(coincidently: Ron Ely, who played Doc in the campy 70's version also portrayed the star-spangled daredevil Knievel...but that's not what made me think of Eads)
FYI, the George Eads Knievel movie came and went; it was a TV movie that was released back in late 2004 / early 2005. Pretty forgettable with some very lame stunts.
As a longtime, Evel Knievel nut, I don't ever recall Ron Ely playing that part. Are you sure you're not thinking of the George Hamilton movie from the early 70's?
(coincidently: Ron Ely, who played Doc in the campy 70's version also portrayed the star-spangled daredevil Knievel...but that's not what made me think of Eads)
FYI, the George Eads Knievel movie came and went; it was a TV movie that was released back in late 2004 / early 2005. Pretty forgettable with some very lame stunts.
As a longtime, Evel Knievel nut, I don't ever recall Ron Ely playing that part. Are you sure you're not thinking of the George Hamilton movie from the early 70's?
I think your right...Ron Ely never played the part. I was young when I saw it, and wires must have crossed in my brain somewhere...although I don't remember George Hamilton at all. The movie I was thinking about was Viva Knievel...but Knievel portrayed himself in that one. My memory has turned to mush over the past thirty years!
Too bad to hear the Eads/Knievel thing wasn't anything special...would have liked to have seen it, though.
I think your right...Ron Ely never played the part. I was young when I saw it, and wires must have crossed in my brain somewhere...although I don't remember George Hamilton at all. The movie I was thinking about was Viva Knievel...but Knievel portrayed himself in that one. My memory has turned to mush over the past thirty years!
Too bad to hear the Eads/Knievel thing wasn't anything special...would have liked to have seen it, though.
Yes, the Eads/Knievel movie was your typical made-for-TV movie of the week; very low production values and sub-par stunts and effects. From what I remember, it also wasn't very accurate as it ignored major events like Evel's crash at Wembley Stadium. The best thing about it was probably Jaime Pressly, who played Evel's wife.
Viva Knievel was one of those movies that was fun to watch because it was just so bad. They actually had some pretty good motorcycle stunts but the plot (Evel takes on some drug dealers) and the acting were awful. I can still hear the title song: Viva...Viva Knievel... )
The George Hamilton movie is actually the best of the bunch (although that isn't saying very much). It was a low budget affair but at least it was smart enough to incorporate footage of Evel's actual jumps into the film.
I'll bet that's more Evel info than you ever wanted to know.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
That is a nice poster...however that cape looks painted on. Or perhaps it's just the material it's made of...
I know what you mean, it seems like there are too many ruffles in the cape. Still a great poster though; it gives me a bit of an Alex Ross vibe with the pose and all.
I'm really looking forward to this movie; I just hope I don't set my expectations too him and thus set myself up for a letdown.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
That is a nice poster...however that cape looks painted on. Or perhaps it's just the material it's made of...
I know what you mean, it seems like there are too many ruffles in the cape. Still a great poster though; it gives me a bit of an Alex Ross vibe with the pose and all.
I'm really looking forward to this movie; I just hope I don't set my expectations too him and thus set myself up for a letdown.
This is a letdown that I'm anticipating. I think that this film will dwarf X-3 by comparison...
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I remember reading the Death Of Superman arc,which I still have in a box somewhere,and I was wondering,what are the chances of Doomsday appearing in a Superman sequel?
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
I remember reading the Death Of Superman arc,which I still have in a box somewhere,and I was wondering,what are the chances of Doomsday appearing in a Superman sequel?
I've thought about that myself on many occasions. I think that the franchise needs a formidible advesary other than the foppish General Zod from that second movie and that sun-charged cut-out villian from Supes 4.
Doomsday would be perfect if done right.
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I remember reading the Death Of Superman arc,which I still have in a box somewhere,and I was wondering,what are the chances of Doomsday appearing in a Superman sequel?
I've thought about that myself on many occasions. I think that the franchise needs a formidible advesary other than the foppish General Zod from that second movie and that sun-charged cut-out villian from Supes 4.
Doomsday would be perfect if done right.
