Past The Point Of No Return

As the world gears up for the release of Superman Returns in a couple of months, one question about the film has been nagging at me for some time: Why didn't Bryan Singer enlist composer John Williams (whose classic theme for the '78 film is now synonymous with the superhero) to score the new film?

The folks at JWfan.net (an unofficial site) provide a partial answer

The latest issue of Spanish film magazine Fotogramas features an exclusive article o­n Superman Returns, which cites Brandon Routh's resemblance to Christopher Reeve as o­ne of the reasons why John Williams isn't in charge of the score. "I could never have dealt with this score. He [Brandon] reminded me too much of Chris", admits the Maestro.

I know that Singer shares a certain loyalty to composer/film editor John Ottman, with whom he has a good working relationship, but I must admit that I really wish that Williams had signed on anyway. Mind you, I have nothing against Ottman, he's a talented guy, but it would been cool to have Williams revisit the saga after almost 30 years away from it.

In keeping with the Man Of Steel theme for today:

Resa Nelson, of Sci-Fi Wire (the news service for the SCI-FI Channel) has details on a Superman documentary, produced by Singer and released in conjunction with the new movie.

Superman Returns director Bryan Singer told SCI FI Wire that he decided to produce a feature-length documentary about the Man of Steel while researching the character's past. Excited by what he found, Singer decided to produce Look Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman.

"It was a very elaborate process," Singer said in an interview. "It's comprised of 50 or more interviews. It involved going to archives, researching and tracking down and optioning footage that people have never seen before of early incarnations of Superman."

Look Up in the Sky explores Superman's beginnings in comic books and his early presence in movies, ranging from Max Fleischer cartoon shorts (screened before feature films in movie theaters in the 1940s) to 1951's Superman and the Mole-Men, starring George Reeves, which inspired the first Superman TV series. There's also coverage of the Superman movie revival that began in the 1970s, TV's Lois and Clark and Smallville and footage from Superman Returns.

"I partnered with Kevin Burns to produce this documentary for Warner Brothers," Singer said. "Kevin is an old friend and has produced Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, Cleopatra: The Film That Changed Hollywood, Marilyn Monroe: The Final Days and a number of other amazing films and documentaries. I thought it would be a nice thing to have on the air before the movie comes out as a way of getting people in the mood for Superman."

Singer said that he hopes to strike a deal for the documentary to be aired on TV sometime in June, and there's a chance for a limited theatrical release. Look Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman is currently slated for a June 20 release on DVD.

Empire of Dreams is a well produced and comprehensive documentary about the the original Star Wars trilogy. Given that... I'm really looking forward to seeing Look Up In The Sky. Burns is a talented guy and the right man for the project.