From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Superman film series
The Ultimate Superman Collection
Directed by	Richard Donner (Superman) Richard Lester (Superman II & III) Sidney J. Furie (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) Bryan Singer (Superman Returns)
Produced by	Alexander Salkind & Ilya Salkind (Superman I, II & III) Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus
Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth (Superman, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut) Robert Paynter (Superman II, III) Ernest Day (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
Editing by	Stuart Baird (Superman) John Victor-Smith (Superman II, III) John Shirley (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
Distributed by	Warner Bros. (Superman, II, III, Returns) Cannon Films (in association with Warner Bros.) (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
Release date(s)	1978-2006
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	(Superman: $55,000,000) (Superman II: 54,000,000) (Superman III: 30,000,000) (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: 17,000,000 estimated) (Superman Returns: 204,000,000)

The Superman film series currently consists of five superhero films based on the fictional DC comics character of the same name. The series was conceived in 1973 under producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind. Between these and other producers, five films were made between 1978 and 2006.

Not counting Supergirl, also made by the Salkinds, the original four starred Christopher Reeve in the title role. Distributor Warner Bros. picked up production rights in 1993, and a series of unsuccessful attempts to either film The Death of Superman story or reboot the series followed. For 19 years, the series was stuck in development hell, with Warner Bros. constantly looking for new ideas, producers, and directors. Tim Burton, (who was famous for producing Batman and Batman Returns), and Nicholas Cage were once attached to the series for production of Superman Lives, a cancelled film that created many rumours and tension for the studio. After Superman Lives was cancelled and several unsuccessful attempts were pitched, Bryan Singer directed Superman Returns in 2006, a semi-sequel to the first two Reeve films.

Contents 1 Reeve series 1.1 Superman 1.2 Superman II 1.3 Superman III 1.4 Supergirl 1.5 Superman IV: The Quest for Peace 2 Failed projects 2.1 Superman V 2.2 Superman Reborn 2.3 Superman Lives: Kevin Smith 2.4 Superman Lives: Tim Burton 2.4.1 Casting 2.4.2 Burton and Cage drop out 2.5 McG 2.6 Batman vs Superman 2.6.1 Development 2.6.2 Plot 2.7 Brett Ratner 2.8 McG returns 3 Revival 3.1 Superman Returns 3.2 Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut 4 Future projects 4.1 Superman Returns sequel 4.2 Justice League 5 Film ratings 6 Cast and characters 7 Reception 7.1 Box office performance 7.2 Critical reaction 8 References 9 External links

Main article: Superman (1978 film)

In 1973, producer Ilya Salkind convinced his father Alexander to buy the rights to Superman. They hired Mario Puzo to pen a two-film script, and negotiated with Steven Spielberg to direct, though Alexander Salkind rejected him as Jaws went over budget.^[1] Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman signed on to play Jor-El and Lex Luthor respectively, and Guy Hamilton was hired to direct. However, Brando was faced with an obscenity lawsuit in Italy over Last Tango in Paris, so they couldn't shoot there, but Hamilton was unable to shoot in England as he had been violating his tax payments. The Salkinds chose their star over their director, and Richard Donner was hired. Donner hired Tom Mankiewicz to polish the script, giving it a serious feel with Christ-like overtones.^[2]

Christopher Reeve was cast as Superman, having initially failed to impress the Salkinds before bulking up.^[1] Brando meanwhile, despite spending less than two weeks on the shoot,^[1] and not even reading the script until then,^[2] earned $3.7 million up front, plus 11.75% of the gross profits from the film.^[1] The film was a success both critically and commercially, being released during the Christmas season of 1978; it did not have much competition, leading the producers to believe that this was one factor in the film's success.^[3]

Main articles: Superman II and Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Shooting of the two films was marred by Donner's bad relationship with the Salkinds, with Richard Lester acting as mediator.^[2] With the film going over-budget, the filmmakers decided to temporarily cease production of II and move that film's climax into the first film.^[1][2] Despite Superman's success, Donner (whatever the case might have been) did not return to finish Superman II,^[2] and they replaced him with Lester, who gave the film a more tongue-in-cheek tone. They also cut Brando for financial reasons, while John Williams quit as composer as he turned his attention to other projects.^[1] Still, II was a financial and critical success, despite its main competition in 1981, George Lucas' Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Main article: Superman III

