Brandon Routh Speaks On Superman: Man Of Steel
Jun 24, 2008 by Kofi OutlawFind out what’s going on with the next Superman movie
…Only to tell us more of the same.
In a recent interview, Superman Returns star Brandon Routh said that the next chapter in the Superman-reboot will indeed start filming in 2009, and that a script is still being worked on as we speak (thank you WGA strike.) Let’s pray that if the filmmakers choose to dive back into the continuity established by Superman Returns, they spend the very first scene of Man Of Steel killing off that stupid ‘Son of Superman’ character. I’m seeing a Kryptonite canister placed in a child’s inhaler… (cue the sinister laughter.)
However, there was one interesting tidbit from the interview with Routh: when asked which film Warner Bros. was planning on completing first, Man Of Steel or the much-hyped Justice League, Routh had this to say:
“I think it seems as though [the 'Justice League' movie is] not happening, it’s on the back burner right now so it’s just ‘Man of Steel’ now, I know, they’re busy writing a script and then I trust we’ll be starting next year, early next year. That’s my timeline anyway.”
Guess that quote pretty much puts a fork in any lingering rumors that Justice League will be coming to a theater near you any time soon. (R.I.P. Justice League, we hardly knew ye.) For super-group afficionados everywhere, this means their eggs of joy will now have to be placed in the basket of Marvel’s Avengers flick–or, to a lesser extent, with G.I. Joe.
Hit us back and let us know YOUR best recommendations for what the Man Of Steel script should entail. And don’t be shy: any idea you come up with can’t possibly be worse than Superman Returns.
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There is a way to make the movie darker and have more edge to it w/o actually making Superman darker. He shouldn’t be a Pansie, or moping around, like he was in SR. But he could still stand for everything that Superman stands for but he needs to do it with more emotion. He is supposed to be raised as a human. He should get angry, sad, etc. He should be on the verge of losing it sometimes. My point is the villain can be very dark and the world around Superman could be very dark. That doesn’t mean the Superman himself should have to be dark.
Also, if you are going to reboot you should reboot. I liked Routh but if you use him, the general audience will think it’s another SR movie. If you want a successful box office movie, which we all do, they need to cast an A-List actor. That gives the movie instant credibility. It worked with Iron Man and it has worked for Batman. Trust me on this one. This is the most important part of redoing the movie.
personally, i think the guy that plays aquaman in the smallville series would make a better superman, or iceman for a future x-men movie.
I do like the superman character but i’m mostly a movie fan. The main thing wrong with superman returns wasn’t that it lacked action, but there were parts of it that were very boring. Why were they boring? Because whoever wrote the script did a horrible job. I’ve seen tons of movies with little action which are still good. Now dont get me wrong, i love action and i think they should add alot to the next superman movie. But the movie flopped when it didn’t show very much emotion. There were only like five characters that said more than two words. And also, superman isn’t a chick flick like singer tried to make it. And now he’s promising endless action in the next film but a good movie needs more than that.
Now i agree with paymon that the show should get some more emotion. Don’t be afraid to show superman getting scared or nervous if he sees . Build a more friendly relationship with loise and clark. Movie producers and directors are smart, they’ll figure it out. But make the movie into something.
P.S. dont forget the action!
My biggest issue with Superman Returns was that it lacked action, 85% of the movie was Superman/Clark Kent stalking Lois Lane. A more interesting aspect would have been first a villain of equal strength such as those in Superman 2. Lex Luthor provides an evil take over the world aspect which is not relevant unless coupled with a terrorist plot which the whole plot of destroying the East Coast was like the destruction of the West Coast in the first Supes film. Superman today would be a cynical character much like he is portrayed on the Justice League cartoon, he could have done that with this re-boot especially with the “Why the world doesn’t need Superman” article that Lois wrote.
I liked the vulnerability that Brandon brought to the character. I hope to see him kick some major a$$ in the next movie.
http://www.petitiononline.com/BRSupes/petition.html
Routh wasn’t the worst thing about Superman Returns and I think he played a great “Reeves-Superman” but he just didn’t have that “WOW, this being is a god” feel that Superman was written to be like. If you look at what the Wachowski’s did with Neo in the Matrix Trilogy, you get an idea of how much adrenaline you get get out of a character with unlimited power/flying/fighting ability. The scene in Matrix Revolutions where Neo saves Morpheus and Key Maker from being caught in the truck fire is EXACTLY the kind of thing I want to see with Superman movies.
So, I think a reboot needs to be a complete reboot with all new cast. We need a Clark Kent who is likable, someone who the audience can relate to and has his fair share of genuine real life problems / dilemma’s (a bit like Peter Parker/Spiderman). It’s the only way this new generation will connect with Clark Kent. Smallville does this very well and looking at the stats/ratings, it proves it’s a hit with today’s market.
