The talk these days in superhero land is that Superman may have fathered a kid.
That’s the speculation as the clock ticks down to June 28 and the premiere of “Superman Returns,” a $300 million venture that will either be the biggest hit of a July 4 weekend ever — or the biggest bust.
Previews already show that Lois Lane, played by Kate Bosworth, has what looks to be a 4-year-old son and no husband. The only other candidate for fatherhood would be Perry White’s son, Richard (James Marsden). Actually, Marsden's character is the nephew, not the son, of Daily Planet editor Perry White.
But that not only makes little sense, it also has a low-level function for a dramatic reveal. You can only imagine Lois screaming to Superman when the boy is in peril, “But Clark, he’s your son!”
Fans are already paging through a novelization of “Superman Returns” that hit bookstores earlier this week to see if the Man of Steel is finally going to have some progeny.
There’s growing concern, in fact, that “Superman Returns” is otherwise simply a remake of Richard Donner’s two “Superman” movies from 1978 and 1980.
Aside from Lois’ kid, the rest of the story looks similar to those films, with Kevin Spacey trying to fill the shoes of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor rather than invent a new villain.
Director Bryan Singer, who’s kicking himself for not making the third “X-Men” movie, has told friends he’s used the memorable John Williams score from those films, and has made something of an homage to director Donner.
Donner, who’s not too happy with Warner Bros. after they botched the release of his “16 Blocks” earlier this year, is said to be biding his time until the Singer film is screened.
He’s justified in his displeasure over the “16 Blocks” fiasco. The thriller, starring Bruce Willis and Mos Def, was uncommonly good and received rave reviews. But Warner’s picked it up for $9 million after it was made, and did little to promote it, Donner is said to have felt.
“They had no investment in it, and they did nothing,” a source told me.
They won’t be able to get away with that with “Superman Returns.” But the fact that the movie was almost completely unrepresented in Cannes didn’t bode well. Studio supporters do point out, however, that Disney also ignored Cannes this year, with no promotion for “Pirates of the Caribbean II.”
Bringing a film into Cannes early, or even a glimpse of it, can cause a real disaster, especially if the press has the slightest negative reaction to it. Paramount took calculated risks that paid off in droves by showing bits of “World Trade Center” and “Dreamgirls.”
But Warner’s traditionally plays things close to the vest with big pictures, showing them to the press just 48 hours before a film debuts so as to minimize any damage.
“Superman Returns” will probably not be shown to anyone until June 26.
By then, Lois’ secret, newcomer Brandon Routh’s alleged stiffness and Spacey’s potential over-the-top scene chewing — seen in the trailers — won’t mean a thing to over-hyped audiences...
To be honest, I've thought about the whole "Is it basically a remake?" thing before, and admittedly, that is a concern. But at the same time, I don't think that's the film's true achilles heel...The movie's success or failure rests squarely on Brandon Routh's overall performance and to a lesser extent his chemistry with Kate Bosworth. If Routh...er...flies as both the Man Of Steel and Clark Kent in the film--then there's no problem. All of the concern will fall away. If Routh doesn't own the role then Uh Oh. The film's tag won't be "Look Up", it'll be "Look Out!"
As to the fatherhood question: I think that while an intriguing idea, it's gotta be handled with great care, for it to work...
I think it's a shame the way the studio decided to treat Richard Donner and 16 Blocks...
Superman Returns opens on June 28th 2006. On that date the world will either welcome Superman back to the big screen in a big way, or we will exclaim--"Return To Sender". Fingers fiirmly crossed...
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