Superman Returns 2: The Man of Steel was Bryan Singer's planned sequel to Superman Returns (2006), which was ultimately cancelled in favor of a full franchise reboot in the form of Man of Steel (2013). Singer promised a more action-oriented sequel, comparing it to how Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) transitioned away from the contemplative, yet long-winded take in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979).[1]
Plot[]
The premise in early outlines centered around the sunstone island that Surperman hurled into space. The large mass of Kryptonian tech continued to grow and attracts Brainiac to the Milky Way. He first became aware of Superman when one of his probes surveyed him during his five year trip in the crystal spacecraft exploring the remnants of hist lost homeworld. In a brief opening action scene, the bank robber who shot Superman in the eye around the middle of the first film would turn out to be John Corben, a.k.a. Metallo. The human cyborg is defeated and Superman gets applause from the public.
When Brainiac's spacecraft arrives Superman greets him. Brainiac deceives Superman by appearing to be an ordinary Kryptonian survivor like him, asking why he has not re-educated Earth's natives to improve their lifestyle. Superman explains he has sworn not to interfere with the natural progress of human society. Brainiac disagrees and begins to interact with various nations, eventually causing wars to break out. Superman aids USAF fighter jets in an action scene previously planned in the first movie.
Superman becomes a pariah and investigates the innards of Brainiac's ship. He finds an army of clone bodies that resemble the visitor and learns that he is actually a ruthless artificial intelligence that destroyed his homeworld. Brainiac has chosen Jason White as his genetic host, causing him to rapidly age into full adulthood. Superman must sacrifice his son to stop the A.I. threat.
Cast[]
- Brandon Routh as Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman
- Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane
- Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor
- Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen
- Frank Langella as Perry White
- James Marsden as Richard White
- Tristan Lake Leabu as Jason White
- Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski
Production[]
In February 2006, four months before the release of Superman Returns, Warner Bros. announced a mid-2009 theatrical release date for a sequel, with Bryan Singer reprising his directing duties. Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey, Sam Huntington, Frank Langella, and Tristan Lake Leabu were to reprise their roles. Due to his commitment, Singer dropped out of directing a remake of Logan's Run and an adaptation of The Mayor of Castro Street. Although Superman Returns received mostly positive reviews, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures were disappointed by the film's box office return. Then Warner Bros. President Alan F. Horn explained that though Superman Returns was a successful film, it "should have done $500 million worldwide. We should have had perhaps a little more action to satisfy the young male crowd." Singer reacted incredulously to the studio complaints, saying, "That movie made $400 million! I don't know what constitutes under-performing these days ." $175 million was the maximum budget Warner Bros. was projecting for the sequel, as Superman Returns cost $209 million.
Filming for the sequel was to start in mid-2007, before Singer halted development in favor of Valkyrie. Filming was then pushed to March 2008, but writers Dougherty and Dan Harris left in favor of other career opportunities. The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America Strike pushed the release date to 2010. Singer still listed the sequel as a priority in March 2008, saying that the film was in early development. Routh expected filming to begin in early 2009. Paul Levitz, president of DC Comics, expected Routh to reprise the title role from Superman Returns before his contract for a sequel expired in 2009. However, with Warner Bros. deciding to reboot the film series, Singer dropped out in favor of directing Jack the Giant Killer and a film adaptation of the 1970s series Battlestar Galactica. "Superman Returns didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," Warner Bros. President of Production Jeff Robinov reflected in August 2008. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned. Had Superman worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009. Now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."
References[]
- ↑ Interview: Bryan Singer On Trek TrekMovie.com