Super Hero Hype posted:

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SHH - Mark Millar to Pitch Superman Sequel

Source: Mark Millar October 22, 2007

With the news that Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris are not returning to write the Superman Returns sequel, Mark Millar wants to pitch Warner Bros. his vision of the franchise. He says on his official boards:

It's 8.58am right now, my guys at CAA get into the office in about seven hours and my call will be waiting for them to talk about this. I want to revamp Superman like Hillary wants thin ankles. Revamping this franchise is what I as given fingers for and so, invited or not, I'm putting my plan together now. I've been asked to work on half a dozen screenplays lately, but this is the only one I have ever truly wanted.

As most here know, I have literally hundreds of pages of notes and sketches just waiting for this opportunity. This would be my dream gig and, as a fan, I know exactly what this project needs to work. This has to be Superman for the 21st Century, keeping everything we adore, but starting from scratch and making the kids love it as much as the 30-somethings. I would honestly write this thing for free.

Anyway, my treatment is being polished as we type. Wish me luck. I want to do that Superman movie we all want to see.

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Cellist posted:

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"Superman for the 21st century"...that has me worried.

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SHH posted:

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SHH - WB Won't Take Millar for Superman

Source: Mark Millar, October 24, 2007

Just a few days ago, we mentioned that Mark Millar was serious about pitching a story for the Superman Returns sequel. Now, he's saying that Warner Bros. has already thrown out the idea, and the reason might surprise you:

Okay, as you know I was very excited about the opportunity that WB were looking for a new writer on this project. Superman is the be all and end all for me (he's why I started reading and why I started typing). It's funny how quickly news spread because one little post on my message board here ended up literally all over the comic book and movie sites inside about twelve hours and the response from fellow Superman fans was incredibly positive. Thanks again for that.

Anyway, my agent is a big beast at CAA and can set up meetings with anyone. I'm always amazed by this because, like all comic guys, I do this job in a converted attic at home on a rainy rock some miles from mainland Europe and about as far from Hollywood as you can get. But my agent got my call around 4pm my time on Tuesday and within hours we were talking on the phone to some very nice exec at Warner Bros who said that several producers and director friends had already been in touch to push me for the gig because they knew how passionate I was about this project. And for about fifteen minutes things were looking very sweet. I had a massive three-picture epic in mind, cribbed from notes I've been putting together for the last five years for a Superman comic-book revamp and the people I spoke to absolutely loved it. Everyone said this was very, very exciting, but...

Well, sadly, I'm a Marvel guy and we were surprised to find out that WB couldn't hire me for a DC property. They were incredibly nice and superbly apologetic about it, but when they discussed the matter seriously DC explained just how associated I am with Marvel Comics at the moment and it's against company policy to hire the competition. It's absolutely nothing personal. I spoke to some friends at DC and they explained this has happened with a couple of big Marvel writers in the last couple of years and I absolutely respect that. It's a business after all and to have a guy writing Fantastic Four, 1985, Kick-Ass and another super-big project for Steve McNiven this year which would be mentioned in every article about a Superman movie is not only an insult to their own writers, but makes bad business sense. I have nothing but respect for the DC high-ups and, though obviously disappointed, can absolutely appreciate their position. They're the custodians of these properties and they obviously know what they're doing.

So no Millar-penned Superman movie at this stage, I'm afraid. That situation may change, of course. As a Warner chum said to me last night, the last Superman movie had a number of starts and stops and who knows what will happen over the next couple of years, especially after my Marvel contract expires. In the meantime, I'm keeping my 200 pages of notes and sketches on a slow boil, just in case. As for the next movie, I wish whoever does land this gig nothing but the best of luck. I wanted to bring my vision to the screen out of nothing but pure love and hope to be as thrilled as everyone else. They're talking to a couple of guys with a better screen-writing track record and, like the rest of you, I'll keep my fingers crossed that this sequel to Bryan's first picture all works out great.

Thanks again for all the support and backing for my involvement in this project. It stunned me that the WB people had seen this and it absolutely factored in how quickly all those doors opened for me.

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Jedi_Keiran_Halcyon posted:

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darth-sinister posted:

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JKH, you haven't read too many Superman stories then. He can be quite depressed and a bit moody about his ineffectiveness as Superman and his place in the world. As well as being the last Kryptonian. I suggest reading "Peace On Earth", "For Tomorrow", "The Journey", Action Comics #850, "Last Son", "The Supergirl From Krypton", "Metropolis Mailbag", "What's So Funny About Truth & Justice?", "Exiled" and broken engagement arc from 1996.

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There's nothing wrong with Supes running the emotional gamut. It's what makes Superman II (either version) work so well. But SR handled those emotions in a much different way, which, now that I think of it, may be as simple as the difference between a clenched or unclenched jaw. Even when he was down in the depths, Reeve's Superman was on some level fighting it. You looked into his eyes and saw a STRUGGLE going on. Routh's eyes are mostly empty; he seems to surrender to the depression and in fact wallow in it.

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