Superman Returns

I read this yesterday about the new Superman movie that is coming out next summer. It sounds very promising. I love the fact that they are not totally reinventing the character but are actually building off the story of 1978's Superman and 1980's Superman II. And they are using John Williams' theme!!

This is a report from a guy who attended Comic-Con this past weekend in San Diego. Director Bryan Singer (who also directed the X-Men movies) flew from the set in Australia to give the presentation to over 6,000 fans.

Singer noted that the upcoming film very much uses Richard Donnor's original 1978 Superman: The Movie as its launching point, placing both it and Superman 2 into a kind of vague but reverent history. It thankfully assumes that the awful Superman III and Superman IV never happened. The look and spirit of the film is also very influenced by the Max Fleischer animated shorts from the 1950s. And yes... the John Williams theme WILL be featured. The film deals with issues of fathers and sons, the need for hope and what happens when people come to depend on a 'messiah' too much. It's also very much a romantic story, dealing with Clark Kent and Lois Lane's relationship. It seems that Superman's been away for the last 15 years on a pilgrimage to his long dead home planet Krypton. While he's been away, the people of Earth (and Lois) seem to have given up hope and moved on. When he finally returns, looking younger than when people last saw him, Superman must deal with the changes in his adopted society and try to find his place in it again. Naturally, Lex Luthor has plans of his own. There will be some humor, but plenty of action and a dark edge to the film, particularly with regard to the character of Luthor. Marlon Brando WILL reprise his role as Jor-El, but the part will be very small and will be voice only (culled from audio originally recorded, but not used, for Superman II). And according to Warner Bros. chief Alan Horn (see this link at Fox news), the film will be dedicated in memory of Christopher Reeve.

Now for that trailer. Singer described it as "a quick reel we put together for you", but clearly he was just having fun with the crowd. It opens with shots of the Kent farm - amazingly, Singer has managed to capture the EXACT texture and feel of Donner's film. Over this, we hear Superman's mother asking, "Why Earth, Jor-El? They're primitives, thousands of years behind us." The response comes from a voice that is unmistakably Brando's: "He will need that advantage to survive..." Next we see what seems to be the return of Superman to the Kent farm, via crashed spaceship... Clark's return to the Daily Planet... reacquainting with Lois, and meeting people we assume are her son and husband - a husband who seems to be jealous of Lois' previous feelings for Clark... some kind of disaster in the offing... and a bald-headed Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor holding up one of those gleaming-green Kryptionian memory crystals with an ominous look on his face. All of this as Williams' unmistakable music plays softly. By the way, the casting - at least based on this trailer - is spot-on perfect. Everyone seems to fill out their roles perfectly, including Routh and Kate Bosworth as Lois. And let me tell you, Spacey is going to tear up the house as Lex. Mark my words. The trailer ends with a shot of Superman in space, hovering over the Earth, seeming to be contemplating his next move. Suddenly, he makes a decision and rockets down out of view with a look of determination. The camera cuts to watch his departure... he's already just a speck glowing with plasma as he re-enters the atmosphere. Suddenly, we hear a sonic boom... and Williams' signature theme plays as we see the words: "On June 30, 2006... Look to the Skies!" and then the stylized "S" logo hits to end the clip.