I remember reading an unused 1st draft screenplay for Superman Returns written by Kevin Smith. The ultimate villains were Brainiac and Lex Luthor but the first act had Superman taking on Doomsday (and dying). Like the book, the Eradicator (which at the time was lying inert in the Fortress of Solitude) revived Supes in time for him to save the day. At the time Tim Burton was supposed to direct and Nicholas Cage was attached to the project to play the man of steel. While I enjoyed the screenplay, the thought of Cage as Supes was just too offbeat a casting choice for me. Once the fans caught wind of it there was a mammoth letter campain to WB, though I hear what ultimately killed that iteration was some test footage of Cage in the red and blue tights and Burton's inability to come up with a vision for Superman that the studio liked.
Problem with Superman is that once you get by Lex Luthor, he really doesn't have any great villains in his rogues galley (nothing like Batman anyway). Darkseid would be my choice was well as I love Kirby's New Gods story and he's one of the few beings who can probably take Superman in a one on one fight. But something tells me you'd probably have to simplify his connection to the whole New Gods universe to make it accessible to the masses.
Superman IV? Nuclear Man? Never heard of that one. You must be mistaken. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that Richard Pryor was in a Superman movie or that Daniel Craig is going to play James Bond. Honestly, stuff like that just doesn't happen.
Looks better and better. The scene of Lex stabbing Supes looks very powerful. Bye bye campy Luthor, I think.
BTW, in case anybody is not aware, this movie will also be playing at Imax screens and word has it that there will be a sequence in the movie that is in 3D exclusively at the Imax shows.
I remember reading the Death Of Superman arc,which I still have in a box somewhere,and I was wondering,what are the chances of Doomsday appearing in a Superman sequel?
I've thought about that myself on many occasions. I think that the franchise needs a formidible advesary other than the foppish General Zod from that second movie and that sun-charged cut-out villian from Supes 4.
Doomsday would be perfect if done right.
I remember reading an unused 1st draft screenplay for Superman Returns written by Kevin Smith. The ultimate villains were Brainiac and Lex Luthor but the first act had Superman taking on Doomsday (and dying). Like the book, the Eradicator (which at the time was lying inert in the Fortress of Solitude) revived Supes in time for him to save the day. At the time Tim Burton was supposed to direct and Nicholas Cage was attached to the project to play the man of steel. While I enjoyed the screenplay, the thought of Cage as Supes was just too offbeat a casting choice for me. Once the fans caught wind of it there was a mammoth letter campain to WB, though I hear what ultimately killed that iteration was some test footage of Cage in the red and blue tights and Burton's inability to come up with a vision for Superman that the studio liked.
Problem with Superman is that once you get by Lex Luthor, he really doesn't have any great villains in his rogues galley (nothing like Batman anyway). Darkseid would be my choice was well as I love Kirby's New Gods story and he's one of the few beings who can probably take Superman in a one on one fight. But something tells me you'd probably have to simplify his connection to the whole New Gods universe to make it accessible to the masses.
Superman IV? Nuclear Man? Never heard of that one. You must be mistaken. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that Richard Pryor was in a Superman movie or that Daniel Craig is going to play James Bond. Honestly, stuff like that just doesn't happen.
)
One of my abiding memories of Superman IV is a scene when he flys through the Metropolis subway and you can clearly see a London Underground sign!
If they had Doomsday in a film he would have to be the main villain.In the comics his fight with Superman is non-stop and goes on forever.They would have to limit this to the end of the film which would allow for a Supes/Clark narrative while they unveiled Doomsday slowly.Doomsday was a biological experiment wasn't he? What happened to him in the end? Does he still appear in the comics?
Doomsday was a biological experiment wasn't he? What happened to him in the end? Does he still appear in the comics?
It was revealed in Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey that he was created by Kryptonian scientists thousands of years prior to Krypton's destruction and was designed to regenerate after being killed. His deep hatred for Superman stemmed from the memories of his many deaths at the hands of the Kryptonian scientists.
He was killed off at the end of Hunter/Prey when Superman took him forward in time to to end of creation, at which point the universe has collapsed back upon itself so that nothing could survive.
The last book I read about him had him being somehow resurrected by Brainiac. I think he ended up on the moon in constant state of statis as he was beamed back and forth between several transport tubes. Not a very satisfying ending to such an imposing character and I don't know if he ever popped up again after that.
