1. I'm not sure if you have to do either/or here. Singers Superman isn't pigeonholed into a set storyline for the next movie. For example, imagine that Batman Begins had been terrible (I know its a stretch, but go with me on this). If that had been the case they would have been trapped for the sequel because it HAD to have the Joker in it due to the way they ended the movie. Superman Returns had no such foreshadowing, so they can take the franchise wherever they want. They've established the main players and they're relationship to one another, so now they just need to have a movie with a little bit more action to it and a little less nostalgia. Having said that, if they do decide to go in another direction I wouldn't expect to see anyone crying over the news.

Posted at 9:34AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Kevin

2. Reboot.

Singer's film was not a bad movie for the Superman series, it was a bad movie period.

Posted at 9:34AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Mike

3. Agreed.

Superman needs a major reset like Batman.

While I thought the most recent movie was decent it wasn't up to par with quality of Batman Returns or The Dark Knight.

Posted at 9:55AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Erik Sagen

4. Start from scratch, boys. Cast *adults* as Superman and Lois, this time, and no super-babies, please. Thank you.

@Kevin: I disagree about a follow-up to SR not being pigeonholed. What about the kid? No way to do a sequel to that film without spending an awful lot of time on Kal-El's baby-daddy issues. Emphasis on "awful".

Posted at 9:39AM on Aug 19th 2008 by ronmoses

5. Singer's movie wasn't the "be all end all" reboot that was first reported. All he did was update Superman The Motion Picture for today's audience. The scene where Superman rescues the airplane was the only true scene that reflected the Superman from the comics and the newer animated series (S:TAS and Justice League). The rest of the movie made Superman into Hancock minus the drinking. Reboot the plot but still have a wink or two back at the Donner films. Smallville has some plot issues but overall they captured Lex Luthor perfectly. Don't make him the main bad guy but allow him to be the hidden factor behind the robberies or attacks toward Superman. As for actors, keep BR as he nailed being both Clark Kent and Superman.

Posted at 9:45AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Alex

6. Totally agree

Posted at 8:26PM on Aug 19th 2008 by Brandon Barbin

7. I would rather they forget the first movie and go with a reboot. I don't see how it could go into any direction worth talking about. Specially since it's Superman, and we don't need no stinkin' origin story. Although, scratch that, an origin would be better than trying to tie up that stuff in SR.

Posted at 9:48AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Batzarro

8. Only way this can work is if studios stop treating us like we never
heard of Superman before. We know he came from Krypton, that he isaffected by Kryptonite, that he already beat the one and only LexLuthor, Gene Hackman. Enough with the foster parents and Kansas, let us havesome Doom vs. Superman over Metropolis and a cool love affair withLoise. Is that too much to ask?

Posted at 9:51AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Mr. R

9. "Start from scratch, boys. Cast *adults* as Superman and Lois,"

Agreed. Brandon Routh was okay - he did capture a fair amount of Christopher Reeve, but Kate Bosworth was just plain awful. And the plotting/screenplay was also terrible. Give us a Superman film to be proud of, not the trumped-up turkey we were given. New director!

Posted at 9:54AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Ed

10. Couldn't agree more with your opinion on Bosworth. Not only was she bad, she was miscast. Lois Lane is not Sandra Dee. They need to find an actress that can believably play a jaded reporter that betrays her sensibilities by falling head over heels for Superman.

Posted at 10:39AM on Aug 19th 2008 by JP

11. Reboot, sort of. Everyone knows Superman's origins, so they just need to remove him from the Donner/Singer universe and establish him in another. I think they could use this new start for more mature Superman stories and also as a launch for a JLA film. I'd like to see them adapt "The Death of Superman" as a JLA film, which would introduce an established JLA team fighting alongside Superman and dealing with the aftermath of his death. Then have a Superman Reborn or Man of Steel movie to bring Superman back. Plus, I think they should use Tom Welling.

Posted at 10:00AM on Aug 19th 2008 by MDR

12. Agreed. Reboot the franchise. The entire range of Superman's heroics in "Superman Returns" consisted of catching or lifting things. Yawn. (although catching the airplane WAS awesome). He needs to fight someone who is his equal.

Plus, the only thing more boring than "The Phantom Menace" being a fight over trade routes was Lex Luthor's big plan (again) to be about a real estate deal. I'm worried a Singer sequel would be about investments. "Kneel before the power of my 401K!"

