I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Mark Millar is the comic-book writer who cried wolf.
He’s had quite a reputation for fabricating info for the sole purpose of getting himself (and his comics) press. There were his claims of “knowing” that Jim Caviezel had been cast as Superman/Clark Kent in Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns and rapper Eminem “begging” him to star in Wanted. In both cases, he later admitted to making it all up.
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Millar was recently chatting it up with Empire Magazine when he revealed details to his dream-project: His Superman trilogy with a “big-Hollywood action director” attached:
“It’s gonna be like Michael Corleone in the Godfather films, the entire story from beginning to end, you see where he starts, how he becomes, and where that takes him. The Dark Knight showed you can take a comic book property and make a serious film, and I think the studios are ready to listen to bigger ideas now.”
“The problem with Superman Returns was like releasing Stars Wars in ‘77, The Empire Strikes Back in ‘80 and then waiting 28 years to release Return of the Jedi, it wasn’t relevant. I understand what Bryan Singer was trying to do, to pay homage to Richard Donner’s original vision, but I think you should pay homage by doing something completely different.”
“I want to start on Krypton, a thousand years ago, and end with Superman along on Planet Earth, the last being left on the planet, as the yellow sun turns red and starts to supernova, and he loses his powers.”
I can almost guarantee the genesis of this interview involved Millar doing press for the currently-filming Kick-Ass! or the soon-to-be-released-on-DVD Wanted.
But I gotta be honest, his ending does sound all-kinds-of-awesome. But that part aside, we’ve literally heard all this before from Millar (Empire even acknowledges that in said article!)
That said, you folks have to realize that if Millar was really in the running to write the screenplay, he would never openly reveal plot-details of his script.
He was basically saying (in his own way): “Look, I’m not getting the gig. But if Warner Brother did hire me, here is what I would do…”
Nothing more, nothing less.
Source: Empire
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19 Comments
I’m going to call bullsh*t on the claim that “he would never openly reveal plot-details of his script.” Writers and directors and producers do that ALL the time. And he’s not revealing MUCH. This is the FIRST time over the last year that he has said something that isn’t very broad and all-encompassing.
That said… I don’t know if he is actually getting far with this. But I think, especially after this update, that it would be terribly stupid of Warner Brothers NOT to take this idea. In the end (because of the publicness of Millar’s statements) if we see something that ISN’T as good as this idea, we’re all going to be preaching that “they should’ve done Millar’s idea!” I hope that WB is smarter than that…
I seriously doubt that WB would go with such an unconventional (albeit epic) story for future Superman movies.
Vic
Well… ask the fans then! If they think this is a great idea (and on my site they love it) and they all want to see it, then why not? I’ll admit it’s not a conventional Hollywood idea, BUT that’s why I love it so much. It’s time for a change and why not let Superman, the ULTIMATE superhero, be the one who becomes the Godfather of superhero movies??
Producers and directors don’t often reveal major plot points, especially the final scene from a script/movie, I’m not sure what you’re talking about Billington. I’d be interested in hearing an example where a director/writer has revealed the ending of his possible movie?
In regards to Millar, he’s pitched a Superman script to WB on several occasions and each time WB has said thanks but no thanks.
If anybody is going to be involved in a new Superman going forward it will be Johns.
superman needs an epic re-boot so i’m all for that idea. Although I don’t know how that can be done properly in 3 films.
I guess he’ll have his JLA titles too
@Alex,
What are you talking about, dude? Filmmakers publicly blab the ending to projects they’ve yet to pitch to studios “ALL the time?” Especially those regarding something as high-profile as the SUPERMAN franchise?
*Rolls eyes*
Granted, the ending IS awesome! But still, Millar’s not gettin the gig.
Jamie.
This is NOT going to happen, but then again, we already knew that. The discussion point from this article should be, would this be cool if hell froze over and Millar got to make this. I personally vote yes, it would be cool. It could be epic. I’ve always wondered how the Superman story ultimately ends. There was a graphic novel I read a while ago… I don’t remember the exact title, Kingdom Come maybe? Kingdom something. Anyway, it explored the future of heroes after Superman retired. Ultimately, the retired heroes (including Supes, Wonder Woman, Batman etc. this was set in DC universe) coming back to stave off some new threat. I bring this up because it offered a brief glimpse into a possible future of Superman. He was working on a farm, couldnt tell if it was the Kent family farm or not. He was ALONE. Isolated. I always found that interesting.
Now that I think about it, that whole graphic novel would make a cool movie. Definitely an original take on the characters as far as I know. Anybody remember the name of that graphic novel I read? Im certain it had Kingdom in it somewhere…
I absolutely LOVE the idea of an epic Superman saga! I think the ending sounds cool, but wouldn’t it be better if, at the end of the world, Superman is on a faster-than-light ship heading to a new world with a yellow sun? I mean we ARE talking BILLIONS of years into the future, right??? I would like to think that we’ve travelled to other stars by then…..
uh no….that sucks. period.
