Superman Returns

asio

Great news, the first photo of Brandon Routh in the new Superman costume has been released!
You can check it out here:
http://www.superherohype.com/news/supermannews.php?id=2890
There has been some changes made to the design of the costume, as I think they wanted to give Superman a more up-to-date look, and I think it's terrific!
Superman Returns will be released on 30th June, 2006.

Secret Agent Man

I think it looks great too asio! I just wish that the S was bit bigger and the costume was a darker color. I do like the red and the belt is pretty cool. I just hope Brandon Routh can pull it off...he does look have the look of Superman!

asio

I'm glad you like it SAM, the posters on imdb are NOT happy at all! (How unusual?).
Anyway, they've shot a scene with Brandon Routh as Clark Kent, running through traffic in Metropolis, and he looks great as CK too! He's not cool, like Dean Cain's CK was, he's a nerd again!
I also read that Superman is going to have a second costume which is all black, no cape, and with a silver S logo. There's no photo to confirm this as yet, though.

Hardyboy

I like the costume--it's actually very reminiscent both of the costume worn by George Reeves in the classic 1950s Supes TV series and of a very famous painting of Supes that hangs in the DC offices. And Brandon Routh looks the part. So far, so good.

Nightshooter

I love the costume, but the S really should be a tad bigger

obsessed27

I´m not sure about the costume. The red should be bright, not dark. As it is, it looks like the costume in Superman III, when Superman was corrupted by the kryptonite.

Anyone remember Christopher Reeve´s costume? That´s how it´s supposed to be. Bright red, blue, and yellow. And the sign should be bigger. The boots a bit taller.

Willie Garvin

I also think the costume's too dark.Brandon Routh looks very good--although Christopher Reeve looked absolutely perfect.This certainly sounds like it'll be a better film than Superman III and Superman IV--although that wouldn't be too big a challenge.From what little I've read, this movie is intended to be a kind of sequel to Superman II,building upon the events in that movie and completely ignores everything that occured in III and IV--which is a good idea,in my opinion.


The pictures from Batman Begins also look promising.Finally (and at long last) an actor who actually LOOKS like Bruce Wayne playing Bruce Wayne--complete to the darkly handsome features and muscular physique the character is always supposed to have.I sure hope this one is a good film.Batman is a wonderfully dramatic character--a modern-day Zorro with a mind that rivals that of Sherlock Holmes combating villains from a bizarre Rogue's Gallery the equal of Dick Tracy's .Batman hasn't had a good motion picture yet--only the superb animated tv series from the 1980s did him proper justice.Maybe this is the live action film that'll give the Caped Crusader his cinematic due.If this isn't the case, then pehaps Warners will produce some feature-length animated Batman movies--possibly computer generated.

Hardyboy

I'm starting to think the costume is absolutely brilliant--dark colors, small shield and all. It's clear that Bryan Singer has decided to take the opposite approach from the one he used in the X-men films--instead of modernizing the look of the hero, he's paying tribute to the past. To prove my point, have a look at. . .

George Reeves:

[img=http://www.patfullerton.com/superman/pix/george/tv-reeves.jpg]And the painting I referenced earlier, done in 1940 by H. J. Wray and reproduced many times:[/img]

asio

Here's something I've been working on for some time, it's a collection of photos of all of the live action Supermen (and Superboy's, Supergirl and Superpup) as they have appeared over the many decades!
http://img252.echo.cx/img252/7979/superfriends3tu.jpg

The Cat

The third picture in the first row left me speechless... WTF? ?:)

asio

Quoting The Cat:
The third picture in the first row left me speechless... WTF? ?:)

That's a character called Superpup, played by Billy Curtis in 1958. His alter ego is named Bark Bent.
All about Superpup and his co-stars Perry Bite and Pamela Poodle is revealed at this link (which includes some very strange screen caps!)
http://members.tripod.com/~davidschutz/superpup.htm

The Cat

Talk about exploiting the character... I'm surprised there was no mention of Rex Bluthor. I still wonder how Superpup is related to the world of Superman...

Mr Martini

I don't know. I've never heard of Brandon Roth. But with Kevin Spacey in this film you can't go wrong. I'll probably go see it out of curiosity and enjoy it. Then buy the dvd.