Another very good Doomsday book is Doomsday: Year 1, in which we see some of his appearances throughout the ages as he runs afoul of Darkseid and the Green Lantern Corps, among others.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
I remember that battle between Supes and Doomsday being beautifully drawn by Dan Jurgens.
Anyone still have their copy in the infamous plastic death wrapper?
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I remember that battle between Supes and Doomsday being beautifully drawn by Dan Jurgens.
Anyone still have their copy in the infamous plastic death wrapper?
Dan Jurgens did a good job on that story; I still have it in my collection.
I'm pretty sure I still have the bagged Death of Superman. I remember buying a package from QVC at the time and that book was part of it. I'll have to see if I still have it sealed.
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
I remember that battle between Supes and Doomsday being beautifully drawn by Dan Jurgens.
Anyone still have their copy in the infamous plastic death wrapper?
Dan Jurgens did a good job on that story; I still have it in my collection.
I'm pretty sure I still have the bagged Death of Superman. I remember buying a package from QVC at the time and that book was part of it. I'll have to see if I still have it sealed.
I remember my LCS limiting customers to just one copy and the line was out of the door.
Had they kept Superman dead maybe the value may have held a bit more. Unfortunately, in the end, all it was was just another ploy to generate sales on a somewhat stagnant title...
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
NightshooterIn bed with SolitairePosts: 2,917MI6 Agent
Not being a Superman fan, I don't keep up with what happens to him. When did he start the whole Superman Red/Blue thing, and when and why did that end?
RogueAgentSpeeding in the Tumbler...Posts: 3,676MI6 Agent
Not being a Superman fan, I don't keep up with what happens to him. When did he start the whole Superman Red/Blue thing, and when and why did that end?
Respectfully, Night, you may have been in daycare if that since it was the early 90s...why it stopped I know was because fans didn't like "change" and letters poured into DC offices as to demand they bring back the more classic look if I recall...
I'm sure someone else can explain in more detail....
Mrs. Man Face: "You wouldn't hit a lady? Would you?"
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice isUNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Not being a Superman fan, I don't keep up with what happens to him. When did he start the whole Superman Red/Blue thing, and when and why did that end?
Respectfully, Night, you may have been in daycare if that since it was the early 90s...why it stopped I know was because fans didn't like "change" and letters poured into DC offices as to demand they bring back the more classic look if I recall...
I'm sure someone else can explain in more detail....
That was about when I stopped reading comics regularly as it seemed there was a new "Event" happening every month and it was clear that they were all gimmicks to increase sales. I honestly don't recall how Superman split into Red and Blue or why or how he came back to normal. I haven't really read any books regularly since that time.
Another thing I didn't care for was the explicit encroachment of religion into the mainstream DC titles. All of a sudden it seems we had God and Lucifer and so many angels and such interacting with all the mainstream heroes on a seemingly monthly basis. Heaven and Hell just became easily reachable destinations for everybody to have more adventures in. That kind of mix never felt natural to me; I never bought into it and it was another reason I stopped reading the books back in the early 90's. Now, I don't have anything against religion (I'm a good Catholic boy) but I just didn't find the mix appealing.
Other than Green Lantern I haven't really followed any titles regularly since then.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,993Quartermasters
edited May 2006
I read quite a lot of comics for about ten years of my adult life, until I had children and a mortgage, so I was there for the whole 'Death of Superman' phenomenon, 'The Dark Knight Returns,' etc. I'm glad that a couple of the most iconic DC characters have gotten back into the film game---now that DC has seen how much money can be made (hello Marvel Films!) if the characters are treated with respect.
Comic book hero films I'm looking forward to: Superman Returns (of course), X3 and Spiderman 3. Ghost Rider I can take or leave...
With projects like Captain America, Nick Fury and Iron Man in development, I think the future looks bright. I'd love to see: Starman, The Green Hornet, Doc Savage, Green Lantern.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I read quite a lot of comics for about ten years of my adult life, until I had children and a mortgage, so I was there for the whole 'Death of Superman' phenomenon, 'The Dark Knight Returns,' etc., so I'm glad that a couple of the most iconic DC characters have gotten back into the film game---now that DC has seen how much money can be made (hello Marvel Films!) if the characters are treated with respect.
Comic book hero films I'm looking forward to: Superman Returns (of course), X3 and Spiderman 3. Ghost Rider I can take or leave...
