bullet thing.

Eh...I didn't like Birthright, and I'm seeing some of the stuff here that I didn't like in that....which kinda' makes sense, I guess. If you're only going to show the ship crashing then quickly cut from there to something completely different, then you shouldn't bother with the ship part. It seemed like an abbreviated/jumpy thing in that Birthright story, and onscreen it could be even worse. Seriously, just go right into the war, or use it coming out of something more substantial.

 

[SuperDaniel]

That just isn't Superman to me. The 3 page intro is like 3 mins worth of screentime or less. It's just Jonathan and Martha finding baby kal-el but i don't show them finding him actually. The ship crashes making their truck to spin and hit the side of the road and we cut to the warzone as something similar happens. Similar to Birthright and the bullet thing.

It's basically 10 mins of this intro, the opening credits with Newspapers telling stories of angels and disasters that almost happened and we cut to Lois and Jimmy covering the WAR, hearing on tv people talking about the scene of the intro. They're in a bar in Caznia to meet with a source. Smilar to the scene with Leo DiCaprio and Jeniffer Connelly in Blood Diamond. Some fun stuff.

 

[KalMart]

No opening credits. A rousing opening scene that teases what's to come, then the Supes logo or what have you, then start the story...Metropolis, Lois, the buzz of midtown Metropolis. All credits are for the end.

 

[luca_frontino]

LOL. Superman for all seasons, All-Star Superman, Action Comics 775 are MUCH better than RofS, IMO. What hell does have to do with a reboot? It's not gonna happen at all.

Ha! Don't make me laugh.
For All Seasons? All Star? Please, those are just average stories overrated by close minded fans.
The best emotional stories are KC and Peace On Earth, but from a cinematic point of view, ROTS is the biggest of all and, more importantly, without origin.
Do you really think that the best plan to relaunch Superman is retelling his origin right after 9 (NINE) seasons of Smallville?
It would be a suicide.
It would gross even less than SR.

 

[KalMart]

Never mind which comics are better than others...concentrate on a good story for the screen, and for the majority of viewers who aren't avid comic fans.

 

[Superfreak]

Which questionable creative decisions are just going to be ignored? They can't get rid of Jason, even if it is a loose sequel, and that'll be a problem for me.

of course they can. The movie doesn't have to focus on home life. It all depends on the story that they are delivering. If it's a solid mystery, with Lois and Clark off on some mission to discover a new story, then we don't have to even have Jason in the cast, he could simply be mentioned at an appropriate time to deal with it, without going into it. (IE. we don't have to go through the bloody Clark/Lois/Richard nonsense if the sequel picks up at a point where the three have come to an understanding etc.)

Why would that be a problem for you (do you want to see more jason?)? You guys are too rigid, sequels do not have to be a direct continuation of the previous plot. Kind of why I moved away from this forum, you guys are to polarized now, there seems to be lack of middle ground

 

[Kal-El Fan]

Ha! Don't make me laugh.
For All Seasons? All Star? Please, those are just average stories overrated by close minded fans.
The best emotional stories are KC and Peace On Earth, but from a cinematic point of view, ROTS is the biggest of all and, more importantly, without origin.
Do you really think that the best plan to relaunch Superman is retelling his origin right after 9 (NINE) seasons of Smallville?
It would be a suicide.
It would gross even less than SR.

:facepalm

 

[GreenKToo]

I'm no writer so play nice....just a few ideas.

I'd have the Kents adopting infant Clark just like any normal couple would do.
They are in their 30's and cannot have children of their own, and after failing to find what they are seeking in kansas, they travel to the next state.
They travel to an adoptive center that they recieved information about in the mail. There, they find a baby that they fall in love with, an infant with jet black hair and deep blue eyes. They ask about the birth parents but the director of the center doesn't know who they are. The infant was found abandoned and brought here he says.

After a week or so of paper work, the Kents take him home unaware of what he will become. Nice shot of martha and jonathan driving. Marth looking down at the sleeping infant. They discuss what they will name him....

Smallville. 6 years later.