On another note, I’d hate for the writers to spend all their time trying to come up with ways to show what Superman can do (we’ve sen it all before) )BUT instead focus on trying to show who Superman IS (his character, depth, emotion, etc). One way of doing this would be to explore the Krypton/Earth connection.
PS – I don’t even mind another origin movie as long as it’s only the 1st part in a trilogy BUT a total reboot of cast or the audience won’t believe it.
Just one man’s opinion: The problem I have w/ creating a Superman for a “new generation” in a reboot is that it dismisses what Superman is about. If the character is changed to suit the “flavor of the moment”, Superman will cease to be who he is at the core. That was my main problem w/ “Supermna Returns”. The total character of Superman/Clark Kent as depicted traditionally is very relatable to today’s audiences, except to those who think everything about the world is dark (even though they live in a $250,000 home, have food on the table, and carry Blackberry’s/iPhones!) I don’t mean to offend anyone, but it is very hard for a person today to hold on to principles and integrity these days, which Superman is all about. That’s what sets him apart from Batman, Spider-Man and other “troubled” characters. I don’t want to see a brooding Superman. I wouldn’t mind seeing a hero w/ problems, but one who endeavors to overcome them and tries to be as optimistic as he can under difficult cicumstances.
I like the fact that Superman/Clark are depicted as very lonely, which is the essence of Superman. For example, there’s no one like him anywhere, and being a role model (and maybe being too hard on himself because of his responsibilities…) can take it’s toll. I just don’t want to see it overdone. I want to cheer for my hero when he takes the villian down. What the heck has happened to cheering for the hero, for goodness sake?
Twenty years from now, I can see a new generation taking stabs at “The Dark Knight” being too dark, not “realistic enough”, “too realistic” or whatever so-called flaws they choose to point out. It’s all relative. Superman should be about being timeless, and not just cater to fanboys or flavor-of-the-moment studios/directors who want to reinterpret who the character is. As for Brandon Routh, I hope he gets a second chance. All I want is bang-up, city-leveling action w/ a good story behind it and respect for Superman lore.
You make a good point Rich. I think the key will be to keep Superman and the values that he stands for there but that doesn’t mean that the world around him can’t be dark. He can be the light in the darkness. At the same time Superman needs to lose his temper and punch a wall or something. He can’t be perfect both physically and emotionally. Anyone who truly cares about something gets very angry when someone is trying to take it away or hurt the ones we care about. He simply can’t be a robot. In Returns, Superman barely showed any emotion other than pouty. I want to feel some adrenaline because Superman is about to kick some serious butt. That’s why we need a stronger and darker baddy other than Lex.
My biggest issue is that the villains on the small screen Superman in Smallville are better than the villains that they put in the movies, Lex Luthor could be the brains behind a super villain but not the only villain in the movie.
Couldn’t agree w/ you more, Paymon and Nick. If the producers could deliver a real villain equal to (if not greater…) than Superman in strength (ex. Braniac or Doomsday), coupled w/ a fun, dramatic, exciting, vibrant and emotional script filled w/ action and great acting (w/ lots of range), and keep the core of Superman true, it will be an epic blockbuster for everyone to enjoy & cheer for. I believe we need a Superman w/ values & a strong (but vulnerable…) character for everyone, especially younger ones, to look up to. I remember seeing Christopher Reeve as Superman as a kid, and the impact was evident, given that I came from a single parent home and a tough neighborhood. ‘Course a Superman movie doesn’t have to be soft or sugary, but it should have core values in a world gone bitter and emotionally cold.
A Brainiac/Kandor movie would be terrific.
I Think, ‘Man Of Steel’ Should Be A Sequel To ‘Superman Returns’, I Really Enjoyed ‘Superman Returns’, And There Was A Nice Little Twist At The End, With The Boy, I Think They Should Focus On The Boy From Now On, Show What Its Like For Him At School With All His Powers, Puttin Kryptonite In His Inahalor Wouldn’t Work On Two Reasons, On Lex Luthors Boat, It Shown Him Having No Troubles With Bein Around Kryptonite, And As He Went To Take His Inhalor, He Realised He Didnt Need It..
Weirdest comment, ever. Almost.
Vic
LOL. Agreed.
Anything new from Man of Steel?
I’ve heard that Mark Millar, the guy behind WANTED the comic book, wants a reboot consisting of an eight-hour trilogy, similar to THE GODFATHER or LORD OF THE RINGS, that chronicles evrything from Superman’s birth to his death. This would be awesome. The only con, obviously, is that it could complicate the Justice League movie. But I’m sure they’ll have a solution for that.
@Jim Java
Ain’t gonna happen. That was just Millar trying to inject himself into the development process.
Vic
“the movie flopped when it didn’t show very much emotion”?
are you kidding me?
