I have not confirmed this and don't know if I'll be able to until next week, but I've got some rumor news.The only friend I seem to have left at WB after involving myself in the pettiness on our previous website, has told me a suggestion was made to Horn and Robinov. They supposedly liked it and put out feelers to see if there's any interest.
It looks like WB will be courting JJ Abrams for a second time after his overwhelming success with the quasi-reboot of Star Trek. Many know he was one of the directors attached to Superman during all the failed attempts before they settled on Singer's failure.
AND...with Micael Bay wanting to take a full year off before diving into the final film in the Transformers trilogy, it's been suggested that the back to back (to back with TF2??) success of Orci and Kurtzman may be what Superman needs.
Could we finally be getting some motion?? No idea. But I'm hoping...
Well that would be an interesting change of things. I know many said before wb wouldnt go out to JJ again and JJ likely not wanting to get into the mess of superman again. Since his infamous 1st draft script and all. And i believe isnt JJ/his production company currently tied to a deal with paramount for 5yrs?
ReplyDeleteIt would be interesting if he did do superman now and since he knows what fans dont want he would likely not make the same mistakes again. But another thing if jj was selected i think folks would be better if he wasnt writing at all and just directs it and they get a good writer(s) on board.
But as to this JJ rumor i doubt it will pan out. As much as i would like to see a new superman film happen it keeps looking like it will be a long time before it happens again.
To echo webhead, isn't Abrams exclusive to paramount?
ReplyDeleteThis sounded great until I got to the Orci and Kurtzman part. Don't those two, or at least one of them have some sort of friendship with Routh or whatever? That's basically the only troublesome thing about this report. I firmly believe that Abrams could do a damn fine job with superman, just for the love of all that is good and holy keep Routh the hell away.
ReplyDeleteAbrams seems to have some idea of where and how he dropped the nachos last time. As long as his reboot doesn't include Routh or anything else from the Singerdonnerverse, I'd be willing to give him a day in court.
ReplyDeleteWebhead, I feel your pain as in it seeming like we'll NEVER EVER get another 'worthy' Superman film, but as realists, let's be optomists, NOT pessimists, OK? The glass is half full, NOT half empty.
ReplyDeleteAs for JJ being attached to Paramount, I don't know the details of all of that. I'm certain he's tied to at least ONE Star Trek sequel if not two, but there's something I'd like to bring to your attention, which I also did previously. WB now seems to be having SOME partnerships WITH Paramount. Benjamin Button is the example that immediately comes to mind. So it's not just seeing Legendary Pictures in the same breath all the time. Actually I was surprised to see the partnership with Paramount, but there it was! So it may be that the two studios can work together & JJ may give BOTH camps what they want?!
But like Mike said, keep BJ Routhman away! It's been enough that we've had to deal with Horn. That would be all we need for everyone else AND their cousin to be on Routh's bandwagon also. Don't expect a blockbuster film IF they go THAT route!
If this all pans out and ends up being true, Abrams isn't about to "reboot" with the same cast. And there's no way he'd use an alternate reality for Superman after doing so with Star Trek.
ReplyDeleteBut non-amos is correct. WB has a partnership deal with Paramount. If they are not doing a sequel, they can leave Legendary behind. So, this rumor does seem to have some possible merit. I won't know more until I can get in touch with agents for Abrams or Orci and Kurtzman sometime during the week.
Either way, I just want to see some sort of official movement.
Well if it does happen i would totally be happy. And sorry if i sounded like a pessimist it just does seem like any fans of superman is getting no where with superman. But yea if we do get a total clean slate as i said here and other places i want to see new story, setting, look, and actors.
ReplyDeleteThanks Steve, & please stay on top of this. It's seemed dead around here lately, which tends to put one in 'panic mode' as to what's going on with OUR franchise & makes one depressed. Ya know there's a saying, that 'no news is good news', but I don't think that phrase was penned with a Superman film in mind.
ReplyDeleteSteve, I know the fans are giving THEIR support for Abrams, but is Abrams himself interested? I sure hope so! It's amazing what one good Star Trek film can do! As a matter of fact, even though I wanted THAT film to succeed, I really wasn't sure it would. Not just because of JJ, but moreso how the franchise in general had lost its' way. I tried watching NEMESIS a few weeks back & actually believe I went to sleep. After 40-odd minutes, I didn't remember anything coherently as I believe I was in the sleep-rewind DVD-sleep mode. I still haven't finished it, & I felt like I was watching an episode of the ST:TNG TV series.
