Those feisty Latin hunks over at Latino Review have an exclusive scoop: David Goyer (Batman Begins, Blade Trinity) has been hired to write the new Superman movie with the hopefully-appropriate title The Man Of Steel. The film will apparently launch off from the other movies, assuming that everyone on the planet knows the origin of Superman by now. Goyer's screenplay supposedly features both Brainiac and Lex Luthor as villains this time around, while also acknowledging the internet's effect on the Daily Planet's budget in a cute aside. Also in the story is the (slightly disappointing) news that Brandon Routh will not continue in the role of the Kryptonian demi-god. Hopefully that also means that the dreadfully boring Kate Bosworth will not continue to deflate the role of plucky newspaper reporter Lois Lane. Man, she was horrible. Bryan Singer is not expected to direct at this point. From my perspective, Superman is a character that has yet to be displayed properly. The closest the films have come to achieving that balance is Superman 2, which contained unforgettable set pieces and some wonderful character moments. However, even that film suffered from some crappy effects work and some sloppy screenwriting. The original Superman was a majestic film carried by a few great performances and a brilliant score from John Williams, but it is also over-long and dull in spots. The third and fourth films in the series are atrocities; the third one has only the clever idea of compounded remainders to support it, while Superman 4 barely makes any sense at all. Then came Singer's respectful and dry-as-a-cracker reboot, which had only Routh's tremendous incarnation to recommend it. So what can be done with a Superman reboot?
First and foremost, I'd like to see Routh return as Superman. I thought he was excellent in the limited role of
Superman Returns; he looks the part, sounds the part, and carried a certain dignity that I found intriguing. I'm not sure if he's interested, or if he can even fit into the costume anymore, but I thought he was the best thing about Singer's reboot. I'd also like to see a conflict bigger and more dynamic than the "Lex Luthor secures real estate" scenario we've endured several times already. Superman is a legendary character with virtually unlimited powers. Are we sure there can't be something more important for him to defend than the land rights of a few California citizens? The combination of Luthor and Brainiac promises a wider and varied conflict, although it remains to be seen whether Goyer is committed to following the Brainiac storyline from the comics. I'm not sure how well that would translate to the screen.
I would like to see a deepening of the conflict within Superman himself. Does he really want to defend this planet? And, if so, why? What motivates him to do so, or what might compel him to finally risk his own life to defend it? Is it something simple like love, or is his motivation something deeper and more philosophical? This is something I've never seen explored in the films, aside from a brief taste in the midsection of
Superman 2. Superman is basically Doctor Manhattan from
Watchmen, except that the
Watchmen comics delved into those character-based conflicts while the Superman films just had him lift heavy stuff. It might be time to reassess that idea. I would also like to see a planet-wide crisis that develops from the ambitions of the villains. Too often, the main crisis of the films has been centered around The Daily Planet or Lois. What if the crisis involved the annihilation of the human race, or the planet itself? Let's speculate for a moment: what if Luthor and Brainiac (who would need an origin of some kind) contacted an alien race that wanted to do something horrible to the Earth or humanity ... compress the planet into a black hole, harvest human organs, turn the human race into an army of slaves ... and Superman needed to save the planet for humanitarian reasons. What if Superman had to debate about the needs of humans versus the needs of other beings? There you could have some meaningful conflict to the character.
I'd also like to see a force of some kind that could jeopardize Superman in some way. A creature of some kind (made genetically from Kryptonite?) that has dangerous powers, or perhaps a weapon. Dramatically, Superman is slightly dull because nothing harms him; in
Superman Returns we saw a bullet bounce off of his eyeball, for God's sake. We need to see Superman actually struggle, and not from the same old Kryptonite crutch that every other film has presented as "drama." It's time we saw Superman actually suffer and struggle. I wouldn't mind seeing Superman grapple with feelings of anger over injustice. When ordinary people see suffering in the world, we often grit our teeth and wish we had the power to change things. Superman does have that power. Does he act against injustice, or does he wait and pick his moments? Is there an emotional breaking point for a perfect man? I'd like to see these kinds of undercurrents in the character.
Many Superman fans will be relieved at the news that Bryan Singer and his gay screenwriting gang will not be involved in the new film, but I'm slightly bummed. I thought Singer's direction in
Superman Returns was excellent. The problems with the film were a boring script and some lazy performances. Singer has a terrific feel for nostalgia, and skillfully connected
Returns to the previous films in the series. If Goyer could produce a powerful script, Singer would be magnificent in the director's chair. Can Goyer pull this off? He's the screenwriter behind
Batman Begins and
The Dark Knight, so he might be able to add some emotional layers to this film. However, the guy is also responsible for
Jumper and the
Blade series, so it looks like a crap-shoot. Let's keep our finger's crossed that Goyer can find strength in the midst of a Kryptonite minefield.