Canceled Superman films
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After the release of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, several more Superman films were planned and subsequently cancelled. Most of the films followed the same basic script, intended to be an adaptation of a comic book story arc entitled The Death and Return of Superman. The first of the seven films was originally scheduled for release on July 4, 1998. Warner Bros. spent 17 years, three confirmed directors, nine screenwriters, and approximately $50 million in combined resources for the seven different films without any filming ever taking place. Ultimately, the overall project was scrapped. The first successful Superman movie after this project was the 2006 film Superman Returns.
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[edit] Superman Reborn: The Jonathan Lemkin script
Warner Bros. bought the film rights to "Superman" from producer Alexander Salkind in 1993.[1] In 1994 Warner Bros. hired Jonathan Lemkin, whose work includes the hit TV series 21 Jump Street, Hill Street Blues, and Beverly Hills, 90210 and the Brandon Lee movie Showdown in Little Tokyo. Although he was relatively unproven as a writer of blockbuster films, his writing pleased Peters and he was given the job. The producer and writer found themselves in the unusual position of having to pitch the project to the entire Warner Bros. executive board as the studio was not willing to take chances with such a valuable franchise.
Completed in 1994, Lemkin's script, Superman Reborn, was soon presented to the higher-ups at Warner Bros. It was loosely based on The Death of Superman story. The script features an insecure Clark Kent unable to admit his feelings for Lois Lane, the woman he loves. Before Superman can resolve his feelings, he and a creature called Doomsday fight to the death. When Superman dies, his soul enters Lois' body, and she soon gives birth to Superman's child. The child grows into the body of a 21-year-old man within weeks. Lois is killed in the middle of the film, and the child assumes his birthright as the new Superman and saves the world.
Lemkin said his script was "campy" in tone, but felt it was just what the series needed after the hero's long absence from the big screen. "I thought it would be funny to piss off the far right", he said. "I think most people would have enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek quality of it. Look, [in the Joel Schumacher sequels] Batman's got nipples and a codpiece, for cryin' out loud!" [2]
Greg Poirier was then brought on to rewrite Lemkin's draft.[1]
[edit] Superman Lives: The Kevin Smith script
Director Kevin Smith was preparing for the release of his film Chasing Amy when he was brought into the offices of Warner Bros. to give input on several projects "up for grabs."[3] Declining other films offered to him, he indicated interest in Superman Reborn. He was asked to take a copy of Poirier's script with him and give his thoughts on it. Smith was unhappy with the Poirier script, and later said, "...the thing that bothered me about Greg Poirier’s draft: they were trying to give Superman angst. They had Clark Kent going to a psychiatrist at one point. Superman’s angst is not that he doesn’t want to be Superman. If he has any (angst), it’s that he can’t do it all; he can’t do enough and save everyone...Batman is about angst; Superman is about hope."[3]
Smith was asked to attend several meetings with Warner Brothers executives concerning his thoughts on the script. Eventually, Lorenzo di Bonaventura decided to offer Smith the job, pending approval of producer Jon Peters. Smith personally presented his 80-page film treatment to the eccentric producer at the latter's home. Peters was intrigued, but he insisted that if Smith was to take the job, he would have to tightly follow parameters that he himself set: Superman could not be seen flying, Superman must have a 'modern' costume, and the third act was to have a fight involving a giant spider.[3][1]
Peters also wanted Sean Penn to play the lead role. Among Peters' notes to the writer were: Brainiac must fight polar bears in the Arctic (chosen over fighting "Superman's bodyguards" at the Fortress of Solitude); Brainiac should have a furry dog of some sort, "like Chewie" (Peters got the idea from the 1997 release of the Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope Special Edition); Brainiac's sidekick, L-Ron, must be a "gay Artoo type" voiced by Smith's Chasing Amy star, Dwight Ewell; Superman's suit must be something he can piece together, a la Batman; Smith must cut back the length of dialogue on a crucial scene between Clark and Lois at Mount Rushmore.[3] In spite of the "restrictions" placed on him by Peters, Smith completed a script with which he was satisfied in 1997, titled Superman Lives.[4]
Tim Burton, who was hired to direct, first creative decision was to set aside the Kevin Smith script (Burton found it unwieldy) and begin again.[3]
[edit] Superman Lives under the direction of Tim Burton
Director Tim Burton started from scratch, hiring Nicholas Cage as Superman, and also approached Kevin Spacey to play Lex Luthor. Burton also hired Wesley Strick to rewrite the script, and radically reworked the character, giving a different physical look. [5] After Warner Bros. expensive flops "Sphere" and "The Postman," Warner canceled his $140-million version, even though it meant paying Tim Burton and his star, Cage, millions to settle their contracts.[1]
[edit] Batman vs. Superman
By 2001, the back-to-back successes of films based on Marvel Comics characters had revived the superhero on film. In response, Warner Bros.--the sole producer and distributor of DC Comics properties--attempted to revitalize their own valuable catalogue of heroes. This included several simultaneous Batman projects being greenlighted, including Batman: Year One, a live action Batman Beyond, Batman vs. Superman to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen, and a new film, Superman. With "Batman vs. Superman", Warner Bros. top executives were divided over that dark film's commercial prospects, and the movie was eventually shelved.[1]
[edit] Superman I
Former music video director McG, fresh off the previous year's success of Charlie's Angels, was signed to direct the film as WB execs were hoping to appeal to a young audience. At this point, Burton left as producer, citing a lack of interest in the proposed film. Writer/producer J. J. Abrams, however, approached McG about writing and producing the film. Abrams, a fan of the characters, believed that not only should the franchise be revitalized for a new generation, but that a character as important as Superman shouldn't be introduced as a "second-string" co-star in the Batman vs. Superman movie. He expeditiously wrote a script, which he insists is the first of a trilogy, that he and McG presented to the Warner brass, simply titled Superman I.
