New Superman Film

It looks like the new Superman film could be going ahead with the news that it has got a director according to Dark Horizons website:

"300" and "Watchmen" helmer Zack Snyder has been chosen to direct the relaunch of the "Superman" film franchise as Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures reports the trades.

Negotiations kicked off earlier today with Snyder who beat out the rumoured likes of Ben Affleck, Darren Aronofsky, Matt Reeves, Tony Scott and Robert Zemeckis for the gig.

General Zod is being rumoured to play the villain in the project which "The Dark Knight" director Christopher Nolan will serve as producer on, while David Goyer ("Batman Begins") is penning the script.

Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Deborah Snyder will also produce. The project is moving quick as the studio has to be in production by next year or risk losing select copyrights to the heirs of the character's creators.

Snyder and Nolan have apparently already been in discussions and while some further script work is in the immediate future, expect this one to ramp up fast.

One possibility already shot down though is Brandon Routh returning as the Man of Steel. Snyder tells Variety that the chances of the "Superman Returns" star coming back into the fold are "unlikely" as "we're looking in another direction".

It is an interesting choice for Superman but he does have experience with comic book films!

I'm confused...

Ummmm....yeah, OK. Welcome to two years ago.

I also think the naysayers that think travel isn't safe in zeppelins will be proven wrong when the Hindenburg lands safely in New Jersey.

Rumor is that are going to reboot the Star Trek movie series, with a brand new cast, HA! That will never work!!!!!

Next thing you know, Disney will be buying Marvel Comics, or making new Star Wars movies! It'll be anarchy, I tells ya! Anarchy!!

Richard Matheson is my favorite writer, and I can't wait for the new adaptation of I am Legend. I hear they're casting Vincent Price in the main role!

I read recently that The Jazz Singer will be the first film to feature synchronized dialogue sequences. This could change the industry!

S.D. wrote:

I read recently that The Jazz Singer will be the first film to feature synchronized dialogue sequences. This could change the industry!

Waitaminnit, waitaminnit... you mean them movin' pitchers is gonna TALK? That's gotta be the devil's work.

Wow - just realized that Man of Steel is now the FASTEST made movie in the history of film making! From the last May announcement (per the first post in this thread!) to release in just over 2 weeks!!!! Amazing!!!!!

BTW - saw this trailer for Superman IV - LOL!

That was about the best morning laugh I've had in a while. Thanks for that. 

I do remember seeing IV at the drive-in when I was seven and really enjoying it, leaving me breathless even at spots. Few years back when the DVD box set was released I was able to revisit it. I couldn't get over how recklessly bad it was. It was like a, well, a seven-year-old wrote it.

I just watched "Superman III" a few months ago (hadn't seen that since I went to the theater for it in 1983) and it was pretty bad... but still, not the worst Superman film, simply because "IV: The Quest For Peace" exists.

Been reading the reviews for Man of Steel. Doesn't look too great. Normally I'd say pshaw to the critics but it seems to be pretty unanimous that the movie is short on character and long on big bang action, which is not my type of movie. I can believe this too with Zack Snyder at the helm. His movie just come across as cold to me even though his artistry (and that of his crew) is elegant as hell. Remember Watchmen? Same thing there. It took me three watches to see that movie even though I had finished the book in a day. As faithful as it was to the book, it just seemed like one big flatliner because of all the eye candy stealing the spotlight.

The thing is I already guessed Man of Steel was going to be underwhelming to some degree, but it's a difficult thing to consider because this is my favorite comic and has been run through the grinder so many times (although Superman Returns worked quite well; I have no idea why they didn't carry on with that one).

The local TV reviewer here said he liked the movie but at 2 hours and 20 minutes he thought it was about 20 minutes too long.

tohostudios wrote:

The local TV reviewer here said he liked the movie but at 2 hours and 20 minutes he thought it was about 20 minutes too long.

An equally good point. Remember when epic movies weren't too long? That seems to be changing...

I saw it on Thurs & really enjoyed it, but I went in expecting to see a "Superman" movie. I already know the back story, his relationship with Pa Kent, all the teen-angst BS(there were only 8 seasons of Smallville after all), so developing character isn't an issue with me. The big fight at the end was worth the price of admission, & what you'd expect when beings of this kind of power have a tussle. However...


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Now if only Hollywood will greenlight a Superhost movie.

Saw Man Of Steel today - great flick, really liked it

I saw it Saturday I liked it, without spoiling it i liked that they gave glimpses of things that none of the previous superman movies did.

I loved it!

Saw it Saturday too...I really liked it.

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Saw it Saturday too...I really liked it.

So that was you that kept kicking the chair behind mine?

Saw it with my girls on Father's Day. I liked it a lot. It was gritty, and full of back-story and origins, which I love. I liked this Zod much better than the 125 pound original Zod, and Amy Adams at least looks like someone who a Super Hero could fall in love with. Also, this Cavill dude is some scenes looks like he could be Christopher Reeve's son.

scottmitchell74 wrote:

Amy Adams at least looks like someone who a Super Hero could fall in love with.

Understatement of the year:

Saw it last night....really enjoyed it, but like others said, about 20 minutes off would have made it better.

I'm a little apprehensive about this one. Part of it is I'm very worn out by CGI-heavy destruction that takes up a good portion of an already overlong movie. But the other part is, being a long-time Superman fanatic, I've been reading plot synopses and getting really turned off by how they work outside of the Siegel/Shuster mythology. Now, I've yet to get into the whole Crisis-reconstruction, and perhaps that what this adheres to more or less, but taking away the main character conflict which drove the entire strip--that being the pathos of an alter-ego--to the point of it being a habit, well...that just sounds boring. I'm also surprised they allow Lois Lane to discover everything regarding Superman before the costume is even worn, which again is another essential element being robbed. So it seems watered down and very cold. Yes, my expectations are high, but there's an intellectual edge to a lot of the DC world that just doesn't seem to exist on the big screen and it's starting to really annoy me. No wonder Marvel is drawing the big crowds with its emphasis on character in almost every imagining.

Another good point (I'm rambling here, sorry) is Zack Snyder's delivery of Watchmen which was otherwise faithful. Problem with that was, again, an emphasis on spectacle which the book refused in every page. So while I could read the book in one sitting with earnest anticipation, the movie took me three days to finish because it was so boring and sterile.

My son expressed an interest in seeing it, but I'm not sure that a 5 year old can handle and 2 and a half hour movie. Especially if they go through an hour or so of build-up before you even see the guy in blue tights and cape.

I'll probably wait this one out till it hits OnDemand.

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But the other part is, being a long-time Superman fanatic, I've been reading plot synopses and getting really turned off by how they work outside of the Siegel/Shuster mythology.

Probably to avoid paying royalties to the family.  But I also thought the same thing with the Spiderman re-boot. They added so much more pointless backstory. I understand the need to change things up for a new generation of watchers, but to me it just seemed unnecessary.