Superman Returns

Superman Returns
Directed by	Bryan Singer
Written by	Comic Book: Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster Screenplay: Michael Dougherty Dan Harris
Produced by	Gil Adler Jon Peters Bryan Singer
Starring	Brandon Routh Kate Bosworth Kevin Spacey
Cinematography	Newton Thomas Sigel
Edited by	John Ottman Elliot Graham
Music by	John Ottman John Williams (Themes)
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Legendary Pictures
Release dates	June 28, 2006
Running time	154 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$204 million

Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Superman (after a cinematic absence of 19 years). It is directed by Bryan Singer and stars Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey. The screenplay is by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris.

Following a five-year absence, Superman returns to Earth. He re-assumes the identity of Clark Kent, discovering that Lois Lane is now in a relationship and has a son. Superman's old nemesis Lex Luthor has devised a plan to defeat Superman for good. Bryan Singer has said that the "loose" continuity established in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films serves as its back-story, or, as he put it, a "vague history".

Filming began in February 2005, and the movie was released in the United States on June 28, 2006. The film received generally good reviews and has thus far made over $290 million worldwide. The late Marlon Brando's role as Superman's biological father Jor-El is reprised with the help of computer-generated imagery and earlier footage.

Plot

Template:Spoiler The film opens with a short explanation of the plot up to the present point: Superman's homeworld Krypton is destroyed by the shockwave of a supernova from the collapse of the system's sun, a red giant. Superman has been absent from Earth for five years; after astronomers on Earth supposedly pinpointed the location of Krypton, he went to find out if anything of it remained. Superman's crystalline spacecraft is then shown crashing near the Kent family farm. As Martha Kent examines the crash site, Clark reaches out to her and passes out in his mother's arms.

Superman's return to Earth generates much of the character development in the film, particularly for Lois Lane. During Superman's absence she became engaged to Richard White, nephew of the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, and gave birth to a son, Jason. Lois' strong sense of disillusionment, her resentment over Superman's original departure and long absence (she received a Pulitzer Prize for an editorial essay titled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman"), combined with her lingering feelings for him, result in significant internal conflict which is never fully resolved.

The film's main storyline concerns an attempt by Lex Luthor (who was released from prison due to Superman not appearing on the witness stand during his absence off-Earth) to harness stolen Kryptonian technology. After being released from prison, Lex marries an old woman (played by Noel Neill), who in her last dying moments, signs over all of her fortune and possessions to him. With his newly obtained resources, he sets off in search of the Fortress of Solitude. Luthor steals several crystals from there and uses holographic recordings of Superman's father to learn that on Krypton, such crystals were routinely used to "grow" useful objects such as buildings and vehicles, and could even be used to grow entire new landmasses. Luthor sets out to grow a new continent in the Atlantic Ocean, the size and displacement of which will destroy most of North America, killing billions of people, a point that upsets his girlfriend/co-conspirator Kitty. In the ensuing chaos, he will use his possession of the crystal technology to become a world superpower. In order to prevent Superman from thwarting his plans, he also steals the original Addis Ababa meteorite, featured in Superman, from which he originally extracted a chunk of Kryptonite. Luthor fashions a shaft of Kryptonite with which to meld with one of the Fortress crystals for his plans - keeping a shard for his own protection...

Luthor succeeds in planting the "seed crystal" and the continent begins to grow. When Superman investigates, he is weakened by the presense of kryptonite in the new continent, and is stabbed with a shard of it by Luthor. Superman is rescued by Lois and Richard, and is ultimately able to prevent large-scale catastrophe by lifting the newly-formed landmass directly out of the ocean and throwing it into space, at significant cost to his health. Luthor escapes in a helicopter with Kitty, who throws the remaining crystals onto the island, just before it is carried in to space, sabotaging any future attempts for their use. After launching the crystalline landmass into space, Superman lapses into unconsciousness and falls back to Earth, where he is rushed to a hospital. The doctors' efforts to help him prove futile, since Superman's skin is impervious to needles or electricity. He hovers near death before recovering.