For the third installment, Ilya Salkind wrote a treatment that expanded the scope to a cosmic scale, introducing the villains Brainiac and Mr. Mxyzptlk, as well as Supergirl.^[2] The original outline featured a bizarre father-daughter relationship between Brainiac and Supergirl, which led to an even more bizarre romance between Superman and Supergirl, as the two were cousins in the comics. [1] Warner Bros. rejected it, instead turning Superman III into a showcase for co-star Richard Pryor as computer wizard Gus Gorman, who under the manipulation of a millionaire magnate, creates a form of Kryptonite that turns the Man of Steel into an evil self. The re-tooled script^[2] parred Brainiac down into the film's evil "ultimate computer",^[1] and despite the film's success many fans were disappointed, in particular with Pryor's performance diluting the serious tone of the previous films, as well as controversy over the depiction of the evil Superman.^[2]

Main article: Supergirl (film)

Exhausted, the producers were not ready to make a fourth film although Ilya Salkind's interest meant they decided to make Supergirl, with top-billed Faye Dunaway as the villainess Serena, and newcomer Helen Slater in the title role. Thanks to studio recutting from its two-hour-plus length, the film was not a major success worldwide.^[2] This ended the Salkinds' direct involvement in the Superman films, although they did go on to produce the Superboy TV series and conceived of a fifth, unproduced Superman movie using the mythos of the Superboy series.

Main article: Superman IV: The Quest for Peace

Cannon films picked up an option for a fourth Superman/Reeve film, with Reeve reprising the role due to his interest in the film's topic regarding nuclear weapons. However, Cannon decided to cut the budget of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace from $35 million to $17 million, and the poor special effects and heavy re-editing led to the film's poor reception.^[4] Warner Bros. decided to give the franchise a break following the mixed reception of the last two Superman films.^[2]

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. 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 in June of 2004, Bryan Singer was hired to take over the-long-in-development project, and the result was Superman Returns.

After the failure of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, Cannon Films was still intent on delivering a fifth installment. Albert Pyun was set to direct, but when Cannon Films went bankrupt, the film rights reverted back to Ilya Salkind.^[5]

Salkind refreshed the Superman franchise with the success of Superboy, which inspired Salkind to set plans for a fifth Superman film. He teamed with Superboy writers Cary Bates and Mark Jones to write Superman V, also known as Superman: The New Movie. The story features Superman dying and being resurrected in the shrunken Kryptonian bottled-city of Kandor, facing off against Brainiac. This story of Superman's death and resurrection predated The Death of Superman comic book.^[6]

Salkind, Bates, and Jones wrote two different drafts of the script and Salkind claims he even had Christopher Reeve set to star once again. For unknown reasons, however, Salkind allowed Warner Bros. to purchase the film and television rights of Superman. Warner Bros. canceled a fifth season of Superboy in favor of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. They discarded Salkind, Bates, and Jones' idea for Superman V in order to develop a new film that followed "The Death and Return of Superman" more closely, which had recently become a newsstand success.^[6]

Jon Peters, coming off the success of Batman, came on board as producer and was given substantial creative control on the project from Warner Bros. . Peters hired longtime friend Jonathan Lemkin to write the script, which was titled Superman Reborn.^[7]

Lemkin's script showed Lois Lane and Clark Kent with relationship troubles that are only resolved after Superman's battle with Doomsday, when he professes his love to her and his life force jumps between them, impregnating Lois. She gives birth to a child who grows 21 years in three weeks, and is, essentially, the resurrected Superman.^[7] This script was rejected by Warner Bros. and Peters turned to Gregory Poirier, whom he recently collaborated with on Rosewood.

Poirier's script, which was turned in just days before Christmas of 1995,^[5] featured Brainiac as the creator of Doomsday, whom he has infused with Kryptonite blood. Meanwhile,Superman tries to deal with being an alien in love with a human woman via psychiatric help.^[5] Superman goes as far as literally visiting a shrink.^[8] Superman is eventually killed by Doomsday, only to have his corpse stolen by an alien named Cadmus, a Brainiac victim, who resurrects Superman. Brainiac seeks Superman’s body as the perfect corporeal vessel, due to the deterioration of his own body. Brainiac threatens the people of Metropolis to aid in the search along with Parasite and the Silver Banshee. Powerless, Superman wears a robotic suit that mimics his old powers until he can learn to use his powers again on his own. According to the script, they’re a mental discipline called “Phin-yar,” very similar with The Force. In the end, Superman defeats the three villains with the help of Cadmus and pursues his legacy as The Last Son of Krypton.^[5]

Meanwhile, Warner Bros., recently impressed by Kevin Smith’s script for Chasing Amy, brought Smith into their offices around late 1996. They offered him several scripts for potential rewrite work. The first was a remake of the famous Outer Limits episode The Architects of Fear. The second was a sequel to Beetlejuice titled Beetle Juice Goes Hawaiian, to which Smith thought, “must we go tropical?” The third was Gregory Poirier’s script of Superman Reborn, which had caught Smith’s eye due to his love of comic books.^[9]