Willie Garvin

Quoting Hardyboy:
I'm starting to think the costume is absolutely brilliant--dark colors, small shield and all. It's clear that Bryan Singer has decided to take the opposite approach from the one he used in the X-men films--instead of modernizing the look of the hero, he's paying tribute to the past. To prove my point, have a look at. . .

George Reeves:

[img=http://www.patfullerton.com/superman/pix/george/tv-reeves.jpg]And the painting I referenced earlier, done in 1940 by H. J. Wray and reproduced many times:[/img]

I sure hope Singer isn't trying to modernize Superman's appearance too greatly.It'd be a great shame if the alterations in Superman's famous costume are there only because an ambitious costume designer was trying to mistakenly "improve" a classic look solely in order to leave his or her mark on the character and nothing more.Like that belt buckle with the "S" shield on it for example--that's definitely new...

This is what's usually wrong with so many of the big comic book movies--not only is the casting wrong(Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne) but the storylines are often betrayals of the original concept, and the very appearances of the famous characters featured in the title roles are changed as well--and not always for the best.Then there are the actors who do everything but wink into the camera...

I liked what Singer/20th Century Fox did with the X-Men,turning the films into dark SF/Fantasy films(with Marvel exercising considerable control over these productions),but then I'm not a big X-Men fan.The black leather bodysuits aren't as garish as those in the comic books and the films are well cast.But without the serious tone,these wouldn't have worked either--it's imperative that the actors involved in any comic-based movie seem convincing in their roles and that certainly came through in these,as did the performances by the casts of the Spider-Man films as well.

That said,I'm a big Superman and Batman fan and they've rarely been dramatized as well as they should be--despite their great potentional.Chris Reeve's Superman was unquestionably the very best thing about his movies--because it wasn't the screenplays or campy supporting characters he had to deal with.After all:When did Lex Luthor start behaving like an escapee from the Batman television series?And when did Krypton suddenly become an ice planet populated by middle-aged Brits?When was Lois Lane homely(I like Margot Kidder, but c'mon...)?Tom Mankewicz probably repaired as much of the damage as he possible when he extensively rewrote the reportedly ultracampy original screenplays but they're still much too over-the-top in places.Chris' sincere performances elevated his movies considerably and they wouldn't be so highly regarded without his impressible contributions as The Man of Steel.His performance should've garnered Reeve an Academy Award nomination.

However,generally speaking,most of the people behind comics based films all too often don't have much respect for their source material and always feel needlessly compelled to improve it to their liking.The Spider-Man movies are the (woefully) rare exceptions in this situation--remarkably faithful films made by people who truly like and respect the comic book and it's titular character.

Hopefully Superman Returns will be a good film but having read some of the spoilers concerning it's general storyline,I'm still a bit skeptical.

==========================================
For extensive coverage-including galleries- of Superman Returns visit:

http://www.bluetights.net

This is Bryan Singer's official Superman Returns website.

obsessed27

Quoting Hardyboy:
It's clear that Bryan Singer has decided to take the opposite approach from the one he used in the X-men films--instead of modernizing the look of the hero, he's paying tribute to the past.

That´s not the right move, I think. Superman Returns is supposed to pick up the story after Superman II (after a mysterious absence). It will ignore the existence of parts III and IV. So what´s the point of paying tribute to the George Reeves costume? Wouldn´t it make more sense if the costume was closer to CHRISTOPHER Reeve´s than George Reeves, if it´s supposed to pick up after Part II?

Anyway, I wasn´t too excited to see the new Batman costume without the yellow oval, but now I´m used to it, and don´t mind it. Maybe the same will happen with S.

Hardyboy

I was just doing some research on Superman Returns on IMDb and elsewhere, and I found that the moviemakers' intention is indeed to make a costume that harkens the past--specifically, the costume worn by Max Fleisher's animated Supes of the 1940s:

[img=http://www.toyotter.com/stas/images/fleisher.jpg]There you have it: down to the darker blues and reds, with only the modern shields and smaller trunks making the difference. I have to admit, I'm a little bemused by people criticizing the film for trying to be traditional (presuming, of course, that it is). Here we are, true and loyal James Bond fans, stoked by the idea that the filmmakers are returning to Ian Fleming's first novel for its source and begging EON to do right by Fleming. . .and we're unhappy that Bryan Singer may be trying to do justice to a classic vision of a classic character? As WG pointed out, superheroes have rarely been done properly on the screen, and I certainly hope that Singer gives the Superman myth the loving treatment it deserves. The costume and the brilliant casting of Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor are promising signs.[/img]

obsessed27

Hope this works. My cousin did some changes with Photoshop. The underwear is larger. The S is bigger. The boots a bit taller. I like the changes, but there´s more work to be done.

darenhat

I really didn't have a problem with the costume, although the boots did seem wrong. Looking at obsessed's altered image, I have to admit I like the altered one better. There's something about the costume that makes Superman seem more formidable.