Lots of good ideas here..
-I agree that if they plan on incorporating LEx into the movie they need to have him working together with another villain, one of equal or almost equal strength to Superman.
-The kid has to go bad idea fans, and I myself, will never accept it
-This is NOT a love story and the whole Lois and Clark thing need not be overdone; not saying that they shoudln’t have a romance but only to a certain extent.
-More action is needed and not just Superman flying around…we need him duking it out with a villain (Neo vs Agent smith in Matrix 3 for example)
-New cast IS needed…sorry Brandon Ruth…I actually thought Ruth did a fair job and played his part but liek people said we need a character that we can relate and Ruth was really not relatable due to lack of any emotion…Reeves had a vast amount of emotion and he was not afraid to show it…In addition Ruth has been typecasted and so has the chick taht played Lois…Sorry you guys gotta go
-”Darker film with Superman being the light” EXCELLENT way to go.
-MOre of Superman in the Fortress is needed; taking with Jur-El
These all will make for a better movie
Superman returns needed a lot more action,it had many boring scenes.The man of steel needs to have more action and a good enough villan like Bizzaro,Darkseid,or Doomsday.The story should also be dark and superman shouldn’t have a kid unless he dies at the end.
Ok.. all this super hero stuff is getting out of hand, we cant have a justice league movie cause it would spoil and confuse every one, look at what smallville has done!! if they had made a run off movie of that, used the same actors and used the sup returns plot, that would have worked, but now we have 2 supermans,,yes supermans not supermen,,, and if a justice league movie came out we would have 3 supermans, and 2 batmans, it wouldn’t work!! people need to slow down on all the superhero movies, or at least space them out.
I am a die hard Superman fan. I love all of the Superman movies including this one, my biggest problems with Singers Superman is Brandon Routh. He just isn’t Christopher Reeve. One, he isn’t as built as he was and two, he wasn’t a dorky enough Clark. You could tell the difference between Clark Kent and Superman in the movies when CS played. Gene Hackman was a decent Lex, but I loved Kevin Spacey.. he was more villan and educated than the first. I would of still liked to see Samuel Jackson play Lex. I think he would of nailed it to the ground. I have said this about 8 million times so I guess one more won’t hurt. If anyone is qualified to fill Christopher Reeves shoes and play Superman… Its Liev Shcribner. He looks, is shaped and sounds like him. He can do both nerdy and serious. He is tall as I don’t know what. He is huge as all get out. The only person I think now that would run up behind him but he’s a bit shorter is Sam Huntington. Lois Lane should not be the chick they picked for Returns, I haven’t given it much thought, but I think that but Mia Kirsher would be a hot and sexy Lois. Lois lane is supposed to have a deep offset voice and can pretty much turn your head.. she could pull it off. they have a good Jimmy and a good Mr White.. As far as the story is concerned, they need to get Zod and the crew in the film.. before Terrance Stamp bites the bullet. He would be a really good Zod now because he’s such an established and popular actor.. it wouldn’t only make a buttload of cash in the box office to see Superman and Zod square off. They also need to get some Brainiac action. Eventually they are going to have to go Metallic with Sup’s uniform and make him a bit more hardcore. That’s my rant.
I meant Sam Worthington.. not huntington. huntington is Jimmy. Lol..
My problem with this movie, is not so much that Brandon Routh looked totally out of place in the role of Superman (I mean, thank GOD they chose him over Nicholas Cage. I can look through the soap operas to find someone a helluva lot better to play this role. Not even Tom Welling would be able to pull off this role. Can you serious picture him in the red and blue uniform? C'mon now, seriously!), but it was a horrible imitation of the original Reeves Superman movie, as well as placed in the wrong era, an era that made absolutely no sense. The whole thing was just, entirely wrong! So disappointing!
My problem with this movie, is not so much that Brandon Routh looked totally out of place in the role of Superman (I mean, thank GOD they chose him over Nicholas Cage. I can look through the soap operas to find someone a helluva lot better to play this role. Not even Tom Welling would be able to pull off this role. Can you serious picture him in the red and blue uniform? C'mon now, seriously!), but it was a horrible imitation of the original Reeves Superman movie, as well as placed in the wrong era, an era that made absolutely no sense. The whole thing was just, entirely wrong! So disappointing!
I think they need to make the next superman based on one of his more illustrious villans such as doomsday or parasite or metallo idk something like superman 2 which in my opinion is the best of the lot if that movie had 2days graphics and effects we would be screaming god like movie lol thats whats needed here but obviously with a different villain or villans
What makes me mad is that they make superman seem weaker than he is in movies and tv shows he gets beat up by beings he should destroy they need to make him morel eik the cartoon superman in justuice league unlimited stength and power wise
Another problem they couldnt even use Truth, Justice and the American Way.
And the costume sucked too.