Smith was asked to take home a copy of the Poirer script and give Warner Bros. his thoughts. Smith felt the script did not properly respect the source material, going so far as to ask Warners if they "had actually paid someone to write the script, and if so, could they get their money back?" Lorenzo di Bonaventura, the head of Warner Bros. at the time, was impressed with Smith’s knowledge of the character and asked Smith to take a try at a rewrite.^[9]

Smith met with producer Jon Peters and told him the basic ideas he had in mind. Smith asked Peters who he saw playing Superman. Peters said that Sean Penn would be his choice because, “he has the eyes of a killer, and the charisma of a caged animal” per his performance in Dead Man Walking and then told Smith about three rules he wanted in the script.^[9]

The first rule was not seeing Superman in the classic red, blue, and yellow suit, which he called "too faggy." The second rule was getting rid of Superman's ability to fly. When Smith asked the producer why he didn't want Superman to fly, Peters responded saying "he'll look like an overgrown Boy Scout carrying and saving those people."^[9] Smith's solution was to portray Superman as a "red blur" and "causing a sonic boom everytime he flew," an idea taken from Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns.^[8] The third rule was to have Superman fight a giant spider in the third act, which Peters said was inspired by seeing King Kong as a child, and how it would be a perfect opportunity for modern day special effects to depict Superman fighting something "huge and beast-like."^[9]

Smith then told Peters he would try his best and see what he could do with the three strange rules. Smith went back to Warner Bros. offices where he met an exec. The exec told him that Peters liked Smith and they were going to move forward on the project. The exec then worriedly asked Smith if Peters had brought up the giant spider. Smith laughingly said he did and asked the exec about the spider. The exec told him, “everyday with the fucking spider from Jon.” Smith asked what he should do about "the spider situation" and the exec told him "to keep the idea, just don’t call it a spider." Off the top of his head Smith came up with a "Thanagarian Snare-beast." Smith was ready to start writing the screenplay, but Warner Bros. told him he had to write a brief outline first, so they could approve of a screenplay. Smith asked if he could include dialogue and he was told yes.^[9]

Smith claims that he’s only great with dialogue and wrote an 80-page outline, with a substantial amount of dialogue. Warner Bros. told him it was too long, saying that an outline should only be four pages at the most. The studio then told Smith that he had to go back to Peters’ house, and read him the entire 80-page outline. Peters reportedly likes it when his writers read the outline to a script.^[9]

Smith finished reading the entire 80-page outline to Peters, which the producer liked very much, but said that there was a problem with "not being enough action scenes." Peters wanted an action beat for every 10 pages and as an example, he went to the scene where Brainiac goes to The Fortress of Solitude looking for Superman. Peters wanted Brainiac to fight Superman’s guards to which Smith replied, “Why would Superman need guards? Plus it’s called The Fortress of Solitude for a specific reason.” Peters then brought up Brainiac fighting Polar Bears where he was to kill one, and another runs off because he “didn’t want to piss of the PETA-people” as Smith says.^[9]

Smith sent in his first draft, titled Superman Lives, and was asked for recommendations for a director. Smith suggested Tim Burton, but was told by the studio that Burton would never "do something like this."^[9] Robert Rodriguez claims he was offered the chance to direct, but turned it down because he didn't want to do a big-budget film for a studio.^[10] It wasn't until Smith turned in his second draft, that the interests of Burton and longtime Superman fan Nicolas Cage were attached to the project. Cage originally offering his services as either Brainiac or Lex Luthor, but was eventually cast as Superman.^[8]

When Peters saw Smith’s film Chasing Amy, he liked the gay black character Hooper X, played by Dwight Ewell and told Smith that Brainiac's robot sidekick, L-Ron, "should have the same voice by Ewell", stating that the movie needed a "gay R2-D2." Citing the need for merchandisable characters, Peters also said that Brainiac should have a "cute-cuddly dog" similar to Chewbacca which he give to Luthor as a gift, setting up a comedic routine between Luthor and "the alien dog" not getting along.^[9]

Ultimately, Tim Burton rejected Smith’s draft and, as Smith put it, "everything went out the fucking window." Smith then watched The Wild Wild West remake, a film that was coincidentally produced by Peters. In the third act Smith jokingly notes how a giant mechanical spider was introduced.^[8]

Burton brought in Wesley Strick, who had previously written the shooting script for Burton's Batman Returns, to rewrite the script from scratch. Filming was to start in the summer of 1997,^[8] with the theatrical release date in June of 1998, the 60th anniversary of Superman's publication in Action Comics.^[7] A teaser poster was constructed but was never shipped to theatres.^[11]