With projects like Captain America, Nick Fury and Iron Man in development, I think the future looks bright. I'd love to see: Starman, The Green Hornet, Doc Savage, Green Lantern.
You really hit on the right word: for my money, as long as the filmmakers treat the material with respect and are not ashamed of its comic book heritage, then I'm sure to get some entertainment out of it.
As an example, I enjoyed The Hulk because Ang Lee gave us a character who really looked like he came right out of the books. He really embraced the comics syle, right down to the multiple panels in some scenes. Even though the pacing was off in a lot of places and he took some liberties with the origin, he really nailed the look for me and delivered a very serious, literate, adult take on the character. I also enjoyed The Punisher for a lot of the same reasons; there were some liberties taken with the events, but the character rang very true to what I remember from the book.
Going forward, I'd love to see a good version of Captain America (and it might not hurt to set it during WWII for a different angle), Iron Man (my favorite book when I was a kid), Green Lantern (the Hal Jordan GL of course) and Dr. Fate (as WG mentioned, Stephen Sommers would have a field day with something like this given his work on the Mummy movies).
I read quite a lot of comics for about ten years of my adult life, until I had children and a mortgage, so I was there for the whole 'Death of Superman' phenomenon, 'The Dark Knight Returns,' etc., so I'm glad that a couple of the most iconic DC characters have gotten back into the film game---now that DC has seen how much money can be made (hello Marvel Films!) if the characters are treated with respect.
Comic book hero films I'm looking forward to: Superman Returns (of course), X3 and Spiderman 3. Ghost Rider I can take or leave...
With projects like Captain America, Nick Fury and Iron Man in development, I think the future looks bright. I'd love to see: Starman, The Green Hornet, Doc Savage, Green Lantern.
You really hit on the right word: for my money, as long as the filmmakers treat the material with respect and are not ashamed of its comic book heritage, then I'm sure to get some entertainment out of it.
As an example, I enjoyed The Hulk because Ang Lee gave us a character who really looked like he came right out of the books. He really embraced the comics syle, right down to the multiple panels in some scenes. Even though the pacing was off in a lot of places and he took some liberties with the origin, he really nailed the look for me and delivered a very serious, literate, adult take on the character. I also enjoyed The Punisher for a lot of the same reasons; there were some liberties taken with the events, but the character rang very true to what I remember from the book.
Going forward, I'd love to see a good version of Captain America (and it might not hurt to set it during WWII for a different angle), Iron Man (my favorite book when I was a kid), Green Lantern (the Hal Jordan GL of course) and Dr. Fate (as WG mentioned, Stephen Sommers would have a field day with something like this given his work on the Mummy movies).
Respect is defintely the key word.The moment a filmmaker acquires the rights to a famous comics character's name but then proceeds to alter it beyond recognition--sometimes to the point of making fun of it-- is when the film is doomed to failure.Good characters are good characters--even if they come from the comics.
For a moment I'm going to pretend that I'm making some comic book movies.Here's what I might do:
I think a Captain America movie would work best if it was set during World War II.I've enjoyed some of the stuff set in modern times, but Cap seems to really shine when he's in his original time period.In the 1980s Roger Stern and John Byrne were responsible for some of the finest Cap comics I've ever read.Their retelling of the Simon/Kirby Captain America origin story was absolutely superb.If I was making a Cap movie I'd use that interpretation as the basis of the first film while also retaining elements from the S/K stuff.There'd be at least 2 CA movies-possibly 3,and all of them would presented in the general motion picture serial style used so well for the Indiana Jones films.There'd be everything in these:The Red Skull,haunted castles,mad scientists and their monsters--the works.
Steve Rogers would probably have almost as much screen time as his costumed alter ego, so the actor selected would have to be a talented one and he'd also look like the character.No Bucky though.And no "Dark Captain America." Cap's an upbeat character.He'd have the distinctive round shield and the flag on the chest but he might also carry a sidearm.I didn't like this in the Republic Captain America serial,but that was about a District Attorney playing vigilante and driving around L.A. in costume shooting crooks.Great stuntwork but not really Cap.
However,during wartime and while fighting Nazis and werewolves and other evil beings,a .45 and a knife or two wouldn't seem out of place for Captain America--to me anyway.And yes--there'd be wings on Cap's cowl.