Lex and Kitty are shown on a desert island, with their helicopter having run out of gas. It is implied that they might eat Kitty's dog.

The movie ends with Superman telling Lois, "I'm always around," and flying off around the globe, back in his position as protector of the planet.

Sub-plot

A significant sub-plot concerns the paternity of Lois' son, Jason. Although no one explicitly says so in the film, the initial impression is that Jason is Richard and Lois' son. A progression of scenes suggest that Superman may be his actual biological father. Numerous foreshadowings imply this revelation, some more obvious than others:

• Jason is five years old, which is roughly the same amount of time that Superman was away from Earth following the events of Superman II. That film included an implied sexual encounter between Lois and Superman, during a portion of the film when Clark had given up his super powers.
• In a private conversation at home, Richard questions Lois concerning an article she published long ago titled "I Spent the Night with Superman," but she says it was purely journalistic in nature; and, when asked, she denies ever having been in love with Superman.
• When Lois and Jason are being held hostage by Luthor, Jason flinches when Luthor brings out the kryptonite cylinder. This prompts Luthor to ask Lois who Jason's father is, which Lois says is Richard. After one of Lex's henchmen calls in their position, he asks, "Are you sure?" (this is deliberately timed to confuse the target of his question). Later, when informed that one of his henchman is killed, Lex's first question is, "Where's the boy?"
• On Luthor's yacht, one of his henchmen is prevented from attacking Lois by a flying grand piano, which Jason was playing only moments before. Although Jason isn't shown lifting or throwing the piano, he is seen with both hands outstretched. Lois and the thug were also on a raised platform at the edge of the room, while Jason was sitting at the piano on a lowered section of the floor.
• After Brutus is killed by the piano, Jason is about to take a breath from his inhaler but instead he puts it away and does not use it. This scene is reminiscent of an earlier flashback of Clark as a teenager learning that he could fly, and reaching for his fallen glasses until he realizes he does not need them.
• During Superman's convalescense, Lois tells Superman she needs to tell him something important, looks to see that Jason is not listening, and whispers something into Superman's ear.
• In one of the film's final scenes, Superman recovers and visits the sleeping Jason in his bedroom. Superman then recites the words his own father said to him when he was an infant leaving Krypton.
• Superman quietly asked how they found him and Jason turned around right after he said it, while wearing a pilot's headset over the noise of the plane.

Cast

File:Brandon Routh as Superman Returns.jpg

Brandon Routh as Superman.

Actor	Role
Brandon Routh	Clark Kent / Superman
Kate Bosworth	Lois Lane
Kevin Spacey	Lex Luthor
Marlon Brando	Jor-El (Stock Footage)
Eva Marie Saint	Martha Kent
James Marsden	Richard White
Sam Huntington	Jimmy Olsen
Tristan Lake Leabu	Jason White
Frank Langella	Perry White
Kal Penn	Stanford
Parker Posey	Kitty Kowalski
James Karen	Ben Hubbard
Stephan Bender	Young Clark Kent
Jack Larson	Bo the Bartender
Noel Neill	Gertrude Vanderworth
Mike Massa	777 Pilot
Sir Richard Branson	Shuttle Pilot
Peta Wilson	Flight Attendant Bobbie Faye

Production

File:Lex-luthor1.jpg

Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.

Shooting of Superman Returns began in Australia, on locations that included a farm outside of the regional town of Gunnedah in North West NSW, and Sydney. Other scenes were shot in various parts of the United States. The film was shot entirely on high-definition video using Panavision Genesis cameras.

Costume changes

While Superman's costume has undergone a variety of changes over the decades, the costume in this movie has been updated for the 21st century and clearly has modern influences. To start with, the colour scheme is darkened several shades so that bright primary colors are less visible and the material has a deep, webbed texture that is visible on close-up shots (similar to Spider-Man's costume fabric from the first Spider-Man movie). The Superman chest emblem is now a much smaller raised piece, similar to how Spider-Man's costume was changed for Spider-Man 2. The emblem itself is embossed with hundreds of smaller emblems. The cape no longer sports the large yellow and black emblem that covers most of the back, and it now has a visible liner of a different material. The boots are also changed, with a slightly rubbery appearance for the sole as well as the Superman emblem on the back of each heel. Finally, the belt and buckle are changed to include the addition of the Superman emblem for the buckle.