Dissatisfied with the Strick script, Warner Bros. hired Dan Gilroy to rewrite, turning in two drafts, which were ultimately rejected.^[12] In March of 1998 Corona's Coming Attractions reported that Ron Bass was hired to rewrite Gilroy's script.^[13]

Sometime after Gilroy was let go, an aspiring comic book fan/screenwriter named Alex Ford got so fed up with the development of the film that he went as far as to turn in his own script unsolicited. Ford was brought into Warner Bros. offices, where he also met Jon Peters. Peters and Warner Bros. liked aspects of the script, but were confused by certain elements due to their lack of knowledge of the source material. Alex Ford’s script was finally rejected and Warner Bros. put Superman Lives on hold in April of 1998 while Burton went to direct Sleepy Hollow.^[12]

Sylvian Despretz, who worked as a conceptual designer and storyboard artist claimed that Jon Peters brought in kids to see if they liked the designs to see if they could be made into toys. He did state that part of the Krypton set were constructed in the summer of 1997. Nicolas Cage also went in for a costume fitting. Later on more sets were constructed, then went back down.^[14] Rolf Mohr, another concept artist said he was hired to design a suit for The Eradicator for when his suit transforms into a flying vehicle.^[15]

In a December 1997 interview with The Chicago Sun-Times, Tim Allen claimed that he was in negotiations to portray Brainiac. Courtney Cox was also listed as a casting possibility for Lois Lane. Kevin Smith, meanwhile, stated on his website that Chris Rock was likely to play Jimmy Olsen.^[16]

In March of 1998, Ain't It Cool News reported that Barry Corbin has expressed interest in playing Perry White. In the same report, Rock was stated to be officially signed on and Kevin Spacey set to portray Lex Luthor. Also, Michael Keaton confirmed in an interview with MTV that he had been cast in the film. Most thought he was to feature in a cameo as Batman since he played that role in Burton's "Batman" films, but Keaton was quoted as saying "not exactly."^[13]

Kevin Smith stated his preferred casting was Ben Affleck as Superman/Clark Kent, Linda Fiorentino as Lois Lane, Jack Nicholson as Lex Luthor, John Mahoney as Perry White, David Hyde Pierce as The Eradicator, Jason Lee as Brainiac and Jason Mewes as Jimmy Olsen.^[17]

In October of 1998, Variety reported that Tim Burton was no longer involved in directing Superman Lives.^[18] Ain't It Cool News then reported that Brett Ratner was in talks as Burton's replacement.^[19] though Ratner claimed he turned down the project in favor of The Family Man.^[20] In December 1998 Shekhar Kapur stated he had been approached by Warner Bros. to replace Tim Burton as the director.^[21] The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Simon West and Steve Norrington were contenders alongside Kapur.^[22] Cage, meanwhile, stated that the project was on hold and that he was losing interest in staying aboard.^[23]

In July 1999, William Wisher was brought in to rewrite the Ron Bass script,^[24] which he turned in sometime in February 2000. The Hollywood Reporter claimed that the script was met with great acclaim by both Warner Bros. and Nicolas Cage,^[25] saying that Oliver Stone was interested in directing and the Wisher script has a "darker, more Matrix feel to it."^[26] In June 2000, Cage announced that he has completely dropped out of the project, and shortly after, Dean Cain, who portrayed Superman from Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman expressed interest as Cage's replacement.^[27] Variety then reported that Ralph Zondag was offered the chance to direct but declined.^[28]

In October 2000 Ain't It Cool News broke a story that comic book veteran Kieth Giffen had pitched an idea to Warner Bros. about abandoning "The Death and Return" storyline, and instead coming up with a treatment featuring Lobo as the primary villain. Giffen confirmed his involvement but stated that he couldn't explain any further details.^[29]

In April 2001 The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Paul Attanasio was in talks with Warner Bros. to write a brand new script for the salary of $1.7 million.^[30]

Corona's Coming Attractions reported in October 2001 that McG had been signed to direct the next Superman film, with the Attanasio script being discarded.^[31] In January 2002, Premiere Magazine reported that McG had offered Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, and Catherine Zeta-Jones the role of Lois Lane though all of which turned it down.^[32] Variety then reported that J. J. Abrams was hired to write the script.^[33]

In May 2002 a spokeswoman from Pinewood Studios told SuperHeroHype.com that filming will take place very soon as Warner Bros. set the theatrical release date in June 2003. Superman, Superman II, and Superman III were all filmed at Pinewood.^[34] Despite rumors of McG no longer being involved, in September 2002, McG talked about Abrams' latest script which he was excited about. The new film was also to be a re-start of a brand new franchise not connected to previous four Christopher Reeve films.^[35]