Clark is playing as any typical 6 year old that lives in farming country would do, in the fields of corn. He is lost in his own little world and doesnt see the tractor Jonathan is driving heading for him. Jonathan looks here and there while working and spots Clark in front of him in one of the rows of corn. Jonathan's eyes grow wide and he screams for clark to move. Jonathan tries to stop and steer the tractor away but its too late.

Clark throws up his arms in an instinctive move to protect himself. The tractor smashes into him.
Jonathan is thrown off his seat when the tractor hits. He gets to his feet, jumps from the machine, and races to Clark, his heart pounding in dread.
He is expecting the worst, but what he finds stuns him. Clark is unjured but his tractor is smashed. the whole front end of it is. Water and steam pour from it.

Jonathan grabs clark and embraces him, overjoyed that he is not injured.

He looks at Clark, then the tractor. He smiles a nervous smile as he looks down at Clark.
Clark looks up ''I'm sorry'' he says
''Don't be'' Jonathan says. ''Its not your fault''. ''I can get another tractor, but I cant get another you''.
Then Jonathan asks the obvious.''Did you know you could do this Clark?"
Clark hesitates ''well.... I have been hearing things from......a long way off'', and I can jump really high''.

Jonathon nods and asks ''For how long?''

''For About 3 months now'' Clark says.
Clark looks down and kicks the dirt. ''I was afraid to tell you and ma''
Jonathan smiles and breathes a sigh of relief. ''Never be afraid to tell me anything Clark, ever''.
Jonathan takes Clark by the hand and says ''C'mon son, we need to talk to your ma about this''.
''Am I in trouble?'' Clark asks.
''No son, your not in trouble, but you can't tell anyone.'' ''Not friends, teachers, anyone'' ''They won't understand''. Do you Understand Clark?'' ''It's important'' ''Promise me son''.
''Ok, I promise pa''.
''Good'', jonathan says. ''Always keep your promise son''. ''remember that".
Clark looks up with a serious look on his face. ''Ok pa'' he says.

Next scene would be jonathan and clark walking into the farm house.
the camera stays outside.
We hear muffled voices from within. Then we hear martha's voice and its loud and frantic.

Next scene would show Jonathan driving alone back to the center in the next state where they adopted Clark.

Jonathan wants some answers. He is concerned that whatever it is that Clark can do, may be life threatning to little Clark.
They are afraid to trust any doctors in smallville, so he thought he would talk to the people at the adoptive center to see if they know anything about clark that perhaps they were afraid to tell them before. He's tried to call, but with no luck.

He arrives and discovers that it's closed, and it looks like its been empty for years.
He inquires at nearby businesses to see if they know why it closed and if they know how to get in contact with the former director. He learns that it was only open for about a month or two, then closed unexpectedly. They have no idea how to contact the people that ran it they say.
Jonathan learns that it closed the day after they adopted Clark.
He heads back to Smallville with more questions than answers.

I like the mystery of Clark not knowing yet. Later on, I think I would have the main villain be Brainiac, and it would be from him that Clark learns of his origin.

 

[Superfreak]

I'm no writer so play nice....just a few ideas.

I'd have the Kents adopting infant Clark just like any normal couple would do.
They are in their 30's and cannot have children of their own, and after failing to find what they are seeking in kansas, they travel to the next state.
They travel to an adoptive center that they recieved information about in the mail. There, they find a baby that they fall in love with, an infant with jet black hair and deep blue eyes. They ask about the birth parents but the director of the center doesn't know who they are. The infant was found abandoned and brought here he says.

After a week or so of paper work, the Kents take him home unaware of what he will become. Nice shot of martha and jonathan driving. Marth looking down at the sleeping infant. They discuss what they will name him....

Smallville. 6 years later.

Clark is playing as any typical 6 year old that lives in farming country would do, in the fields of corn. He is lost in his own little world and doesnt see the tractor Jonathan is driving heading for him. Jonathan looks here and there while working and spots Clark in front of him in one of the rows of corn. Jonathan's eyes grow wide and he screams for clark to move. Jonathan tries to stop and steer the tractor away but its too late.