History

For more details, see Canceled Superman films.

File:Lois03.jpg

Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane.

In 1987, Warner Bros. and Cannon Films had planned to release a fifth Superman film utilizing leftover footage from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, provided that IV was a success. However, it became a box office failure, and the project was shelved. Alexander Salkind, who previously owned rights to the Superman movie franchise, had himself planned a sequel using the mythos of his Superboy TV series. This film would have been titled Superman: The New Movie, but that fell through. A few years later, it was announced that Nicolas Cage would play Superman, Tim Burton would direct, and Anthony Hopkins would appear as Jor-El. Cage, a long-time fan of the comics, still lobbied for the production to get underway and even attended a costume fitting. In the mid-1990s, it was rumored that the film, called Superman Reborn, would be an adaptation of "The Death and Life of Superman". Doomsday, Brainiac, and the Eradicator would be involved in Superman's demise and ultimate rebirth. Batman (who would have possibly been portrayed by Michael Keaton) would appear at Superman's funeral to eulogize him. Several posters of a silver 'S' shield against a black background, stating "Coming 1998", were made before that project would be called off. Because of the increasing budget and Christopher Reeve's paralysing accident, the film was put into development hell.

Director (and lifelong Superman fan) Kevin Smith wrote two drafts based on "The Death of Superman" storyline. Smith's adaptation was reportedly hampered by interference from producer Jon Peters and it differed greatly from the comics. Superman would not fly, he would not wear the blue and red tights (donning instead a black Supersuit), and he would fight Doomsday who would ride a giant mechanical spider. Tim Burton later took over the production, dropped Smith's script and renamed the movie Superman Lives, however the project was eventually shelved over conflicts about its direction. Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol was tapped as the director for a time, but left because of a dispute with the studio over budget and location (he refused to film in Australia, as the studio had desired for cost reasons). Rush Hour director, Brett Ratner, was briefly brought in, and Josh Hartnett, Brendan Fraser and others were considered for the title role, while Johnny Depp auditioned for the roles of Jor-El and Lex Luthor. However, no major Hollywood actor would sign to play the Man of Steel, and the project was once again in limbo. Eventually, X-Men director, Bryan Singer, an avowed fan of the character, turned down helming X-Men: The Last Stand to direct Superman Returns. Because of his Academy Award-winning performance in Singer's film The Usual Suspects and friendship with the director, Kevin Spacey was immediately cast as Luthor. He in turn suggested Kate Bosworth, who played his wife, Sandra Dee, in the film Beyond the Sea, for Lois Lane, and she was hired after Singer saw her screen-test. Singer, unlike previous directors, always knew his Superman, like Christopher Reeve, should be an unknown. After viewing hundreds of auditions and casting calls from the previous directors who were attached, he found a 24-year-old bartender from Iowa named Brandon Routh, whose mid-western roots and meekness seemed to fit Clark Kent's bumbling persona. Routh got the part after a meeting with Singer, spilling a drink on the director in the process, which Routh believed to have cost him the part. Nevertheless, the misfortune, Singer admitted, is what helped him choose Routh because he saw Clark's clumsiness in the young actor. In 2005, Brandon Routh was introduced for the first time to the media as the new Man of Steel.

Budget

File:Superman Returns production1.jpg

Bryan Singer (right) directs Kevin Spacey (center) and Brandon Routh (left) in front of a green screen set.