Batman vs Superman is a cancelled film that was to be directed by Wolfgang Petersen with scripts by Andrew Kevin Walker and Akiva Goldsman. Filming was to start in February 2003^[36] with a five to six month shoot.^[37] The theatrical release date was to be in the summer of 2004, though the project was cancelled once Peterson left, citing his excitement to direct Troy.^[36]

The film went as far as having the script being greenlighted by Warner Bros., with pre-production and casting already taking place. The film was one of many project developed at the studio over the years on trying to get either a fifth Batman or Superman installment. Others listed were: Tim Burton's Superman Lives, McG's (and later Brett Ratner's) Superman origin story, Batman Triumphant, Batman: DarKnight, Boaz Yakin's Batman Beyond, and Darren Aronofsky's Batman: Year One.^[36]

Goldsman's script has been leaked online, though it's unsure if it was to be the planned script, or just an early draft. Nonetheless, Warner Bros. is still interested in doing the film sometime in the future, as they have quoted many times.^[36] As of September 2007, Peterson still hopes direct sometime in the future, hoping Christian Bale would still want to portray Batman.^[38] Bryan Singer has also expressed interest as well.^[39] In the movie I Am Legend an ad was shown for a Batman vs Superman movie, which started rumors that Warner Bros may make the movie [2].

Wolfgang Petersen, a well noted comic book fan, was originally approached as Tim Burton's replacement on Superman Lives, though Peterson wasn't interested. Instead he told Warner Bros. about an idea he had for a World's Finest project, though the studio wasn't interested as they wanted to "re-start" both Superman and Batman film series'. It wasn't until Darren Aronofsky left Batman: Year One for The Fountain, and McG left his Superman origin story for Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, that the studio gave Peterson's idea a chance.^[40]

In August 2001, Andrew Kevin Walker was hired to write the script,^[41] turning in a story treatment sometime in October.^[42] For unknown reasons, Peterson and Warner Bros. enlisted the aid of Akiva Goldsman to rewrite Walker's script. The script was good enough to greenlight the film, with pre-production work already starting and casting to begin shortly.^[36] It wasn't until August 2002, that Peterson left the project in favor of Troy.^[43]

After Petersen's departure, Warner Bros. could have simply hired another director to fill the position. Instead, they were impressed with a recent script by JJ Abrams for the first part of a Superman trilogy, which caught the eye of Brett Ratner. Executives also decided to let the project go for a while, stating that after Christopher Nolan finishes his Batman trilogy, and Bryan Singer finishes his Superman trilogy, that the option for a filming combining the two superheroes would be then granted.^[36]

The studio is currently set to produce Justice League, and no word yet as to how this will affect the project's future.

When it came to casting, Peterson claimed he was looking for actors who "can really act and give complexity and emotions, but would have the fun of being a great superhero and maybe pump up a little bit." He cited Matt Damon as an example, but stated he hadn't approached him. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, James Franco, Jude Law, and Paul Walker were all reported to be considered for either of the two roles.^[40] Ain't It Cool News claimed that Collin Farrell signed on as Batman with Jude Law as Superman.^[44] Though there were still fans that supported the casting of Farrell, most preferred Bale, while Law was met with negative feedback.^[45] IGN called the report false as Farrell was already set to star in S.W.A.T. and Alexander.^[46]

Christian Bale's agent spoke to Moviehole.net, stating that Bale was indeed in the running, and denied the report at Ain't It Cool News. His agent stated that he had been approached for multiple Batman films, but was most attached to Batman: Year One, calling the Darren Aronofsky/Frank Miller script more "unique" than Batman vs Superman.^[43] Josh Hartnett was Peterson's first choice for the role of Superman.^[47]

Harry Knowles from Ain't It Cool News claimed to have received Andrew Kevin Walker's treatment in November 2001. He stated that Batman was given more screen time than Superman, though Superman is given most of the action sequences. The scenes between Batman and the Joker are what Knowles calls "very Killing Jokeish." He did have problems with giving Lois Lane, Commissioner Gordon, and Alfred Pennyworth cameos, though overall gave it a positive treatment.^[42] The story went as:

Lex Luthor Jr. takes over LexCorp after the death of his father. He then decides to create a "Mass Market of Machine Men" for expansive corporations. These machines of massive artificial beings and giant spiders turn out to be substantial, thus Luthor decides to take them to the World's Fair in Gotham City. Clark Kent and Lois Lane are sent to Gotham on covering the story, while Bruce Wayne is falling in love with the gorgeous female Mayor of Gotham. Wayne, who is Luthor's direct business rival, wonders about his suspicious activities. In his disguise as Batman he finds that the machines are controlled by a satellite with Kryptonite. As Lex starts to sense that Batman is on to his plan he clones the Joker to distract him, while Superman eventually comes into the story and the climax ensues to stop the machines from invading Gotham.^[42]

For reasons not yet known, Warner Bros. and Peterson enlisted the aid of Akiva Goldsman to rewrite the Walker script. As of right now, Goldsman's draft is only script leaked online and is dated June 21, 2002. The script went under the faking working title "Asylum,"^[48] and it's unknown whether or not it was to be the planned script or a simple early draft.