David Michelinie and Bob Layton came up with an excellent run of Iron Man stories in the 80s.It was critically acclaimed within the comics industry.These stories not only covered Iron Man's origin but also were careful to place the main focus on Tony Stark and added an extra dimension to the character.That's what I'd do as well.The armor is very interesting of course, but it's the man who wears it who is more important.In a sense,Tony Stark is not unlike Bruce Wayne.
I'd also bring Bethany Cabe and the insidious Justin Hammer into the mix and put them on the screen.In my opinion,a cinematic Iron Man needs something along the lines of the storytelling style the Bond films generally use.A style also used by such films as Batman Begins and The Phantom.
And for a project like Blackhawk,the Dirty Dozen and the Guns of Navarone would serve as general templates.
Brad Bird's wanted to animate The Spirit for quite awhile.It'd be interesting to see--especially if he ramped up the film noirish appearance,perhaps computer animating Will Eisner's style ala' The Incredibles.
Then there's Mike Grell's Jon Sable--handled correctly,this could be an American James Bond(there was a brief and awkward tv series but this character really needs to be in movies).And Grell's Warlord has the potential for a unique series of sword and sorcery films.The CGI people would be working overtime here- but always in support of the characters.
And Mark Evanier's CrossFire would be relatively inexpensive as far as costumes go--just a cowl with normal clothing.Retain everthing--including the Hollywood setting.Evanier, who's a successful screenwriter, should provide the screenplay.
An animated version of The Long Halloween--perhaps as a miniseries for cable,would be fun to see.
Just a few random thoughts on what I'd like to see...
A word of advice, keep watching even after the Superman logo appears at the end, there's one final new scene...
I finally watched the full trailer and I think it bodes well for the film.The plane sequence looks amazing.I really like the casting of Routh who looks the part and will be easy to accept as Superman because we've never really seen him in much else.Lois Lane and cute moppet son looks slightly ominous but fingers crosed they've handled that well.It has been suggested that this film is set in a post Superman II timeline.I don't know if this is strictly true but could we see General Zod return in some way?
A word of advice, keep watching even after the Superman logo appears at the end, there's one final new scene...
I finally watched the full trailer and I think it bodes well for the film.The plane sequence looks amazing.I really like the casting of Routh who looks the part and will be easy to accept as Superman because we've never really seen him in much else.Lois Lane and cute moppet son looks slightly ominous but fingers crosed they've handled that well.It has been suggested that this film is set in a post Superman II timeline.I don't know if this is strictly true but could we see General Zod return in some way?
Anything's possibile. From what I've read, the film loosely ties into events from the first two movies. Thus we have Brando as Jor El, a very familiar looking Fortress of Solitude and even a picture of Glenn Ford with young Clark.
Well I just finished my vow to re-watch the Superman movies. It was all I could do to stomach Superman III. I just reviewed Superman IV. And it was garbage as I remembered it to be. I'm glad that Singer is making an effort to concentrate on the first two only. The others started straying way off the mark. Topped by Mariel Hemingway flying through space in a skirt and high heels.
Although...I will say, alluding to our earlier conversation about Doc Savage...the gent who played the "Nuclear Guy" (sorry, haven't researched his name yet) in Supes IV was certainly Clark Savage, Jr. material. Don't have much to judge on his acting chops based on the role he was in, but he was required to ham it up for that part. Wonder what he looks like today...
Well I just finished my vow to re-watch the Superman movies. It was all I could do to stomach Superman III.
It has been years since I last saw III (I may in fact have seen it just once) and I know that everybody hates it, but I would really like to see it again as I don't remember it at all. Another reason why I want to see it again (other than the fact that I love the Superman films and I don't remember III) is, if my memory serves me correctly, it features Lana Lang. It would be interesting to compare the cinematic version to the TV version.
BTW, I recently rewatched II, and I know that I'm in a minority here, but I loved Gene Hackman's Luthor. Obviously, Spacey will provide a different interpretation, but I have always felt that Hackman's interpretation (particular in the first film) matched the tone of the films perfectly.
