When the hell are they going to have a decent Superman movie?

[Hampshire]

@astro

I haven’t seen that movie in forever. Is it really worth a re-watch, or are you just funnin’ me.

I hadn’t seen it in forever either. It was however on TNT, AMC, TBS or something like that this weekend where I caught some of it.
It was actually pretty awful. As good as the story may have been the f/x are verrry dated and the acting verrry cheesey. Watching Zod and his minions tear up the white house filled with styrofoam columns, really bad green screen flying f/x, etc.
IMHO it has aged really badly.

[CalMeacham]

They already did. Greatest movie ever.

Actually, the re-constructed Richard Donner version of Superman II, released a couple of years ago on DVD, is pretty darned good. Certainly better than the original studio-released movie.

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

[Dogzilla]

Psh. More importantly, where is my **Wonder Woman **movie?

[MTCicero]

@Dogzilla

Psh. More importantly, where is my **Wonder Woman **movie?

Well, as they’ll never, ever be able to cast the role as iconically (not to mention arousingly) as they did before… really, why bother?

[Dogzilla]

@MTCicero

Well, as they’ll never, ever be able to cast the role as iconically (not to mention arousingly) as they did before… really, why bother?

Bullshit. Rose McGowan would be iconic and arousing and she kicks ass. She would be PERFECT for the role.

Someone get her agent on the phone!

[MTCicero]

@Dogzilla

Bullshit. Rose McGowan would be iconic and arousing and she kicks ass. She would be PERFECT for the role.

Someone get her agent on the phone!

I like Ms. McGowan, don’t get me wrong. But she’s a little off in the face if you ask me, especially when compared to Lynda Carter in her prime.

Also, she’d have to tan herself a bit.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@MTCicero

Well, as they’ll never, ever be able to cast the role as iconically (not to mention arousingly) as they did before… really, why bother?

Linky no worky.

I could go for a pre-WW2 dialed-back retro-Superman. Get the guy who did art direction for the Peter Jackson King Kong remake, and that could be one cool movie.

[Lumpy]

@Elendil_s_Heir

Linky no worky

I got it to work by taking the link and capitalizing it thus: http://www.DiggersRealm.com/mt/archives/20050611/wonder_woman.jpg

[MTCicero]

@Elendil_s_Heir

Linky no worky.

Sorry 'bout that. But it works fine for me. Too bad, really. It’s a niiiiiice pic of Lynda Carter’s… assets as Wonder Woman, and let me tell you, they are Super (you know, to stay on topic [sort of]).

[Alessan]

Seeing as **King Kong **and especially **Sky Captain **were major flops, there’s no way anyone will go the retro route.

[cosmosdan]

@Diogenes_the_Cynic

I think it could be revitalized if it really went back and rebooted it from the true source material – the original 1930’s comic books – set it in the 30’s – and dialed back Supe’s powers to what they originally were before they became inflated into Godlike omnipotence. He’s really strong, but not planet-juggling strong. he’s fast, but not FTL fast. He can jump really high, but not literally fly.

I think reducing his powers might sound counter-intuitive, but in my opinion, it would really open the character up, humanize him more, make him more relatable and vulnerable and would be a take nobody’s done yet. It also can’t be argued that it’s not canon because it’s pure canon. I also think it would give the best opportunity to be able to “Nolanize” the material, and set it in some kind of at least minimally imaginable reality if instead of unlimited, god powers, Supe was basically just freakishly athletic in comparison to normal earthlings, but not unlimited or absurd in that regard. It still probably wouldn’t be strictly realistic, but it could at least be contained within pseudo-science explanations.

I think setting it in the 30’s would enhance it a lot too, since it would allow Clark and Lois to interact in a 1930’s, screwball, newspaper movie comedy style that, once again, would be canon.

My suggestion for casting would be Joseph Gorden-Levitt as Clark/Supes, and maybe somebody like Zoey Deschanel as Lois Lane (the single worst thing about the last movie was that department store mannequin they had playing LL).

And Jonah Hill as Jimmy Olsen.

