Who Should Play the Darker New Superman and Who Should Direct?

I'm not sure where I stand on this whole Superman reboot business. Personally, I feel it's too soon to blow it up and start over. I do know I don't want Brandon Routh and Bryan Singer to return, however, I think DC and Warner Bros. should give it a few years. I'm not in love with the concept of going darker with the character, because he's not the eternal brooder that Batman is. "Making a dark and gritty Superman movie because Dark Knight made a ton of money is incredibly stupid,” was the incredibly frank reaction Hellboy and Buffy writer Christopher Golden had to the news of the gloomier Man of Steel. Certainly, you can give him some edge, but Golden is right that he just wouldn't be Superman if he abandoned those things about him that differentiate him from Batman, and that doing it for the money is precisely the wrong reason. If the object is to fix Superman, you won't do it by breaking him any further. I've maintained for two years that Supe just didn't work because we don't want that kind of hero right now. We will again, but when things aren't perfect (and things are far from perfect around the world at the moment), we want a hero who reflects that. Superman by definition does not embody our current state of mind, not to the degree that Batman or Iron Man do, or to a lesser extent, the way Spider-Man does. So it's tough to picture The Man of Steel sulking, fighting the urge to kill a guy in every scene, and retreating to his isolated chamber where more sulking breaks out. But I don't run Warner Bros. and neither do you. They want darker. With that in mind, let's play a little casting couch: Who should star and who should direct? There are some rules, of course. If he's played Superman or another superhero in the past, he's out. If the director has worked in the comic book adaptation game, he's out. The reason I'm using those rules is because we all know Christopher Nolan won't direct this, so just don't bother. Let's try to keep it reasonable; Martin Scorsese won't make this movie and I think we all know it. If they're doing a reboot, let's start from scratch with all new faces and ideas. My Superman would be a popular choice with the ladies but I think if you look at his work in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and Stop-Loss, you can see that Channing Tatum definitely has at least as much ability as Brandon Routh. Physically, he's easy to buy in the role, and he's due for a breakout hit. Unfortunately, his breakout hit will be G.I. Joe, and I think that one's too close for comfort in our little scenario. Maybe he could juggle those franchises, but I doubt it. Unfortunately, I can't seem to come up with a better option (and this is where you play superhero and save the day). Two of my directors may seem to be out of left field, but I really like the way they construct their movies: Neil Burger (The Illusionist) and Billy Ray (Breach, Shattered Glass, Flightplan). I hated Flightplan, but that was primarily because the script had more holes in it than Sonny Corleone's corpse. His Supsect Zero script is even worse. However, as a director, he's two for two. Both Breach and Shattered Glass speak to a view of "The American Way" that introduces more deceit into the mix than Superman is used to. Clearly, both movies deal with American ideals and both have a lot of bad juju bubbling under the surface. The Illusionist you've seen, and I believe Burger has the right kind of aesthetic for a project like this. What's that you say? Neither one of those guys have directed anything close to superhero-style action? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the collected works of Christopher Nolan, minus Batman. Think about it... If you're looking for a slick action movie director, Tony Scott's always available. I kind of like him, certainly more than most people, but I don't think slick and action-driven is what a first Superman movie would be all about. I think it's going to be about introducing a character who probably doesn't want the responsibility he has and struggles with being the only one of his kind (although he probably won't resort to the bottle like Hancock), and as such, you need a director who understands conflicted main characters, something both of my other nominees have displayed. I'd be interested to see who you pick. Give us a Superman and a new director. On Friday, September 5th, we'll crown a winner and he or she will receive a couple of DVDs plus other prizes. Make it count.

Comments

[heyberto]

I liked Routh in the role. I thought he nailed it, actually.... I'm indifferent to Singer. I'm fine with a 'reboot' if that's what they decide to do. I think Singer could do fine if he didn't try to fit it back in that superverse (so to speak) of the Donner film that he tried to fit his version within.. so it was just the concept that was flawed. Building off of movies that were flawed themselves, just gave him too much baggage to be able to overcome.

[Lost Wilson]

I elect Hayden Christiansen to star as Kent/Superman, with Danny Boyle as Director...

[Get The Big Picture]

Danny Boyle's an interesting pick. Hayden Christensen doesn't cut it.

[jack giroux]

I would say George Miller for directing (or Alex Proyas), and as Superman I would say..Matthew Bomer

[Michael]

If they want to go dark I think David Fincher would be a great pick for director. The only actor that comes to mind for some reason is Colin Farrell.

[heyberto]

Dark for Superman is tough. It can have those elements, but it has to be subtle. I thought Singer nailed that inner torment perfectly. If they don't use Routh (which would be silly, IMO.. he was perfect), they still need to go with an unkonwn. Names like Colin Farrell are just crazy.

[Michael]

I disagree. Routh was adequate at best, but nothing special. They wouldn't use him again anyway because it's a "Superman reboot", so they'd be starting fresh. I don't see any reason to specifically go with an unknown. Cristian Bale, Tobey Maguire and Robert Downey Jr. are pretty well-known actors who have played super-heroes in recent years, and I'd say they did alright.

I think a darker, grittier version of Superman can work, but I have to agree with Christopher Golden. It is quite a coincidence that they're talking about this right after The Dark Knight has made a historically successful run.

[Chris]

For directing i would go with Peter Jackson. The work he did on the Lord of the Rings was amazing. He would pull it off fantasticlly. As for Superman that's a tough choice. Tom Welling comes to mind first. Personally i think they should use the Smallville cast. Lex is amazing and Welling has been playing the role of Kent for over 5 years. He knows what he's doing. I really can't picture anyone else in the role of Superman.