Willie Garvin

Quoting Hardyboy:
I was just doing some research on Superman Returns on IMDb and elsewhere, and I found that the moviemakers' intention is indeed to make a costume that harkens the past--specifically, the costume worn by Max Fleisher's animated Supes of the 1940s:

[img=http://www.toyotter.com/stas/images/fleisher.jpg]There you have it: down to the darker blues and reds, with only the modern shields and smaller trunks making the difference. I have to admit, I'm a little bemused by people criticizing the film for trying to be traditional (presuming, of course, that it is). Here we are, true and loyal James Bond fans, stoked by the idea that the filmmakers are returning to Ian Fleming's first novel for its source and begging EON to do right by Fleming. . .and we're unhappy that Bryan Singer may be trying to do justice to a classic vision of a classic character? As WG pointed out, superheroes have rarely been done properly on the screen, and I certainly hope that Singer gives the Superman myth the loving treatment it deserves. The costume and the brilliant casting of Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor are promising signs.[/img]

And your point is?The colors on the Fleischer Superman's costume are brighter than those of the costume Routh is wearing.Routh's cape looks wrong and so do the highly embossed chest shield and the shield-shaped belt buckle.Maybe Singer truly thinks he's paying respect to the animated Superman(which in turn is closely based on Joe Shuster's original version),but it still looks more like an enthusiastic costume designer is trying to put their own mark on the film as well.I'm hoping Spacey resists overplaying Luthor the way Hackman unfortunately did.The last thing this movie needs is a group of actors mugging and camping it up.I'm also hoping this film will have a really good storyline, but I've been let down before.

As for a faithful Casino Royale--it won't really happen.The book doesn't have enough in it to support a big budgeted motion picture,and EON will probably want their CR to be a huge movie with plenty of action.They'll keep some character names and locales-maybe a even a few scenes but it won't be exactly faithful.However, in the end, EON will at least have another movie in their series with a Fleming title.

darenhat

Does anyone happen to know how "official" this Superman movie is going to be as part of the Reeves canon? Particularly, I'm wondering about the music. John Williams' score for Superman is IMO the best he's ever done and is almost part and parcel with the character now. Any Superman movie that doesn't have that incredible fanfare is going to feel like a cheap imitation to me.

obsessed27

Why design a new costume? They had it right. You don´t mess with perfection:

MBE_

I'm not worried about the suit, I am worried about the casting. I hate to admit it but I have seen Brandon Routh before, on the soap One Life To Live. To call his acting wooden would be an insult to wood. In a sea of young pretty faces that couldn't act their way out of a paper bag he excelled with his non acting skills. Truly dreadful. Maybe he's improved since he was I believe canned from the soap in that last couple of years, but it would have to be an improvement of supermanish proportions to make him even bearable.

MBE

Alex

I guess all things change and all that, have to improve and add to, anything too well known, must be altered to fit into the frame, everyone's a genius and must show it at chance.

From what I gathered from the press release publicity photo, the suit and the man behind it both are wrong, very wrong. You need a classically handsome man, strong chin, ala Bruce Wayne, of the early strips. And unfortunately Mr. Routh's prominent nose isn't the first thing I think of when Superman come to mind. I know this sounds harsh and unfounded in this project's infancy, but there's my two cents.

And what's up with those boots? I almost bought a pair like that once when I played Cowboy on Halloween.

Triton

Kevin Smith has a humorous anecdote in the film An Evening with Kevin Smith about his meeting with producer Jon Peters about the aborted Superman Lives project. According to Smith, Peters insisted that Smith get rid of the "faggy" blue and red suit and while he was at it to get rid of the flying.

I wonder if the darker color scheme for the red and blue caped suit and the uncaped black and silver suit was a decision made by Peters or another suit at Warner Brothers and not made by Singer himself.

However a great actor he may have been, I just think its a little ghoulish to have Marlon Brandon appear posthumously as Kal-El in a new Superman film. The use of footage shot for the 1978 Superman also invites comparisons between the older film and this new one.