"He’s a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back—that’s an earthquake. and then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you’re finished. Nobody dast blame this man. A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory." Death of a Salesman
Comments
FYI, the George Eads Knievel movie came and went; it was a TV movie that was released back in late 2004 / early 2005. Pretty forgettable with some very lame stunts.
As a longtime, Evel Knievel nut, I don't ever recall Ron Ely playing that part. Are you sure you're not thinking of the George Hamilton movie from the early 70's?
I think your right...Ron Ely never played the part. I was young when I saw it, and wires must have crossed in my brain somewhere...although I don't remember George Hamilton at all. The movie I was thinking about was Viva Knievel...but Knievel portrayed himself in that one. My memory has turned to mush over the past thirty years!
Too bad to hear the Eads/Knievel thing wasn't anything special...would have liked to have seen it, though.
Yes, the Eads/Knievel movie was your typical made-for-TV movie of the week; very low production values and sub-par stunts and effects. From what I remember, it also wasn't very accurate as it ignored major events like Evel's crash at Wembley Stadium. The best thing about it was probably Jaime Pressly, who played Evel's wife.
Viva Knievel was one of those movies that was fun to watch because it was just so bad. They actually had some pretty good motorcycle stunts but the plot (Evel takes on some drug dealers) and the acting were awful. I can still hear the title song: Viva...Viva Knievel...
The George Hamilton movie is actually the best of the bunch (although that isn't saying very much). It was a low budget affair but at least it was smart enough to incorporate footage of Evel's actual jumps into the film.
I'll bet that's more Evel info than you ever wanted to know.
That is a nice poster...however that cape looks painted on. Or perhaps it's just the material it's made of...
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I know what you mean, it seems like there are too many ruffles in the cape. Still a great poster though; it gives me a bit of an Alex Ross vibe with the pose and all.
I'm really looking forward to this movie; I just hope I don't set my expectations too him and thus set myself up for a letdown.
This is a letdown that I'm anticipating. I think that this film will dwarf X-3 by comparison...
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I've thought about that myself on many occasions. I think that the franchise needs a formidible advesary other than the foppish General Zod from that second movie and that sun-charged cut-out villian from Supes 4.
Doomsday would be perfect if done right.
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
And how long before they explore the possibility of putting Braniac into one of these? Or even better, Darkseid?
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
I remember reading an unused 1st draft screenplay for Superman Returns written by Kevin Smith. The ultimate villains were Brainiac and Lex Luthor but the first act had Superman taking on Doomsday (and dying). Like the book, the Eradicator (which at the time was lying inert in the Fortress of Solitude) revived Supes in time for him to save the day. At the time Tim Burton was supposed to direct and Nicholas Cage was attached to the project to play the man of steel. While I enjoyed the screenplay, the thought of Cage as Supes was just too offbeat a casting choice for me. Once the fans caught wind of it there was a mammoth letter campain to WB, though I hear what ultimately killed that iteration was some test footage of Cage in the red and blue tights and Burton's inability to come up with a vision for Superman that the studio liked.
Problem with Superman is that once you get by Lex Luthor, he really doesn't have any great villains in his rogues galley (nothing like Batman anyway). Darkseid would be my choice was well as I love Kirby's New Gods story and he's one of the few beings who can probably take Superman in a one on one fight. But something tells me you'd probably have to simplify his connection to the whole New Gods universe to make it accessible to the masses.
Superman IV? Nuclear Man? Never heard of that one. You must be mistaken. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that Richard Pryor was in a Superman movie or that Daniel Craig is going to play James Bond. Honestly, stuff like that just doesn't happen.
http://rss.warnerbros.com/supermanreturns/
and another one here...
http://www.brandonrouth.com/2006/05/superman-returns-tv-spot-3.html
Looks better and better. The scene of Lex stabbing Supes looks very powerful. Bye bye campy Luthor, I think.
BTW, in case anybody is not aware, this movie will also be playing at Imax screens and word has it that there will be a sequence in the movie that is in 3D exclusively at the Imax shows.
Sorry if everybody else has seen it already...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3U-qNNhO8hE
This guy is a genius.
One of my abiding memories of Superman IV is a scene when he flys through the Metropolis subway and you can clearly see a London Underground sign!
