4. Don't Reinvent The Wheel
Theres this desire with superhero movies to try and do something different. To try and put a new spin on the characters or their origins. And a lot of times, it's completely unnecessary. These characters have been successful for decades, and there's a very good reason for that. Clearly, theres something about them that speaks to people. All you have to do is tap into that. If the only way you can make the Green Hornet work for you is to turn him into a slacker doofus, then maybe you shouldnt be working on a Green Hornet movie. Obviously, there are things that will need to be changed, especially when youre adapting a characters early stories. Obviously any Punisher film cant show Frank Castle as being a Vietnam vet, because its just not believable. Likewise, Tony Stark fighting supervillains from communist Russia wouldnt work. So you make some changes where required to update the story and the setting. But no matter what superficial changes you make, you maintain the spirit of the character. If you want Catwoman to be a cat version of The Crow, think a Green Lantern movie should be written with Jack Black in mind, or if you want John Constantine to be an American, youre probably on the wrong track and should consider a change in direction.