Nevertheless, the Star Trek reboot worked! It made the franchise POPULAR again, AND profitable. THAT'S exactly what we need with the SUPERMAN REBOOT! And why do Orci & Kurtzman get such a bad rap? Because of Transformers? If I recall, THAT film made boatloads of cash. Sure, maybe it was looked at as having cheesy dialogue, but look at the property we're talking about there also. However, in the case of STAR TREK, I'd say they did an EXCELLENT job! And besides, Superman NEEDS to have action in it, not pining!
Here's a thought. WB & Paramount work out whatever details they need to do in order to get this project 'flying'. Get JJ to direct & get this writing team also. And get this. Call the film simply..........SUPERMAN. No 'movie', no 'motion picture', just a straight-forward approach like JJ did in calling this newest film simply..........STAR TREK! THEN do GREAT promotional work to rekindle the public's interest in Superman & to ERASE the sting that was Singerman.
I mean, after all, Nolan's Batman franchise obviously didn't suffer because of BATMAN & ROBIN, & neither has the new Star Trek due to the failure of NEMESIS.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT!
I think if JJ can make a traditional Superman movie with the traditional suit and not weird stuff like in his previous script and seeing what he did with Star Trek which to me was the right way to reboot it avoiding that people compare it to the original cast (by setting it into an alternate reality) I think he would be the right guy to give a great Superman movie that they can put Tom Welling in.
ReplyDeleteBut as previously reported, is Welling even WILLING to do it? Welling, willing, heh-heh.
ReplyDeleteAlso, like Steve said, Superman wouldn't need to be set in an alternate universe, especially since JJ just did that with Star Trek. However, Superman DOESN'T need to be set in DONNERVERSE!
I'm not really sure HOW the character needs to be rebooted properly, but I'm sure someone can figure it out, certainly better than Singer tried. I mean, with all due respect to Donner AND Reeve, that was then, THIS is NOW! Superman needs to be made RELEVANT again, just like Star Trek, but Donnerverse needs to be avoided. A FRESH start! It doesn't have to be 'Earth-2' either or whatever. What it DOES need to do is update the characters, like Star Trek did, but still keep it in Superman's universe, only in this case, THIS version of the universe will probably be different from what people have received for the past 30 years, but that's fine.
I guess it could be like when John Byrne rebooted the character in the comics. Start from the ground up. Now I know Byrne has an EGO, but I'm sure he didn't do everything just to diss Curt Swan or whoever, but at the time, SOMETHING had to be done in the comics.
What we desperately need now is for something equally important to be done in the FILMS!
Reboot everything....Start with an origin story. I know there are people who don't want a rehash of Krypton but you need to go there. It needs to be different than Donner's vision. In Star Trek, they kind of had a father(George Kirk) sacrifice to save his wife and unborn son. But Abrams had a lot of action and I think he would have to do the same in Superman. For example...I would have Krypton's council send their military after Jor-El because of Jor-el defiance to the council . Jor-el informed the council that the planet will be destroyed and people needed to be evacuated. It would be similar to Superman TAS.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of Welling, I would like him to be Superman but I dont think he is willing. Also I think you need a fresh start with a new cast.
And I pray Routh is not in it!
As long as J.J. brings in Bruce Greenwood as Jonathan Kent, I'm in.
ReplyDeletesuperman1938...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't do an origin, BUT...
IF they go with a full on reboot and do an origin story, I agree they need to spend more time on Krypton. It's never been done. Make it a 145 minute movie with 30 minutes showing the struggle between the council and Jor-El. Show the emotional torture he and Lara go through (as any parent would) before sending their son into space. Show another 30 minutes of his very early childhood and the struggles the Kents go through dealing with his growing powers. Then start jumping years and get into him as Superman about half way through the film.
Superman needs to be rebooted with an origin story. It needs to have a new cast and filmcrew. Tom Welling must be Superman and he actually said that he'll wear the costume for Smallville when the story is the right time frame for Superman to appear, so if the writers of Smallville play it right we could see him flying with the costume on soon on tv. So, I'm sure if he was offered the role to start in a movie than he'll definently do it!
ReplyDeleteI'm all for J.J. taking a shot at Superman. I've read his script for the aborted Superman film from years ago, and there wasn't anything inherently bad about the writing, it just wasn't a Superman movie, just a sci-fi/Superhero flim with "Superman" dressing, which is something he's admitted in interviews as something he regrets. So yeah, I say give J.J. another shot. And Bruce Greenwood as Johnathan Kent? That's genius.
