Can this man be saved?
According to Deadline, Christopher Nolan is being asked by Warner Brothers to take charge of the development of a new “Superman” movie. Nolan would not direct, and will also continue to work on a third Batman movie, while helping to get the Man of Steel up and running on film. Again.
(The article, or at least the studio, uses the word “mentor” to describe Nolan’s role, but that feels weird to me–it makes it sound like he’s overseeing a bunch of interns who are studying producing at film school. Or worse, like a neophyte director will be put in charge who will need to check in with Nolan before making any decisions. Collaboration and the exchange of ideas are important to the creative process, but if a director needs that kind of help, he/she is probaby the wrong person to be put in charge of a big budget blockbuster that is supposed to revive one of the most important characters in US 20th century pop culture. I’m just saying.)
The Deadline article has a pretty interesting history of the struggles to successfully get Superman back on film since the end of the late 1970s/early ’80s Christopher Reeve franchise. The last attempt, the 2006 “Superman Returns,” starring Brandon Routh and directed by Bryan Singer, wasn’t seen as awful, and wasn’t a major bust, but it simply wasn’t good enough or as successful as Warner Brothers believes a Superman movie could be, thus the latest effort to start over.
They also have to do something soon. The heirs of Superman creators Jerome Siegel and Joe Shuster won a court case a few years ago that is going to eventually return the rights to the characters to them. I will quote to make sure I get this right:
“…if Warner Bros does not start production on a new Superman sequel or reboot by 2011, the Siegels could sue to recover their damages on the grounds that the deal should have contained a clause in which the rights returned to the owners after a given time if no film was in development. The heirs of Siegel have already been awarded half the copyright for Superman. And in 2013 the heirs of co-creator Joe Shuster get the remaining half.”
After 2013, WB would have to try to work out a new deal with the estates, and that’s not a sure thing.
Anyway, Nolan obviously has won a lot of respect with his work on the Batman franchise, so I guess WB sees him as a savior. Can he do it? Can he create a truly original Superman universe, or will it just end up looking like another Batman movie with a different guy in tights? Will they be able to attract the right director if there’s a thought that the director would have to “report” to Nolan? Could be tough. Then again, like I said, Nolan has earned respect and latitude from the studio and industry, so it’s worth a shot.