I believe that Brandon Routh has his work cut out for him. Don't know if another actor can say Superman's lines with the same charm and earnestness as the late Christopher Reeve without sounding corny.

Hopefully the film's composer won't attempt a homage to John Wiliams superlative score for the 1978 film.

I also hope that they leave the Superman origin story out of this film, we don't need another reboot of a franchise. Hopefully they will just get on with the story.

Willie Garvin

Quoting darenhat:
Does anyone happen to know how "official" this Superman movie is going to be as part of the Reeves canon? Particularly, I'm wondering about the music. John Williams' score for Superman is IMO the best he's ever done and is almost part and parcel with the character now. Any Superman movie that doesn't have that incredible fanfare is going to feel like a cheap imitation to me.

Apparently this film is intended to serve as a sequel to Superman II--ignoring S.III and S.IV entirely.John Williams' theme music will be used once again and in an effort to make Routh look more like the Superman of the comics, he'll be wearing blue contact lenses.The film's being released by Warner Bros--just like the other movies were.Marlon Brando archival footage will be utilized in scenes involving Jor-El.And I'm with Triton in thinking that using Brando's image is ghoulish.I also don't think we need to see Krypton again.

J.J.Abrams' highly advertised Superman screenplay(which was a reboot and deemed completely unfilmable:Lex Luthor is a Kryptonian and one of Kal-El's relatives,plus more nonsense...)has been replaced by an entirely new one and a conscious attempt is being made to create another Superman film in the mold of the first two entries.Almost all the exposition for Superman Returns has been established in the two previous films.

All that said,and taking into consideration Singer's sincerity in saying that he wants this movie to be as good as the first two were,I'm having trouble with Brandon Routh's appearance.His physique looks okay, but like Alex,I think his nose is too prominent and some quick electralysis could've improved the look of those brows, which threaten to join over the bridge of that nose.That's not Superman--Vinnie Terranova, maybe--but not Superman.Yes,it's quite unfair to compare Routh's appearance to that of Christopher Reeve--whose resemblance to The Man of Steel was uncanny--but life's unfair and audiences have to believe that during the course of the movie he truly is Superman-and not merely someone with a passing resemblance.

For more pictures of Routh and all the other members of Superman Returns,visit this site:

http://bluetights.net

The Cat

On the issue of music, it's going to be composed by John Ottman and it takes no imdb to confirm this, since Synger and Ottman is a well-established pair: Synger directs, Ottman scores and also edits the movies. I'm rather hopeful, because Ottman has the talent to carry a magnificent score for this one.

asio

I heard they were going to use the Superman track from the Christopher Reeve films.
I never saw any of his 4 films on the big screen, so it will be nice to hear the traditional score in surround sound!

The Cat

And leave Ottman without work? Synger would never do that... )

Anyway, I could see a good reworking like Elfman did with Psycho (which got a bit too powerful) and Bernstein did for Cape Feare. Ottman already has an experience in reworking classic themes (Halloween)...

canoe2

Is everyone sure that the photo of the suit is an "official" release? It looks like something they would use as a "sample" of possible costume taken in pre-production, especially because of the hair and the background. I know Singer has been great about allowing access to the filming of the film, releasing video diaries and not complaining when images pop up from the farm or the crash site. But does WB think this was the shot that was going to stir up fan interest?

Willie Garvin

Quoting canoe2:
Is everyone sure that the photo of the suit is an "official" release? It looks like something they would use as a "sample" of possible costume taken in pre-production, especially because of the hair and the background. I know Singer has been great about allowing access to the filming of the film, releasing video diaries and not complaining when images pop up from the farm or the crash site. But does WB think this was the shot that was going to stir up fan interest?

The executives at Warners probably don't know anything about Superman--other than he can fly,is incredibly strong and wears a cape.And as long as he can make them plenty of money that's probably all they care to know.

But your observation is a good one--maybe this is a prototype costume or even a costume to be worn at a later point in the film,like that black one with the silver shield(which sounds very similar to the one Superman briefly wore in the comics after his return from the dead a few years back).Something for the toymakers to base their next line of Superman action figures on.

MBE_

Warners proudly leaked a photos of that wonderfully hideous Catwoman suit early, and as much as people thought it was a mock up or a joke, it alas wasn't.

MBE