Clark throws up his arms in an instinctive move to protect himself. The tractor smashes into him.
Jonathan is thrown off his seat when the tractor hits. He gets to his feet, jumps from the machine, and races to Clark, his heart pounding in dread.
He is expecting the worst, but what he finds stuns him. Clark is unjured but his tractor is smashed. the whole front end of it is. Water and steam pour from it.

Jonathan grabs clark and embraces him, overjoyed that he is not injured.

He looks at Clark, then the tractor. He smiles a nervous smile as he looks down at Clark.
Clark looks up ''I'm sorry'' he says
''Don't be'' Jonathan says. ''Its not your fault''. ''I can get another tractor, but I cant get another you''.
Then Jonathan asks the obvious.''Did you know you could do this Clark?"
Clark hesitates ''well.... I have been hearing things from......a long way off'', and I can jump really high''.

Jonathon nods and asks ''For how long?''

''For About 3 months now'' Clark says.
Clark looks down and kicks the dirt. ''I was afraid to tell you and ma''
Jonathan smiles and breathes a sigh of relief. ''Never be afraid to tell me anything Clark, ever''.
Jonathan takes Clark by the hand and says ''C'mon son, we need to talk to your ma about this''.
''Am I in trouble?'' Clark asks.
''No son, your not in trouble, but you can't tell anyone.'' ''Not friends, teachers, anyone'' ''They won't understand''. Do you Understand Clark?'' ''It's important'' ''Promise me son''.
''Ok, I promise pa''.
''Good'', jonathan says. ''Always keep your promise son''. ''remember that".
Clark looks up with a serious look on his face. ''Ok pa'' he says.

Next scene would be jonathan and clark walking into the farm house.
the camera stays outside.
We hear muffled voices from within. Then we hear martha's voice and its loud and frantic.

Next scene would show Jonathan driving alone back to the center in the next state where they adopted Clark.

Jonathan wants some answers. He is concerned that whatever it is that Clark can do, may be life threatning to little Clark.
They are afraid to trust any doctors in smallville, so he thought he would talk to the people at the adoptive center to see if they know anything about clark that perhaps they were afraid to tell them before. He's tried to call, but with no luck.

He arrives and discovers that it's closed, and it looks like its been empty for years.
He inquires at nearby businesses to see if they know why it closed and if they know how to get in contact with the former director. He learns that it was only open for about a month or two, then closed unexpectedly. They have no idea how to contact the people that ran it they say.
Jonathan learns that it closed the day after they adopted Clark.
He heads back to Smallville with more questions than answers.

I like the mystery of Clark not knowing yet. Later on, I think I would have the main villain be Brainiac, and it would be from him that Clark learns of his origin.

I like the mystery... but then I look at STM, and there are really only 3 short scenes in SV and they deliver all the information you need. I don't want the smallville sequence over complicated. Already your concept has too much smallville in it. It should be simple. Kents find Kal, Kents give Clark morals, Clark leaves the Kents, and we're in metropolis, ready to start the movie actual. (Hell, I wouldn't mind the origin done as it was in TIH, via flashes during the opening credits)

hence why I'd rather a sequel, than a reboot/retcon. Everyone seems to get bogged down in where Supes comes from. To be fair, it is important to a degree, but it is also just prologue.

I'd actually much rather a movie done from Lois' perspective. Movie starts in metropolis, Lois gets into trouble, Superman shows up... later we get the Superman/Lois interview, where the smallville aspects of the story are accounted for via flashbacks. I think that would work better as a mystery, 'who is superman?'. That way the audience learns about Superman, in the same way that the humans in the movie are learning about superman. Instead of the omni perspective we get from STM.

 

[GreenKToo]

All that would only be maybe 15 mins tops...then you could show him briefly as a teenager (maybe 5 mins at the most), then on to Metropolis.
I'd save showing Krypton through the villain, Brainiac.

Or...open it with him in the middle of a fight with intergang. That would show he has been around for a while.