If they had Doomsday in a film he would have to be the main villain.In the comics his fight with Superman is non-stop and goes on forever.They would have to limit this to the end of the film which would allow for a Supes/Clark narrative while they unveiled Doomsday slowly.Doomsday was a biological experiment wasn't he? What happened to him in the end? Does he still appear in the comics?
It was revealed in Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey that he was created by Kryptonian scientists thousands of years prior to Krypton's destruction and was designed to regenerate after being killed. His deep hatred for Superman stemmed from the memories of his many deaths at the hands of the Kryptonian scientists.
He was killed off at the end of Hunter/Prey when Superman took him forward in time to to end of creation, at which point the universe has collapsed back upon itself so that nothing could survive.
The last book I read about him had him being somehow resurrected by Brainiac. I think he ended up on the moon in constant state of statis as he was beamed back and forth between several transport tubes. Not a very satisfying ending to such an imposing character and I don't know if he ever popped up again after that.
Another very good Doomsday book is Doomsday: Year 1, in which we see some of his appearances throughout the ages as he runs afoul of Darkseid and the Green Lantern Corps, among others.
Anyone still have their copy in the infamous plastic death wrapper?
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Dan Jurgens did a good job on that story; I still have it in my collection.
I'm pretty sure I still have the bagged Death of Superman. I remember buying a package from QVC at the time and that book was part of it. I'll have to see if I still have it sealed.
I remember my LCS limiting customers to just one copy and the line was out of the door.
Had they kept Superman dead maybe the value may have held a bit more. Unfortunately, in the end, all it was was just another ploy to generate sales on a somewhat stagnant title...
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
Respectfully, Night, you may have been in daycare if that since it was the early 90s...why it stopped I know was because fans didn't like "change" and letters poured into DC offices as to demand they bring back the more classic look if I recall...
I'm sure someone else can explain in more detail....
Batman: "The Hammer Of Justice is UNISEX!"
-Batman: The Brave & The Bold -
That was about when I stopped reading comics regularly as it seemed there was a new "Event" happening every month and it was clear that they were all gimmicks to increase sales. I honestly don't recall how Superman split into Red and Blue or why or how he came back to normal. I haven't really read any books regularly since that time.
Another thing I didn't care for was the explicit encroachment of religion into the mainstream DC titles. All of a sudden it seems we had God and Lucifer and so many angels and such interacting with all the mainstream heroes on a seemingly monthly basis. Heaven and Hell just became easily reachable destinations for everybody to have more adventures in. That kind of mix never felt natural to me; I never bought into it and it was another reason I stopped reading the books back in the early 90's. Now, I don't have anything against religion (I'm a good Catholic boy) but I just didn't find the mix appealing.
Other than Green Lantern I haven't really followed any titles regularly since then.
Comic book hero films I'm looking forward to: Superman Returns (of course), X3 and Spiderman 3. Ghost Rider I can take or leave...
With projects like Captain America, Nick Fury and Iron Man in development, I think the future looks bright. I'd love to see: Starman, The Green Hornet, Doc Savage, Green Lantern.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
You really hit on the right word: for my money, as long as the filmmakers treat the material with respect and are not ashamed of its comic book heritage, then I'm sure to get some entertainment out of it.
As an example, I enjoyed The Hulk because Ang Lee gave us a character who really looked like he came right out of the books. He really embraced the comics syle, right down to the multiple panels in some scenes. Even though the pacing was off in a lot of places and he took some liberties with the origin, he really nailed the look for me and delivered a very serious, literate, adult take on the character. I also enjoyed The Punisher for a lot of the same reasons; there were some liberties taken with the events, but the character rang very true to what I remember from the book.
Going forward, I'd love to see a good version of Captain America (and it might not hurt to set it during WWII for a different angle), Iron Man (my favorite book when I was a kid), Green Lantern (the Hal Jordan GL of course) and Dr. Fate (as WG mentioned, Stephen Sommers would have a field day with something like this given his work on the Mummy movies).
http://pdl.warnerbros.com/wbol/uk/movies/supermanreturns/superman_returns_tlrf3_qt_500.mov
A word of advice, keep watching even after the Superman logo appears at the end, there's one final new scene...
Respect is defintely the key word.The moment a filmmaker acquires the rights to a famous comics character's name but then proceeds to alter it beyond recognition--sometimes to the point of making fun of it-- is when the film is doomed to failure.Good characters are good characters--even if they come from the comics.