ReplyDeleteI, like some of you, was at one time willing to let Welling have his shot at the reboot. Now I'm not so sure. If welling would just come out to his fans & say 'Yay or Nay', one way or the other, we could move on accordingly. Instead it's like we play a continual guessing-game, that is, until there's yet ANOTHER negative report that causes us to ONCE AGAIN question his motives, & even his loyalty to the franchise.
ReplyDeleteWho knows, maybe going with someone else who's WILLING would be the way to go? No, & I don't mean BJ Routhman. ANYONE but him! Just get it right THIS time, OK?!
Hey Steve, I know this is the wrong forum for this question but your regular e-mail isn't working. What's going on with the choice of the villain or villains for Spider-Man 4? Thanks. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, I can't get anyone to confirm or deny the rumor. I got a confirmation that WB does have an "unspecified partnership arrangement" with Paramount, and "no comment" on any future projects between the two companies with or without the invlvement of JJ Abrams.
ReplyDeleteThings that make you go hmmmm.....
Steve, I sure hope you get SOME word ASAP! Over at SHH, duh apologists are still whining for the return of BJ Routhman! I guess he's just their 'type' huh? ;)
ReplyDeleteI know this is without a doubt wishful thinking, but what if the Superman mythos could be cross-referenced with the Star Trek mythos? I'm not joking. The reason I bring this up is because I believe it was discussed somewhere, whether here or elsewhere, that in the Star Trek COMICS, that is, the destruction of Krypton was made reference to. Now certainly this would've had to have been comics published by DC, at least I assume so, unless it was one of those comics 'partnerships'.
I don't know WHICH comic issue this was. If anyone knows, please let us know. I think the point was that in the ST universe, the destruction of Krypton was referred to but I don't seem to recall any reference to Superman or Kal-El. Interesting, though, that a ST comic, even IF by DC, would allow this?
So sure, I'm probably wishful thinking, & this probably wouldn't be a 'cross-over' in the films, but it IS interesting that WB AND Paramount are now working together, & that JJ Abrams is in the midst of it, right when he directed the BIGGEST selling ST film of all, even allowing for inflation, AND he's wanted for SUPERMAN.
Interesting INDEED! ;)
Awesome Steve, I think so anyway. But what is the deal with the villains for Spider-Man 4? What is going on with that? They couldn't get Mickey Rourke for Kraven the hunter, so now what are they going to do? Todd Black said that they just decided the villain.
ReplyDeleteStar Trek actually did a cross over with the XMEN. It's one of their extended universe novels. It's not a bad read.
ReplyDeleteThat's not what I'm talking about. I remember reading on one of the forums (somewhere) about Krypton being discussed in a Star Trek comic, i.e., its' destruction. I don't remember any mention of Superman. They may've done X-Men, but was that when MARVEL had THEIR own ST comic? Or was it one of the joint ventures between Marvel & DC?
ReplyDeleteActually I think the idea was thrown out there about 'what if' the 2 mythos existed in the same universe. Both involved deep space. Krypton exploded. THAT would be considered a major 'space' event. ST's purpose is to explore space. You probably see what I'm getting at.
The point is, I was actually surprised when someone posted that something LIKE that HAD already been done. I just want to know the source. It may've been on 'the Younis site'. ;)
So.. whats up with this?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.aintitcool.com/node/41525
I was skeptical about Steve's original report on this. Hopefully I'll get a chance to eat my words.
ReplyDeleteThere is something that is said to be happening at SDCC which is supposed to catch everyone off guard. The show becoming "Metropolis" was brought up years ago. No idea if it's just a rehash of that news or if there's something new. I'm not going to pretend to know anything about this but I'll look into it.
ReplyDeleteThey've started a page for it on IMDB but most info is only available to Pro members. All normal viewers get is "in-development".
ReplyDeletehttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt1153705/
Yea i wonder whats up with this possible smallville tv movie/dtv movie. It would be a great way to wrap it all up after season 9 is the end/they announce its the end.
ReplyDeleteHey Steve, anything new for us?
ReplyDeleteBecause I like rubbing salt in the wounds, Transformers 2 brought in more in one weekend (in the States) than Singerman did for it's entire domestic run.
ReplyDeleteThe story isn't much better anywhere else, where TF2 is already near Singerman's $391 worldwide gross.
I guess it's just another reminder to us when audiences are interested in the property, they'll turn up. Everytime.
The only thing I can say is that some people in LA are speculating that the "Metropolis" film will one of three things....
ReplyDelete1. A two hour end to Smallville with Welling finally becoming the Man of Steel.