Or...Opening scene. The space station, old and no longer usefull, is scheduled to make an controlled re-entry today. Its supposed to crash harmlessly into the ocean but something goes wrong and it goes off course.
It heads toward metropolis. E.A.S. ( emergency activation system) activates and warns all citizens to seek shelter, but its much too late.
The impact will take out several dozen city blocks in metropolis, killing thousands in the process..
A fireball appears in the air over Metropolis. People cower in fear and cover the heads.
Seconds before impact it suddenly stops and hovers in place..
People slowly look up in wonderment.
There, holding it in place, is a strange figure dressed in blue with a flowing red cape..
the news cameras catch it all.
The figure heaves the massive melted space station up till they both disappear...
Who? what? how? these are the questions on everyones lips.
One of the people that was endangered was Lois Lane.
She was looking for a story, and now she has a doozy.

 

[sithgoblin]

I'd actually much rather a movie done from Lois' perspective. Movie starts in metropolis, Lois gets into trouble, Superman shows up... later we get the Superman/Lois interview, where the smallville aspects of the story are accounted for via flashbacks. I think that would work better as a mystery, 'who is superman?'. That way the audience learns about Superman, in the same way that the humans in the movie are learning about superman. Instead of the omni perspective we get from STM.

We had that in SR, to a degree. Once we got to Metropolis it became all about Lois and her problems, leaving Superman (and us) to watch on.

 

[GreenKToo]

I'm not hard to please. I really dont mind if they do an origin or just jump right into the action with an established Superman.
Whatever they decide tho, I want it done right.

 

[sithgoblin]

Personally I wouldn't mind seeing a new Superman movie open with...


Faster than a speeding bullet

More powerful than a locomotive

Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound

This amazing stranger from the planet Krypton, The Man of Steel:

Superman!


And then start the damn movie.

 

[Timstuff]

I'm no writer so play nice....just a few ideas.

I'd have the Kents adopting infant Clark just like any normal couple would do.
They are in their 30's and cannot have children of their own, and after failing to find what they are seeking in kansas, they travel to the next state.
They travel to an adoptive center that they recieved information about in the mail. There, they find a baby that they fall in love with, an infant with jet black hair and deep blue eyes. They ask about the birth parents but the director of the center doesn't know who they are. The infant was found abandoned and brought here he says.

After a week or so of paper work, the Kents take him home unaware of what he will become. Nice shot of martha and jonathan driving. Marth looking down at the sleeping infant. They discuss what they will name him....

Smallville. 6 years later.

Clark is playing as any typical 6 year old that lives in farming country would do, in the fields of corn. He is lost in his own little world and doesnt see the tractor Jonathan is driving heading for him. Jonathan looks here and there while working and spots Clark in front of him in one of the rows of corn. Jonathan's eyes grow wide and he screams for clark to move. Jonathan tries to stop and steer the tractor away but its too late.

Clark throws up his arms in an instinctive move to protect himself. The tractor smashes into him.
Jonathan is thrown off his seat when the tractor hits. He gets to his feet, jumps from the machine, and races to Clark, his heart pounding in dread.
He is expecting the worst, but what he finds stuns him. Clark is unjured but his tractor is smashed. the whole front end of it is. Water and steam pour from it.

Jonathan grabs clark and embraces him, overjoyed that he is not injured.

He looks at Clark, then the tractor. He smiles a nervous smile as he looks down at Clark.
Clark looks up ''I'm sorry'' he says
''Don't be'' Jonathan says. ''Its not your fault''. ''I can get another tractor, but I cant get another you''.
Then Jonathan asks the obvious.''Did you know you could do this Clark?"
Clark hesitates ''well.... I have been hearing things from......a long way off'', and I can jump really high''.

Jonathon nods and asks ''For how long?''

''For About 3 months now'' Clark says.
Clark looks down and kicks the dirt. ''I was afraid to tell you and ma''
Jonathan smiles and breathes a sigh of relief. ''Never be afraid to tell me anything Clark, ever''.
Jonathan takes Clark by the hand and says ''C'mon son, we need to talk to your ma about this''.
''Am I in trouble?'' Clark asks.
''No son, your not in trouble, but you can't tell anyone.'' ''Not friends, teachers, anyone'' ''They won't understand''. Do you Understand Clark?'' ''It's important'' ''Promise me son''.
''Ok, I promise pa''.
''Good'', jonathan says. ''Always keep your promise son''. ''remember that".
Clark looks up with a serious look on his face. ''Ok pa'' he says.