For a moment I'm going to pretend that I'm making some comic book movies.Here's what I might do:
I think a Captain America movie would work best if it was set during World War II.I've enjoyed some of the stuff set in modern times, but Cap seems to really shine when he's in his original time period.In the 1980s Roger Stern and John Byrne were responsible for some of the finest Cap comics I've ever read.Their retelling of the Simon/Kirby Captain America origin story was absolutely superb.If I was making a Cap movie I'd use that interpretation as the basis of the first film while also retaining elements from the S/K stuff.There'd be at least 2 CA movies-possibly 3,and all of them would presented in the general motion picture serial style used so well for the Indiana Jones films.There'd be everything in these:The Red Skull,haunted castles,mad scientists and their monsters--the works.
Steve Rogers would probably have almost as much screen time as his costumed alter ego, so the actor selected would have to be a talented one and he'd also look like the character.No Bucky though.And no "Dark Captain America." Cap's an upbeat character.He'd have the distinctive round shield and the flag on the chest but he might also carry a sidearm.I didn't like this in the Republic Captain America serial,but that was about a District Attorney playing vigilante and driving around L.A. in costume shooting crooks.Great stuntwork but not really Cap.
However,during wartime and while fighting Nazis and werewolves and other evil beings,a .45 and a knife or two wouldn't seem out of place for Captain America--to me anyway.And yes--there'd be wings on Cap's cowl.
David Michelinie and Bob Layton came up with an excellent run of Iron Man stories in the 80s.It was critically acclaimed within the comics industry.These stories not only covered Iron Man's origin but also were careful to place the main focus on Tony Stark and added an extra dimension to the character.That's what I'd do as well.The armor is very interesting of course, but it's the man who wears it who is more important.In a sense,Tony Stark is not unlike Bruce Wayne.
I'd also bring Bethany Cabe and the insidious Justin Hammer into the mix and put them on the screen.In my opinion,a cinematic Iron Man needs something along the lines of the storytelling style the Bond films generally use.A style also used by such films as Batman Begins and The Phantom.
And for a project like Blackhawk,the Dirty Dozen and the Guns of Navarone would serve as general templates.
Brad Bird's wanted to animate The Spirit for quite awhile.It'd be interesting to see--especially if he ramped up the film noirish appearance,perhaps computer animating Will Eisner's style ala' The Incredibles.
Then there's Mike Grell's Jon Sable--handled correctly,this could be an American James Bond(there was a brief and awkward tv series but this character really needs to be in movies).And Grell's Warlord has the potential for a unique series of sword and sorcery films.The CGI people would be working overtime here- but always in support of the characters.
And Mark Evanier's CrossFire would be relatively inexpensive as far as costumes go--just a cowl with normal clothing.Retain everthing--including the Hollywood setting.Evanier, who's a successful screenwriter, should provide the screenplay.
An animated version of The Long Halloween--perhaps as a miniseries for cable,would be fun to see.
Just a few random thoughts on what I'd like to see...
I finally watched the full trailer and I think it bodes well for the film.The plane sequence looks amazing.I really like the casting of Routh who looks the part and will be easy to accept as Superman because we've never really seen him in much else.Lois Lane and cute moppet son looks slightly ominous but fingers crosed they've handled that well.It has been suggested that this film is set in a post Superman II timeline.I don't know if this is strictly true but could we see General Zod return in some way?
Anything's possibile. From what I've read, the film loosely ties into events from the first two movies. Thus we have Brando as Jor El, a very familiar looking Fortress of Solitude and even a picture of Glenn Ford with young Clark.
Although...I will say, alluding to our earlier conversation about Doc Savage...the gent who played the "Nuclear Guy" (sorry, haven't researched his name yet) in Supes IV was certainly Clark Savage, Jr. material. Don't have much to judge on his acting chops based on the role he was in, but he was required to ham it up for that part. Wonder what he looks like today...
BTW, I recently rewatched II, and I know that I'm in a minority here, but I loved Gene Hackman's Luthor. Obviously, Spacey will provide a different interpretation, but I have always felt that Hackman's interpretation (particular in the first film) matched the tone of the films perfectly.
Can't wait to see Spacey as Luthor though!