Superman: Flyby is a canceled Superman film that was written by J.J. Abrams in the early 2000s - what would DC look like if it was made? The DCEU is finally finding its footing after several years of mixed reception and poor box office performance, and while it has had some recent successes, it hasn't done much with DC icons like Superman. Abrams' Superman: Flyby is a unique take on the character, and with the film entering pre-production all the way back in 2002, DC may have been very different today if the movie was made.
After the failure of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace in 1987, the Superman franchise went into a bit of a hiatus, as Warner Bros. wasn't entirely sure what to do with it. However, the company was interested in renewing the franchise in the early 2000s, causing a young J.J. Abrams to begin writing his version of Superman. While J.J. Abrams is now most associated with his work on Star Wars, and Star Trek, at this early point in his career he was most known for his TV show Alias and his work writing on Armageddon. The young director turned in his script in July 2002, and Superman: Flyby was born.
While Superman: Flyby would end up getting canceled in 2004, the film actually made it pretty far into pre-production. Directors were getting attached, costumes and props were being made, and they were even in the process of casting who would play Superman, Lex Luthor, and other major characters. Flyby was shaping up to be a pretty ambitious superhero film, especially when compared to other early 2000s superhero films. However, as time went on, most of J.J. Abrams' ideas for Superman: Flyby would get scrapped, with only a few elements being reworked into Superman: Returns. Although it ultimately never happened, Superman: Flyby being made would have had major effects on DC in several big ways.
What J.J. Abrams' Superman: Flyby Movie Would've Looked Like
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According to Den of Geek, Superman: Flyby had two drafts, with the first draft being finished in July 2002 and the second in October 2003. Amidst a civil war on the planet Krypton, Kryptonian King Jor-El sends his son, Kal-El, to Earth in order to protect him from Jor-El's brother, Kata-Zor, as well as the destruction of Krypton. Kal-El then goes through the typical Superman fare, being adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, being named Clark, pursuing a career in journalism, and falling in love with Lois Lane. Despite his affection, Lois would be focused on investigating and exposing a CIA agent who is obsessed with UFOs: Lex Luthor. After Superman refuses to assist Lex Luthor in his plans of global conquest, Lex leads Ty-Zor (Kata-Zor's son and the main antagonist of the film) and his Kryptonian cronies to Earth. This leads to an action-packed story that involves giant robots, Lex getting Kryptonian powers, Superman's death and resurrection, and more.
The film was planned to start a new Superman trilogy, with Flyby ending in a cliffhanger revolving around Superman returning to Krypton (which isn't fully destroyed). The film was set to be similar to Superman: The Movie in tone, except on a grander scale. Controversial director Brett Ratner was the first director attached to the project, with McG taking over after Ratner dropped out due to casting difficulties. For the role of Superman, actors in the running were Josh Hartnett, Jude Law, Paul Walker, Brendan Fraser, Ashton Kutcher, Victor Webster, James Marsden, Jason Behr, and even Henry Cavill. Robert Downey Jr. and Ralph Fiennes were both wanted for the role of Lex Luthor, while Joel Edgerton was in talks to play Ty-Zor. Anthony Hopkins was reportedly being sought for the role of Jor-El, McG wanted Scarlett Johannson, and a then 18-year-old Shia LaBeouf was cast as Jimmy Olsen. Costume designs and screen tests can be found online, meaning that Superman: Flyby was well into pre-production before its cancelation, making it more than just another unproduced screenplay.
Would Superman: Flyby Have Meant Man Of Steel Didn't Happen?
As is, Superman: Flyby was canceled and reshaped into Superman Returns, with its middling reception leading to one more reboot: Man of Steel. However, if Superman: Flyby had happened, Man of Steel may not have ever been made. While Superman Returns is largely considered a decent movie, the scope of Flyby was much bigger, with it requiring an even bigger budget. One of the biggest criticisms of Superman Returns was that it wasn't very exciting - something that Flyby would have fixed. The action scenes were set to be top-notch, involving Superman stopping volcanoes, facing tsunamis, and even flying to various countries while fighting massive robots. Superman saving the plane is often considered to be the best scene in Returns, but it was actually one of the few things the film took from Flyby. With the success of superhero movies like X-Men and Spider-Man around the same time, the grander Superman: Flyby would have most likely been a bigger success than Superman Returns, potentially stopping Man of Steel from happening.
What Would Superman: Flyby Mean For The DCEU?
Superman: Flyby's success could have potentially had big implications: an earlier DCEU. DCEU was working on a lot of projects around the same time, such as Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy. It isn't far-fetched that Superman: Flyby and Batman Begins could have been part of a shared universe - Gotham was even mentioned in the Flyby script. The DCEU as it is kicked off with Man of Steel, but if Flyby was successful, a DCEU comprised of Abrams' Superman and Nolan's Batman was entirely within the realm of possibility. Just a few years later, George Miller's Justice League: Mortal entered development, something that could have also been part of this shared universe. It was already mentioned that Robert Downey Jr. was in talks to play Lex Luthor, meaning that if Flyby was successful, RDJ could have been too busy with DC sequels to be in Iron Man - meaning that the MCU wouldn't have happened. While the DCEU always seems a step behind the MCU, the cinematic world could have been very different if Superman: Flyby succeeded.
How Superman: Flyby Would've Changed J.J. Abrams' Career
Not only would Superman: Flyby's success have effected Man of Steel and the DCEU, but it also would have changed J.J. Abrams' career path. Since the cancelation of Superman, J.J. Abrams has made a lot of movies, such as kickstarting the Star Wars sequel trilogy, rebooting Star Trek, producing the Cloverfield franchise, and more. Considering that Flyby was supposed to be the start of a trilogy, Abrams' may have been tied down for a few years if Flyby was made, potentially preventing him from joining all the major franchises he has. While it's strange to think about, Superman: Flyby's success could have completely changed the course of Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, and even Star Wars.
Why J.J. Abrams' Superman: Flyby Never Happened
Superman: Flyby didn't happen for two big reasons: production troubles and an inflated budget. While Warner Bros. had their eyes on big starts for the film's various roles, they had serious trouble nailing one down. This same issue existed with the director, as Brett Ratner and McG both left during pre-production. Although J.J. Abrams wanted to direct his Superman script, Warner Bros eventually hired Bryan Singer, who threw out much of Flyby and essentially started from scratch, leading to Superman Returns. The budget was also a big issue, as the ambitious plans involving returning to Krypton and international shooting would have cost several hundred million - not even counting the planned sequels. It's estimated that a significant portion of Superman Returns' budget overlapped with Flyby's development, illustrating these financial issues. Although J.J. Abrams' Superman: Flyby never happened, the movie being made would have changed the future of DC and superhero movies in general - but Abrams may have another shot with his upcoming Superman reboot.