The story begins five years after the death of Robin, with Bruce Wayne pinning himself responsible. In his wake he's able to shake the demons out of his life and gives up his crime-fighting career. He eventually marries a woman named Elizabeth Miller, and continues his friendship with Clark Kent. The two know their secret identities, as Clark is Bruce's "best man" at his wedding. As Clark resides in Metropolis he deals with bad luck, having been recently divorced by Lois Lane and having the public turn against Superman. The Joker, who was previously thought to be dead, kills Elizabeth at the honeymoon with a poison dart, as Bruce then loses his mind. He holds Clark responsible due to the fact that he previously saved the Joker from a fatal beating just before the murder. Bruce dons cape and cowl once again for the sheer will of revenge, while Clark goes into exile in Smallville. He eventually woos with first love Lana Lang and tries to talk Bruce out of his vengeful ways, an act which ultimately pits the two heroes against each other. Eventually, it transpires that Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor was behind the Joker's return, hoping that Batman and Superman would kill each other. Instead, the two heroes unite to defeat the Joker and Luthor. Barbara Gordon, Aunt Harriet Cooper, and Toyman all make cameos. Lois Lane is mentioned, though not given any screen time while Commissioner Gordon and Alfred Pennyworth have both passed on (though Alfred remains his state as a hologram that Bruce built). Perry White and Jimmy Olsen aren't mentioned whatsoever.^[48]

McG ultimately backed out of the Superman I project due to his commitment on Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. Brett Ratner, who had previously turned down the chance to be Tim Burton's replacement on Superman Lives, signed on, after being impressed with Abrams' script. 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.^[49] He also stated that filming would start in June 2003.^[50] Despite rumors that a famous actor was to be up for the lead role, Ratner was keen to cast an unknown actor.^[51]

On September 23, 2002, Drew "Moriarty" McWeeny, a film critic and screenwriter, reviewed the first draft for Harry Knowles' Ain't it Cool News.com. The script showed Krypton not exploding, instead being overrun by robot soldiers and walking war machines, being right in the middle of a civil war. Jor-El is the king of Krypton and leader of the Kryptonian Senate, which makes Kal-El a prince. He and wife Lara send their infant son to Earth because he's "the One" to fulfill a prophecy and save Krypton from destruction. The Kents are chosen by Jor-El and left artifacts intended to represent Kryptonian virtues as well as the Superman costume, here a living entity that climbs onto Superman when he needs it. The villains are Jor-El's brother Kata-Zor and nephew Ty-Zor, whoe kidnap Jor-El and torture Lara to death. Lex Luthor is portrayed as a CIA agent obsessed with UFO phenomena. When Superman reveals himself to the world, Luthor demands that the government allow him to hunt Superman down and kill him. The government refuses, so Luthor allies himself with the evil Kryptonians eventually revealing himself a Kryptonian working undercover to set up an invasion of Earth. In the climax, Lois Lane is set to drown in a tank filled with kryptonite, leaving Superman the choice to either save her and die from radiation poisoning or stand by and watch her drown. He chooses to save her and dies. Somehow, from across the galaxy, Jor-El senses Superman’s death and commits suicide, sending himself into the afterlife. There he meets Superman and talks him into returning to life so he can fulfill the prophecy of saving Krypton from its civil war. Superman’s soul returns to his body and he proceeds beat Ty-Zor and his henchmen. At the end of the film, Superman flies off in a rocket to save Krypton, which is where the second film was planned to take place.^[52]

Moriarty's review took issue with its perceived similarities to Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace, as well as The Matrix. He also reacted negatively to the many changes in Superman's backstory. Other issues included the implied homosexuality of Jimmy Olsen and other inconsistencies with the source material.^[52]

Despite all the negative feedback with the leaked script, Warner Bros. issued a press release saying that Peters, Abrams, and Ratner's "re-imagining" of Superman "will bring new dimensions to the character for the newer-younger audience."^[53]

But the draft was taken by readers as a filming script, prompting much outrage and requiring Abrams to later sit down with Knowles and explain that the reviewed draft was a "work in progress", written in haste.^[54] In October 2002, Ratner claimed that Anthony Hopkins was officially signed on as Jor-El and that he has just received a new draft of the script.^[55]