Mark needs to stop inhaling whatever fumes he’s around and get back in the game…um here’s an idea how about you put ot out there as a 3 part graphic novel first, let everyone play with it then see if the public bites…instead of trying to ram it down our collective throats…oh by the way , unless you party with the big boys..and I do mean party…you ain’t gettin in the show, nowhattamean??
I’d say it’s a doomed premise from the start. First of all its stupid. Like Superman can’t build space ships. what Warner has already revealed about bringing the D.C. characters together shows he’s woefully out of step with the decision makers. More likely he’s jerking the fan-base’s chain!
Forget him and Singer.
Bring together
Zack Snyder to direct
David Hayte +
Geoff Johns
to write a story
and as a secret weapon on story consultation
Umberto Eco – super mythos go to guy!
Now that’s a team.
Superman dying as the last survivor on Earth? I don’t like it. For one, Supes has a craft that has travelled to another galaxy. Why would he stay alone on a doomed planet? It there must be a doomed earth plot, I would rather think that Supes would save as many humans as he can by building a huge ship capable of transporting them to another earthlike planet. Or, build a device to balance the nuclear reaction within the sun, making it survive for another billion years or so. Or, have Superman himself go into the sun to heal it somehow (he did this in the comic, thus becoming gold Superman).
So it’s an epic trilogy in the vain of Lord of the Rings, except instead of an enormous multi-front battle for the world as the focus of the third movie, it’ll have…Superman wandering a barren planet and introspecting on his life?
I’d think that simply reading his plot description is enough to indicate that he didn’t/won’t get the job, largely because what he’s come up with obviously isn’t a movie, much less an “epic trilogy.” It might work as a novel. Or an entry on fanfiction.net. But it isn’t a movie.
Nick said,”Or an entry on fanfiction.net”
Which just reinforces what I thought about it; A fan-jerk. The guy needs to sober up, stop taking inspiration from reruns like “Lexx: Supernova” and go back to doin what he does best..
Why give this guy any press at all if all he does is talk about Superman day dreams? Let him release an actual Superman film and then we’ll discuss it.
Zipper,
Blame me for that, not Jamie. If it was up to him he wouldn’t give Millar any press – but everyone was talking about this and I felt we should put in our 2 cents.
Vic
I have to join the crowd that would like to see how the story of Superman would end. Miller of course won’t get the job, nor should he.
Seriously though, does superman survive to the end of the Earth? If he does, how does that pan out?
Does he save the sun from going super nova (good luck with that one Big S)?
Does he build a giant starship to move humanity to a new planet (could he? And who all gets to go?)?
Does he abandon the planet before, or stay, alone, till the end (he would survive well past everyone else in such conditions).
I don’t read the comics, so I wouldn’t know if this has been done in them already. It would make a great comic, novel, or movie to explore how Super would handle the end and peoples reaction to him, his efforts, and having a potential savior for some.
Can anyone say “When Worlds Collide”?
Actually Marvel Comics has a series of comics it puts out from time to time called “The End.” They take a character or team and portray how their superhero career will end.
I haven’t read them all, but the first one, about the Hulk was fantastic. There’s one coming out this month for the end of Iron Man.
Vic
Deadpool, you’re right, that was Kingdom Come: a worthy successor to Watchmen if ever there was one. A brilliant, apocalyptic take on the future lives of all the major DC superheroes, seen through the eyes of an elderly pastor questioning his faith in a world where “gods roam the streets”.
I agree it’d make a fantastic movie, but it does need prior knowledge of the characters in order to understand how far they’ve all gone. Kent’s farm was a “holodeck” in his Fortress of Solitude, incidentally!
Millar seems to have mastered the art of knocking on people’s doors and running away. I’d be far more interested in Grant Morrison’s ideas about a Superman movie, or Kurt “Astro City” Busiek, come to that.
Vic, that Iron Man: The End looks great – can’t wait to see Dave Michelinie and Bob Layton back together on IM!
I’m praying Millar gets nowhere near the Superman franchise. As far as the ending he envisioned with Superman as the last man on Earth left alive as the sun goes nova… EWW!! I mean come on… Superman is supposed to be a character about life, hope, and heroism. That kind of loses something if you kill him off at the end of the movie don’t you think?
Just keep Millar away, reboot without the odd “Superman with a son” nonsense, recast Lois to someone who can actully act and is attractive, and make it a good, solid, heroic, action-epic. Stick to the comic books and quit trying to have hype sell your story. Simple enough, now we just need to get Warner/DC to actually do it.
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