This film has been rumored to be one of the most expensive ever, with an alleged budget of $260,000,000. However, director Bryan Singer initially debunked this figure, claiming it was "a little lower than $200,000,000". He had supposedly admitted that the former amount was closer if not slightly less than the full amount spent, according to an erroneous statement made by Rotten Tomatoes. There is controversy over Singer's supposed admission, though, which took place during an episode of Sunday Morning Shootout. Co-host Peter Guber stated a figure that was referring to the total cost of bringing Superman back to the big screen from Burton to Singer rather than a budget overrun on the current production. Singer's statement that it was "more than that" was a reference to the same scenario. According to various articles on the character's journey back to the silver screen, the total amount spent before Singer came onboard was close to $150 million, as some of those involved had "pay or play" contracts — meaning that they get paid if production isn't started by a certain date. That figure, alongside Singer's $185 million, gives a total cost of $335 million. Also, since Brett Ratner had left production because his budget was too large (reportedly $234 million), it is unlikely that Warner Bros. would have allowed such a high expenditure for a single motion picture after denying a previous one, even with the financial backing of Legendary Pictures.

During production, Singer released a series of 'video diaries' on the internet at BlueTights.net, giving almost unprecedented up-to-date insight into the behind-the-scenes work being done on what would normally be a very secretive production. However, after 27 installments, the video diaries stopped for a while shortly before the teaser trailer debuted.

According to The Numbers.com, Bryan Singer was quoted as saying the budget for Superman Returns was $250 million in late 2004. He later denied that figure. Pamela McClintock wrote in Variety in February 2006 that Warner Bros. had unofficially put the budget at $184 million, "factoring in tax breaks offered in Australia." In a July 2006 interview with Newsweek, Bryan Singer quotes the final production budget as $204 million.

Marlon Brando's role

A digitally recreated Jor-El.

What we did is we went back to footage from the original Superman and re-created Jor-El using computer technology based on references to the Richard Donner film. ... The challenge is that, when you have an actor, you can scan them using a cyberscan and a lumispheric scan to re-create them all the way down to the pores on their tongue or the hair on their ears. But since we didn't have Brando, we didn't have the actor. All we had was reference photography and film footage, so we had to reconstruct him in a computer. It was very challenging."|Bryan Singer on how the late Marlon Brando reprised his role as Superman's father, Jor-El.

In June 2006, Rhythm and Hues, the studio that created the special effect, released a video detailing the process.

Deleted scenes

Many scenes are known to have been deleted. Singer said the first cut of the movie was 2 hours and 45 minutes, and the film began with Superman exploring the remains of Krypton. The character of Ben Hubbard only has a small role in the finished film, and a scene at the end of a TV spot ("So, you flew in last week?") indicates cuts. Also, photos of Stephen Bender as young Clark Kent with a Kryptonian crystal, and the white coloured ship Superman came to Earth in as a baby also exist, with the ship briefly in the first teaser trailer. Singer has said he has no plans for an extended cut but wishes to include them on the DVD.

Trailers and TV spots

File:Supermanreturnsteaser.jpg

The original teaser poster for the film.

On November 17, 2005, Warner Bros. released the teaser trailer, containing John Williams' music and Marlon Brando's dialogue from Superman. The main theatrical trailer premiered online on May 2, 2006 (three days before its cinema debut). It appeared in theatres on May 5, 2006, along with prints of Mission: Impossible 3. On May 19, 2006 with UK prints of The Da Vinci Code, the studio released the film's international trailer. A second full version was issued with some prints of X-Men: The Last Stand on May 26, 2006. A third trailer appeared on the film's new official website in June, 2006. It also appeared online before the new site came on in the end of May.

On May 11, 2006 Warner Bros began a campaign of television spots:

• TV Spot #1
• TV Spot #2
• TV Spot #3
• TV Spot #4
• TV Spot #5
• TV Spot #6
• TV Spot #7
• TV Spot #8
• TV Spot #9

File:Supermanreturnsfortressofsolitude.jpg

Superman finds a surprise from Lex Luthor.

IESB uploaded 11 clips of Superman Returns to their website midway through June.

• "Do you know the story of Prometheus?"
• "I Thought I Would Never See You Again"
• "Lois Lane is A Mommy"
• "Unidentified Bogey"
• "Airplane Rescue"
• "Superman Returns"
• "Were you in love with him?"
• "I love that he can see through anything"
• "Where did you go?"
• "Lois, will you come with me?"
• "This just came through the fax"

The iTunes Music Store also released an exclusive premiere scene, which showed 'This just came through the fax', Kent ducking into an elevator shaft, and the landmass beginning to grow. It was first made available on June 20, 2006, and continues to be available at apple.com.