[edit] Development
Warner Bros. greenlighted the film and within a few weeks, British composer Edward Shearmur had joined the project, promising to use the themes from the original series. Rumors flew as to which young Hollywood stars would play the lead roles. Every name from Josh Hartnett, Ashton Kutcher, and Smallville star Tom Welling was mentioned as being up for the Man of Steel, while Lois Lane was linked with every young female star from Kate Hudson and Liv Tyler to Natalie Portman and Beyoncé Knowles.
Furthermore, Abrams had gotten his wish of beating Batman vs. Superman to the screen as, in 2002, this film was given priority, cancelling most of the other projects (although Batman: Year One became Batman Begins). As the casting buzz heated up, Warner Bros. insisted on starting the film there and then. As McG was scheduled to shoot Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle first, he therefore became unavailable to start Superman when the studio wanted him to. Thus, Warner Bros. quickly replaced him with Brett Ratner, and preparation began anew. Around this same time, Lorenzo di Bonaventura was ousted from position as head of Warner Bros. and replaced by Alan Horn.
[edit] Brett Ratner and Ain't it Cool News
After McG left in 2002, he was replaced by another former music video director, Brett Ratner (who would later direct X-Men: The Last Stand). Ratner brought the project its first official piece of casting when he gave the role of Jor-El to his Red Dragon star, Anthony Hopkins.[6] The project continued to move at a slow-but-steady pace as the gossip mill went out of control with casting rumors. But the project was dealt an unexpected blow when a copy of Abrams' script was released on the internet.
Drew "Moriarty" McWeeny, a film critic and failed screenwriter, reviewed the script for Harry Knowles' Ain't it Cool News.com. Although he heaped high praise on key sequences and most of the dialogue, he then gave the script a very negative review as a whole. Moriarty's review of a work he knew to be a discarded first draft was taken by readers as what would be used for filming. Abrams later sat down to an interview with Harry Knowles where he explained that the reviewed draft was a "work in progress" written in haste. Knowles received a copy of the script, and while he cited several aspects that he felt needed improvement, he gave a comparatively more positive review.[citation needed]
A year later, intense disagreements with producer Jon Peters over casting and other matters combined with an escalating budget led Ratner to leave the project. Abrams, however, stayed on while director McG returned. Preparation thusly continued, with the studio still intending to shoot the film in Australia to save costs. Stan Winston was hired to produce a molded-muscle Superman outfit, and casting choices were further narrowed down. Eventually though, McG succumbed to his on-the-record fear of flying, refusing to leave the country and demanded an American shoot, preferably in New York City. The execs stuck with the Australian locations and McG left the project again, taking his crew with him. The project appeared in danger of shutting down completely, until a few weeks later when trade papers announced the signing of Bryan Singer to direct the film.
[edit] Superman Returns
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Horn, John (July 21 2004). "Back to the Launch Pad for 'Superman'; After 10 years and perhaps $40 million, Warner is starting over on the movie.". Los Angeles Times: 1.
- ^ Cinescape Movies: SUPERMAN LIVES! - The Development Hell of an Unmade Film. cinescape.com. Retrieved on September 21, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e Cinescape Movies: SUPERMAN LIVES, Part 2: Writer Kevin Smith
- ^ http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/superman-lives-script.html
- ^ Salisbury, Mark; Tim Burton (2005). Burton on Burton - Revised Edition. Faber and Faber, 154-156. ISBN 0-571-22926-3.
- ^ Daniel Fierman. "Stallville?", Entertainment Weekly, 2003-03-14. Retrieved on February 17, 2007.
[edit] External links
- Interview with Ilya Salkind
- Roger Ebert's "Movie Answer Man", featuring Ebert answering a question from the man who claims to have placed Kevin Smith's script on the internet
- Superman Lives: The Devlopment Hell of an Unmade Film, a three-part article by Cinescape magazine
- SuperMan SuperSite.com
- Superman Lives script written by Kevin Smith
- Superman: The Man of Steel script written by Alex Ford
- Alex Ford's plan Ain't It Cool News details Alex Ford's original plan for multiple Superman films.
- Superman script written by JJ Abrams
- AICN's review of Abrams' script The infamous negative review of JJ Abrams' script for Superman. Reviewed by Drew McWeeny
- Harry Knowles talks with JJ Abrams for a couple Hours
- Harry Knowles reads Abrams' script Ain't
- Premiere magazine on Superman Returns
| Kevin Smith |
|---|
| Films |
| The View Askewniverse: Clerks | Mallrats | Chasing Amy | Dogma | Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back | Clerks II Other: Jersey Girl | An Evening with Kevin Smith | An Evening With Kevin Smith 2: Evening Harder Upcoming: Red State | Untitled non-Askewniverse comedy | Clerks: Sell Out Abandoned: The Green Hornet | Superman Lives | Fletch Won |
| Comics |
| Clerks | Walt Flanagan's Dog | Chasing Dogma | Bluntman and Chronic | Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do | Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target |
| Notable characters |
| Jay and Silent Bob | Dante | Randal | Banky | Alyssa | Leonardo | Bluntman and Chronic | Mooby | Buddy Christ | Brodie | Willam | Minor characters |
| Miscellaneous |
| View Askew Productions | View Askewniverse motifs | View Askew Media | The Flying Car | Clerks: The Animated Series | Clerks: The Lost Scene | Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash | Silent Bob Speaks | Sucks Less With Kevin Smith | My Name Is Earl |
Categories: Articles lacking sources from June 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Cleanup from December 2006 | All pages needing cleanup | Articles which may contain original research | Articles to be merged since December 2006 | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007 | All articles with unsourced statements | Superman films | Cancelled films