2. A two hour test/pilot episode of Welling as Superman to see if they should take the show in the direction.
3. A two hour market test to see if there are enough people who turn out to see Welling in tights to warrant taking Smallville to the big screen instead of starting Superman over again.
Just remember, it's only speculation. We're supposed to get solid info at the Smallville SDCC panel.
As much as i would love a feature film, it will likely end up just a tv/dtv movie which is still just as good.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking it will be a test for an upcoming feature film. After Tom Welling finally wears the suit, one way or another - things will never be the same. They will have to bring him to the big screen.
ReplyDeleteWithout the suit people already think of him as the true successor of Christopher Reeve. After he wears it it will only get worse.
Hopefully we will know soon what their plans are.
ReplyDeleteCool Steve, but what's going on with Spider-Man 4?
ReplyDelete"I'm thinking it will be a test for an upcoming feature film. After Tom Welling finally wears the suit, one way or another - things will never be the same."
ReplyDeleteNo doubt about it, you're right on that one.
"Without the suit people already think of him as the true successor of Christopher Reeve. After he wears it it will only get worse."
Again, right on. He embodies so many Superman characteristics without the suit that it's already absurd how perfect he is for the role. If it never happens, it'll go down as one of the big shames in the character's history.
"Routh also confirmed that he has no contract in place to once again embody the superhero. "The term of the contract expired. But if they call me again, I'd go back to the character without thinking twice!"."
ReplyDeletehttp://www.supermanhomepage.com/news.php?readmore=6577#comments
I seem to recall emijayne saying this back in 2007...
It's always good when the truth comes out. And honestly, at this point, Emi and myself don't even care who gets the credit for being right. We're just happy that the apologists are being forced to swallow the truth finally.
ReplyDeleteBTW...The SDCC news about "Metropolis" may be bigger than anticipated...Still trying to find out how, but hints have been dropped that I don't want to jump the gun on.
FYI, Steve, I just checked your link on my IMDB Pro account and the entry isn't for the Smallville's Metropolis project but rather for an in-development remake of the 1927 silent film of the same name. So no one's missing out on anything Superman-related on the IMDB.
ReplyDeleteThanks John. The link was emailed to me and didn't have any info but fit the timeline.
ReplyDelete------------------------
ReplyDelete#52 | mindhavens on July 4, 2009 7:13pm EST
I have to say I'm gutted by this news, I wanted to see Singer's "Angry God" and thought Brandon was excellent in the role. It also means we're without a Superman now and without any hope of a new Superman movie for years. Well done to all those people who campaigned for a reboot, you won, I concede.
http://www.supermanhomepage.com/news.php?readmore=6577#comments
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I could read comments like that one all day. And while you'd think this latest bit of bad news would finally be the death knell for the Apologist movement... well, they're not Apologists for nothing, I guess.
Where's AP? I'm surprised he hasn't commented here or blogged about this by now.
The announcement/confirmation that Routh’s contract with WB has expired has yet again stirred up another debate about the actor and the director of SUPERMAN RETURNS. Instead of wasting time and ink venting on what was good or bad or who was right or wrong, please come to the realization that the Donner-verse is OVER!
ReplyDeleteMove on!
SMALLVILLE will have a 9th season. Good for Clark and company, but this latest METROPOLIS buzz on a Superman movie being the continuation of a cable TV series is blatant disinformation, not to mention, insulting. Like the 50’s ‘Adventures of Superman’ and the later ‘Lois & Clark,’ SMALLVILLE is an interpretation that is running its course and will soon come to its conclusion.
Can’t we all just let it end, cheers and jeers aside and understand that SMALLVILLE is OVER?
Move on!
‘Supermanhomepage.com’ calls him ‘the first and best comic book superhero’ while the ‘savesupermancampaign.com’ demands that DC Comics be given ‘creative control’ of Superman’s future.
Both websites are living in the past. Once DC ruled the comic book universe. Times keep achangin’. Again NOT a ‘quality’ argument. The comic book as a medium, as an IMPACT FACTOR, is OVER!
Move on!
But…where to from here?
Until we unite as SUPERMAN fans and not blind followers of movies, TV shows and comic books of the past, Superman will have no future.
Let’s move on beyond the constant squabbling about a comic book character or movie star or TV image and join together to celebrate the greatest hero in all of literature and the Founding Father of the Fanboy Universe.
Because if we don’t, all we will have is Superman’s past and the ’Man of Tomorrow’ will be lost to Yesterday.
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