A year later, intense disagreements with producer Jon Peters over casting and other matters,^[56] combined with an escalating budget, led Ratner to leave the project. Shortly afterwards, "Babosa" from Latino Review was able to get his hands on Abrams' second draft of the script, though this time titled Superman FlyBy.^[57]

The script begins with a character named Ty-Zor causing massive destruction upon the Earth, leading to a fight with Superman. A flashback shows Krypton in the midst of a civil war between the king of Krypton, Jor-El and his brother, Kata-Zor. Sensing the end of Krypton, Jor-El convinces his wife Lara to launch their son, Kal-El into space. While Lara goes into hiding, Jor-El is captured and Kata-Zor send his men to find and kill the baby Kal-El, who has landed in Smallville and is being raised by the Kents as their son, Clark. Lex Luthor is introduced as a struggling show salesman who happens upon one of Kata-Zor's men, who has crash landed on Earth. The Kryptonian transfers his spirit and strength into Luthor, who also loses his hair. Meanwhile, Clark goes to college, where he meets Lois Lane, and eventually goes to work at the Daily Planet, where he meets up again with Lois, now a reporter working on an investigative piece on Luthor's company, LexCorp. Superman reveals his existence by rescuing Air Force One, which Luthor sees as a threat. He teams up with Ty-Zor and three other Kryptonians, but Superman is ultimately able to send them into retreat, setting up a potential sequel.^[57]

In May, 2003, SuperHeroHype.com reported that Jonathan Frakes was in talks to direct, with filming locations at Pinewood Studios and in Canada.^[58] Dark Horizons then reported that Jason Behr was testing for the lead with Colin Hanks as Jimmy Olsen.^[59] In early July 2003, Frakes spoke on the film, denying that he was involved, stating he would be interested since he heard the script was great and admitted that he suggested Behr should audition.^[60]

In June, 2003, McG stated that he was back working on the Superman film and stated that he had three specific actors in mind for the lead role who were "not necessarily" household names.^[61] In July, IGN reported that McG was working with Abrams on further development on the script and that Ashton Kutcher and Drew Barrymore were the leading contenders for Superman and Lois.^[62]

Eventually, 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. Warner Bros. 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.

Main article: Superman Returns

Following the departure of Ratner and McG, Bryan Singer, a big childhood fan of Richard Donner's film, was approached by Warner Bros. He accepted, abandoning two films already in pre-production, X-Men: The Last Stand and a remake of Logan's Run. Singer's story tells of Superman's return to Earth following a five year search for survivors of Krypton. He discovers that in his absence Lois Lane has given birth to a son and gotten engaged. Singer chose to follow Donner's lead by casting relatively unknown Brandon Routh as Superman, who resembled Christopher Reeve somewhat, and more high profile actors in supporting roles, such as Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Singer brought his entire crew from X2 to work on the film, which he styled as being in the same continuity as the original film.^[4]

Superman Returns received generally positive reviews.^[63]

Main article: Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

After receiving many requests of his own version of Superman II, Richard Donner and producer Michael Thau produced their own cut of the film and released it to DVD on November 28, 2006.

Prior to the debut of Superman Returns in the United Kingdom, Brandon Routh hinted at the possibility of the sequel at a press conference, saying "At the end of this film we see that there is so much more to explore." Newsarama reported from the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con that director Bryan Singer had been in talks to direct a sequel for 2009.^[64] According to the article, Singer said that while Superman Returns allowed him to introduce the cast, the sequel would allow him to 'go Wrath of Khan on it.' He added that there would be an alien villain. In another interview on Superherohype.com, Singer indicated a possible return of the New Krypton island.^[65]

On August 18, 2006, the Los Angeles Times reported that Warner president Alan Horn thought that Superman Returns "was a very successful movie" and that he was planning on a sequel for 2009.^[66] It had been thought that a Superman Returns sequel hinged on the film's domestic box office performance, with some media outlets suggesting that Warner Bros. wanted it to take in at least $200 million in the United States for a sequel to get the green light. The film officially passed the $200 million domestic mark on October 22, 2006. On October 25, 2006, IESB.net reported that a deal between director Bryan Singer and Warner Bros. had been finalized for a sequel. The budget will reportedly be reduced; however, the existing sets would contribute to lower costs across the board for the upcoming movie. The sequel is expected to be more action-focused than its predecessor.^[67]

The focus will be on a tighter story with more villains and bigger action sequences. On July 10, 2007, Variety reported Kevin Spacey will return for the sequel. They also referred to the sequel as Man of Steel and reported Singer was about to pitch the sequel to Warner Bros. with Michael Dougherty now writing the screenplay. He plans to start production in 2008 for a 2009 release.^[68]