They should just do a movie version of the Gladiator by Philip Wylie which is rumored to be where the Superman charecter came from. It’s dark and tragic rather than world saving super villians over done. They could even use the Superman angle in promotion

[Spoke]

@Diogenes_the_Cynic

My suggestion for casting would be Joseph Gorden-Levitt as Clark/Supes, and maybe somebody like Zoey Deschanel as Lois Lane (the single worst thing about the last movie was that department store mannequin they had playing LL).

And Jonah Hill as Jimmy Olsen.

And J.K. Simmons as Perry White. Just because it would be really funny for Simmons to have both J. Jonah Jameson and Perry White on his acting resume.

[CalMeacham]

They should just do a movie version of the Gladiator by Philip Wylie which is rumored to be where the Superman charecter came from. It’s dark and tragic rather than world saving super villians over done. They could even use the Superman angle in promotion

Bad news: They already did this, and it was a disaster. It ended up as a comedy starring Joe E. Brown, before Superman was in print:

The Gladiator (1938) ⭐ 5.9 | Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy

I suppose it could be done better, but the Superman character was already pretty removed from Wylie’s character.

[Lumpy]

@Lumpy

I got it to work by taking the link and capitalizing it thus: http://www.DiggersRealm.com/mt/archives/20050611/wonder_woman.jpg

ETA: only works if pasted into the address bar of an open window.

[mr.jp]

@Lumpy

I think a pre-WW2 setting Superman would have to be set in an alternate past where all the chiches’ of pulp comics were real, ala Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow. Almost forgotten today is that originally Superman was supposed to be a specimen of a more evolved/eugenically improved human from a planet thousands of years more advanced than us. Superman was supposed to be a futuristic hero, by circa 1940 futurism. So the Man of Tomorrow would be battling mad scientists with death rays, lab grown monsters of roughly Frankenstein tech level, and art-deco robots.

I think this is a really good idea. It should be in the format of a 1950s disaster / monster movie. Those were rather good regarding characters and suspense, and didn’t focus anywhere near as much on special effects. We should have a villain with test tubes, and Dr Horrible style glasses. And maybe nerf Superman a little, similar to what Diogenes suggests. It should be a straight monster / disaster movie, not a lot of babble about how Superman chooses to focus.

[Alessan]

@mr.jp

I think this is a really good idea. It should be in the format of a 1950s disaster / monster movie. Those were rather good regarding characters and suspense, and didn’t focus anywhere near as much on special effects. We should have a villain with test tubes, and Dr Horrible style glasses. .

That sounds hilarious. But are you sure the world is ready for a Superman comedy?

[Dogzilla]

@MTCicero

I like Ms. McGowan, don’t get me wrong. But she’s a little off in the face if you ask me, especially when compared to Lynda Carter in her prime.

Also, she’d have to tan herself a bit.

I couldn’t disagree more, but I do lurve me some Rose McGowan. Mostly because she rescues Boston terriers, so we have two things in common. We’re both hot. And we both love Bostons.

[Rrose_Selavy]

Maybe there hasn’t been a decent movie because while all superheroes are absurd to some degree - Superman with his powers, that silly cape and that "“S” , is more absurd than others.

[Hampshire]

@Rrose_Selavy

Maybe there hasn’t been a decent movie because while all superheroes are absurd to some degree - Superman with his powers, that silly cape and that "“S” , is more absurd than others.

There’s a lot to be said for this. His costume is really hard to take seriously and make contemporary. They succeeded somewhat in Dark Knight, Spiderman, and X-men by updating the suits, muting their colors, and giving them more of a body armor purpose but what do you do for Superman? Bright blue and red? Red boots? And as you said the silly cape and big “S”.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@Lumpy

ETA: only works if pasted into the address bar of an open window.

Right you are - thanks.

Incidentally, I took a tour of the Gettysburg battlefield a few years ago from a licensed guide. He’s led some bigshots on tours before in his 20+ years on the job, including Dick Cheney twice. I asked him which celebrity knew the most about the Civil War, and without hesitation he said Lynda Carter!