However, I did really like Brandon Routh. I'd keep him if it could be done without being confusing to the public. But a true reboot will need yet another Super-actor to go with the fifty or so that have played him over the past two decades.

Posted at 10:10AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Victor

13. I still like my idea of rebooting/re-introducing Superman by making him the antagonist in Batman 3.

Have him come to Gotham to help hunt down the "villainous" Batman. They get their stuff sorted out by the end, but until then, it's a tense game of cat and mouse as Batman has to stay one step ahead of Superman using all of his knowledge of Gotham City, while at the same time trying to learn all he can about Superman and discovering his weaknesses, if any. A "Dark Knight Returns" -style ending with a Kryptonite-bathed fistfight would be awesome.

Then you can send Superman back to Metropolis as the star of his own film.

Can you think of any better way to re-introduce a new Superman than by putting him in the sequel to the second-biggest movie of all time. After this, people will be hungering for a new Superman film, which will have to be titled "Man of Steel"

Posted at 10:14AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Victor

14. This will never happen, but it would definitely top TDK.

Posted at 10:39AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Tony

15. Batman is all real and Superman is over the top fantasy. Two things that mixed would block each other out. This will never happen, at least not while Nolan is the Batman helmer.

Posted at 1:47PM on Aug 19th 2008 by Mr. R

16. Great ideas! Write the script, Victor.

Posted at 4:07PM on Aug 19th 2008 by gepinniw

17. Movie tie-ins can be really exciting, but in this case, Batman fans would feel cheated. Plus, isn't there rumors out there of Phillip Seymour Hoffman playing the Penguin?

I also agree that Superman's world and Nolan's world just don't mesh.

Posted at 3:36AM on Aug 20th 2008 by John

18. I liked the Singer version, from the opening credits on I felt like I was a kid again. Yah, Bosworth was a poor Lois, and the kid was more of a "well, they had sex in 2, and there could be a kid, and he'd be half Kryptonian" thought process instead of "if they have a kid, where do I go from there?"

I think Singer should helm a sequel. Look how he improved X-Men 2 over the first in that series. The guy knows how to fix his mistakes.

Besides, I fear for a reboot. Remember how long it took to get Returns made? Remember the possible changes? Black suit? Robot? Superman's mid-life crisis with Nick Cage as the man of steel???? You just KNOW Brett Ratner, Michael Bay, or Roland Emmerich would want in and destroy the film.

That or they'd go "dark" with it, thinking "it worked for Batman!" Which would be so very wrong for Supes.

Posted at 10:15AM on Aug 19th 2008 by Astin

19. The problem with the super kid... is well, lois' reaction to the super kid.

Yes, they had sex... sex which nearly gave lois a breakdown by the end of the movie, sex which Superman erased from her memory... So Lois has no idea that they had sex.

And yet in Superman Returns, she doesn't seem surprised in the slightest.

Superman Returns wasn't a reboot, it was a flawed but loving homage to the first movie with nods to the second movie. So while I actually enjoyed the film, count me in on the list of people who think the franchise needs a proper reboot. New actors, new director, new direction.

Posted at 11:08AM on Aug 19th 2008 by eugene

20. Reboot.

Here's the recipe I like:

1) Don't even hire anyone who's seen any other Superman movies. As a matter of fact, don't hire anyone who's ever seen any Richard Donner or Bryan Singer movie. Ignorance will = viewer (and box office) bliss.

2) Follow Christopher Nolan's belief of substance over style. Think about it, without the Tumbler or the Batpod both films would work just fine. If you build real characters (not 2D Bryan Singer cutouts) and put them in real (but extraordinary) situations, you'll create real drama and something that people will actually watch. Superman 3.0's writers, producers and directors should read Joseph Conrad instead of watching Brett Ratner.

3) Don't try to make the end-all, be-all comic book movie. In fact, don't even try to make a comic book movie. Don't try to be the #1 summer film or a shoe-in at the Oscars. Focus on making the best film you can. Don't get caught in the hype. Just try to make a good movie. Hire a some European or Asian filmmakers who don't understand hype and don't give give a fuck about "Hollywood" to make your movie. These are people who have broken the golden triangle, they can make movies Fast, Cheap AND Good.

Okay, I'm starting to get carried away, and this had become a rant.

I apologize.

Posted at 10:20AM on Aug 19th 2008 by The Pepto Pimp