In October 2007, it was announced that Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris will not be returning to write the screenplay, and Warner Bros. is currently taking pitches for the sequel.^[69]

See also: Justice League

However, Warner Bros. have put the idea of a Justice League film at higher priority than Superman: The Man of Steel.^[70] Brandon Routh stated, "If they come at me about it, I would definitely be intrigued to work with Christian and whoever else wants to be a part of it...they are apparently writing a script."^[71]

In October, 2007, Justice League director George Miller announced auditions for the leading roles in the film, including Superman, indicating that he had no interest in established actors for the parts, as he was "looking for actors who can grow into their super-roles".^[72]

U.S. Film rating	Film
	Superman	Superman II	Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut	Superman III	Superman IV	Superman Returns
	PG					PG-13

List indicator(s)

• A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
• Italics indicate a transition to a minor role, such as an extended flashback, after the initial appearance, or indicates a character having a small role before becoming a main character.

Character	Film
	Superman	Superman II	Superman III	Supergirl	Superman IV	Superman Returns
Clark Kent / Superman	Christopher Reeve				Christopher Reeve	Brandon Routh
Lois Lane	Margot Kidder				Margot Kidder	Kate Bosworth
Lex Luthor	Gene Hackman				Gene Hackman	Kevin Spacey
Jimmy Olsen	Marc McClure					Sam Huntington
Perry White	Jackie Cooper				Jackie Cooper	Frank Langella
Jor-El	Marlon Brando					Marlon Brando
Supergirl				Helen Slater
Selena				Faye Dunaway
Eve Tesmacher	Valerie Perrine	Valerie Perrine
General Zod	Terrence Stamp	Terrence Stamp
Ursa	Sarah Douglas	Sarah Douglas
Non	Jack O'Halloran	Jack O'Halloran
Gus Gorman			Richard Pryor
Ross Webster			Robert Vaughn
Nuclear Man					Mark Pillow

Film	Release date		Box office revenue			Reference
	United States	Worldwide	United States	Outside US	Worldwide
Superman	December 15, 1978	December 15, 1978	$134,218,018	$166,000,000	$300,218,018	[73]
Superman II	June 19, 1981	December 4, 1980	$108,185,706	Unknown	Unknown	[74]
Superman III	June 17, 1983	June 17, 1983	$59,950,623	Unknown	Unknown	[75]
Supergirl	November 21, 1984	November 21, 1984	$14,296,438	Unknown	Unknown	[76]
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace	July 24, 1987	July 24, 1987	$15,681,020	Unknown	Unknown	[77]
Superman Returns	June 28, 2006	June 28, 2006	$200,081,192	$191,000,000	$391,081,192	[78]
Superman film series			$532,412,997	Unknown	Unknown

Film	Rotten Tomatoes		Metacritic	Yahoo! Movies
	Overall	Cream of the Crop
Superman	93% (45 reviews)[79]	80% (5 reviews)[80]	88% (12 reviews)[81]	A (5 reviews)[82]
Superman II	86% (37 reviews)[83]	100% (5 reviews)[84]	99% (7 reviews)[85]	B (5 reviews)[86]
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut	83% (6 reviews)[87]
Superman III	23% (40 reviews)[88]	0% (2 reviews)[89]
Supergirl	9% (23 reviews)[90]	0% (4 reviews)[91]
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace	11% (28 reviews)[92]	25% (4 reviews)[93]
Superman Returns	77% (244 reviews)[94]	73% (39 reviews)[95]	72% (40 reviews)[96]	B (15 reviews)[97]

• Superman films at IMDb

v • d • e DC Comics films
The Serials	Batman (1943) • Hop Harrigan (1946) • The Vigilante (1947) • Superman (1948) • Congo Bill (1948) • Batman and Robin (1949) • Atom Man Vs. Superman (1950)
Single films	Superman and the Mole Men (1951) • Batman (1966) • Supergirl (1984) • Steel (1997) • Road to Perdition (2002) • Catwoman (2004) • A History of Violence (2005) • Constantine (2005) • V for Vendetta (2006) • Watchmen (2009)
Franchises	Batman (1989–1997): Batman (1989) • Batman Returns (1992) • Batman Forever (1995) • Batman & Robin (1997) Batman (2005 — ): Batman Begins (2005) • The Dark Knight (2008) Superman: Superman (1978) • Superman II (1980) • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006) • Superman III (1983) • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) • Superman Returns (2006) Swamp Thing: Swamp Thing (1982) • The Return of Swamp Thing (1989)