In 2012, Superman will once again fly across the big screen. The announcement came earlier this week that Warner Bros. Pictures has cast actor Henry Cavill in the role of the Man of Steel and expects a December 2012 release date. While very talented people are involved in this new reboot of the now classic story, the real motivator here is money. And that might not be a bad thing.
When last we saw the hero from the planet Krypton in a theatrical release it was in Bryan Singer’s arguably odd attempt to build on the world fostered by Richard Donner in the late 1970s. Singer’s “Superman Returns” released in 2006 was largely considered a box office and critical failure, but I thought the movie was a good way to begin things again without throwing out what came before. Of course, such an experiment was the movie’s undoing. The world created by Singer was cold and even alien lacking the campy hipness that so permeated the 1978 Donner original. With Kevin Spacey filling in for Gene Hackman as the egg-headed Lex Luthor and Brandon Routh as a youthful version of Superman, “Returns” had solid talent involved but never spawned a sequel (or whatever you’d call it) giving that cast a chance to show us what they were capable of.
Now we have a complete reboot on the way being referred to as “Superman: Man of Steel.” That square sounding title really ain’t bad, because there is no cornier super out there (except maybe in Marvel terms Captain America). This take on the legendary comic story is from the minds of David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan, two of the most original thinkers working in Hollywood. Goyer has worked with Nolan on his two outstanding Batman films and is credited with the screenplay for “Batman Begins.” This is significant because Goyer with Nolan’s help was able to restart the Batman series taking it in a direction few would have thought possible. The key was in making the stories more concrete and believable than previously attempted. Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” ended up being not only one of the best superhero movies ever made but one of the best crime movies of the decade.
Both Goyer and Nolan seem to understand the great metaphor that the comic book universe offers for our universe. And given the fact that Zack Snyder (“Watchmen”) will be in the director seat on this new “Superman” movie, expectations are very high. But will that work to its disadvantage especially given the hotly anticipated summer 2012 release of the Nolan directed “The Dark Knight Rises?” And how will both films distinguish themselves?
Singer’s Superman was a dark picture both narratively and visually. The Nolan helmed Batman films are equally noirish with good reason–Batman is really a gumshoe. But one of the best things about the Donner Superman film was how light and airy it was in almost every way. Superman is an extremely positive guy. Sure, he has his inner angst, but focusing on that aspect of his personality too much was Singer’s main misstep. Anyone approaching this material will need to keep in mind that Superman isn’t really one of us, he’s an alien and has accepted his role as our protector. The Man of Steel can flirt with leaving his powers behind, but without the great strength, x-ray vision, and the ability to fly, he’s truly an unhappy camper.
Below I’ve included embeds of the trailers for the 1978 Richard Donner “Superman” and the trailer for the 2006 Bryan Singer continuation. The trailer I chose to use for the 1978 film was created by a fan but captures the essence of the film excellently. Just from the trailers you can clearly notice the difference in tone between the two films (made two decades apart). Just how the reboot will handle subtle tonality this time around will be critical, because if a new “Superman” turns out to be just an okay entry in the series, we might not see the Man of Steel fly for many years to come.