Next scene would be jonathan and clark walking into the farm house.
the camera stays outside.
We hear muffled voices from within. Then we hear martha's voice and its loud and frantic.

Next scene would show Jonathan driving alone back to the center in the next state where they adopted Clark.

Jonathan wants some answers. He is concerned that whatever it is that Clark can do, may be life threatning to little Clark.
They are afraid to trust any doctors in smallville, so he thought he would talk to the people at the adoptive center to see if they know anything about clark that perhaps they were afraid to tell them before. He's tried to call, but with no luck.

He arrives and discovers that it's closed, and it looks like its been empty for years.
He inquires at nearby businesses to see if they know why it closed and if they know how to get in contact with the former director. He learns that it was only open for about a month or two, then closed unexpectedly. They have no idea how to contact the people that ran it they say.
Jonathan learns that it closed the day after they adopted Clark.
He heads back to Smallville with more questions than answers.

I like the mystery of Clark not knowing yet. Later on, I think I would have the main villain be Brainiac, and it would be from him that Clark learns of his origin.

I like the idea for the scene with the tractor, however I'm not too sure about the whole adoption agency thing. I'd rather just have it that Clark's ship happens to crash near the Kents, and they find him. I've never really been a fan of Jor El choosing the Kents to be Clark's new parents. I prefer the idea that destiny was behind it, because otherwise it's like if someone planned for Peter Parker to be bitten by a mutant spider.

I don't want the movie to get bogged down with a bunch of Smallville stuff, but I would like to still have some. Show the Kents finding Clark, discovering his abilities as GreenKToo suggested, and then go forward to his graduation from Met U, where shortly after he makes his first public appearance as Superman. The rest of the movie could be peppered with flashbacks showing him discussing his desire to be a hero with his parents, showing the costume sketch to his mother and asking her to help him make it, etc.

 

[KalMart]

of course they can. The movie doesn't have to focus on home life. It all depends on the story that they are delivering. If it's a solid mystery, with Lois and Clark off on some mission to discover a new story, then we don't have to even have Jason in the cast, he could simply be mentioned at an appropriate time to deal with it, without going into it. (IE. we don't have to go through the bloody Clark/Lois/Richard nonsense if the sequel picks up at a point where the three have come to an understanding etc.)

Why would that be a problem for you (do you want to see more jason?)? You guys are too rigid, sequels do not have to be a direct continuation of the previous plot. Kind of why I moved away from this forum, you guys are to polarized now, there seems to be lack of middle ground

Because there shouldn't be any middle ground when it comes to this...especially something this visible and important. You either make it a sequel/continuation, or you don't and make something else. If you're going to try and tiptoe around the major narrative elements and issues that the last movie left off with, some unresolved, or feel the need to 'fix' some of the problems from before...or act like some of it didn't happen....then what's the advantage of carrying anything over? Better to leave it where it was and start over.....build a brand new one for the same cost and effort as salvaging something with problems that apparently need working around.

 

[GreenKToo]

I like the idea for the scene with the tractor, however I'm not too sure about the whole adoption agency thing. I'd rather just have it that Clark's ship happens to crash near the Kents, and they find him. I've never really been a fan of Jor El choosing the Kents to be Clark's new parents. I prefer the idea that destiny was behind it, because otherwise it's like if someone planned for Peter Parker to be bitten by a mutant spider.

I don't want the movie to get bogged down with a bunch of Smallville stuff, but I would like to still have some. Show the Kents finding Clark, discovering his abilities as GreenKToo suggested, and then go forward to his graduation from Met U, where shortly after he makes his first public appearance as Superman. The rest of the movie could be peppered with flashbacks showing him discussing his desire to be a hero with his parents, showing the costume sketch to his mother and asking her to help him make it, etc.

I was kinda leaning toward the Eradicator planning it all out, but decided to leave it out...Still, its just a thought.
I'd be all for opening it up with an older established Superman. It matters not to me.