Reactions

Template:Infobox movie certificates At the San Diego Comic-Con, Bryan Singer showed a five-minute montage of clips from the film to over six thousand viewers, who were so enthused by the footage, they gave it a standing ovation and had the director show it again.

Christopher Reeve's late widow, Dana Reeve, in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, was shown the press release photo of Brandon Routh and gave her nod of approval to the actor and the suit. She later sent Routh two pendants emblazoned with the Superman "S" and the words "Go Forward" to show the actor that he had her blessing. Dana Reeve died on March 6, 2006, before the film was completed.

A new montage of footage was shown in March 2006 at the National Association of Theatre Owners ShoWest convention and was favorably received.

In a video segment at ShoWest, Richard Donner was featured giving his nod of approval to Routh as Superman, stating, "He looks so much like Chris it's extraordinary. I'm ready to see this guy take flight, and I know Bryan [Singer] is going to make it happen."

In late April 2006, a Coca-Cola commercial aired in Australia, advertising for special premiere tickets, showed the first glimpse of Superman flying. The reaction was a little mixed, but the majority approved. A clip from the commercial with the scenes of Superman is available at Aintitcool.com (QuickTime required).

David Ansen of Newsweek said, "Next to Singer's champagne, most recent superhero adventure movies are barely sparkling cider." Other reviews said that Singer had done the Superman character proud and that the whole cast had succeeded.

Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine stated, "The best Hollywood movies always knew how to sneak a beguiling subtext into a crowd-pleasing story. Superman Returns is in that grand tradition. That's why it's beyond Super. It's superb." Renowned movie critic Leonard Maltin commented on his website, "Bryan Singer has brought us a brand-new movie that celebrates the traditions of Superman in a movie that somehow still seems fresh. Superman Returns is completely absorbing and highly entertaining." Empire went further still in its praise, giving the film five stars (out of five) and describing it as "the finest popular entertainment since the Rings trilogy closed".

In contrast, Roger Ebert's reaction to the movie was very negative, saying, "This is a glum, lackluster movie in which even the big effects sequences seem dutiful instead of exhilarating." In addition, much of his dissatisfaction cites both Routh and the character's general portrayal: "One problem is with the casting. Brandon Routh lacks charisma as Superman, and I suppose as Clark Kent, he isn't supposed to have any... It's strange how little dialogue the title character has in the movie. Clark Kent is monosyllabic, and Superman is microsyllabic."

Film critic Michael Medved gave the movie two and a half stars (out of four) saying, "The new "Superman" takes flight easily, even effortlessly enough, soars for a while, but then dawdles and swerves inexplicably before coming in for a lethargic landing." And, "The slender plot simply can't support the overwrought, elephantine effects and the absurdly padded two hour and forty minute running time."

The New York Times labelled the movie as "leaden", while the San Francisco Chronicle observed that "Superman Returns finds no reason for being, other than that it's summer and computer graphics have improved since the superhero days of Christopher Reeve."

Despite these critics' opinions, the movie has generally been well reviewed by critics and audiences. It has been a "Certified Fresh" film on Rotten Tomatoes with 76% overall approval from critics and 73% from the "Cream of the Crop", and received a 72% on Metacritic. As of July 2006, it currently holds a 7.2/10 on the IMDb.

Box office results

Superman Returns grossed $21,037,277 from its June 27, 2006 and June 28, 2006 screenings. As the movie did not begin showing regularly until June 28, 2006, 10 p.m. showings on Tuesday were limited in most locations to one or two screenings. However, this is counted as part of its Wednesday gross as the film lasts slightly longer than two hours, causing it to end early the next day. Superman Returns ranked 11th on the all-time list of biggest Wednesday movie openings, the 7th biggest June opening weekend release, and the 21st fastest to $100 million. As of July 25, 2006, the movie has grossed US$180,245,955 domestically and $110,000,000 foreign, making $290,245,955 worldwide.

IMAX 3D release

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A poster for the film shown in selected IMAX theatres.

Superman Returns was released simultaneously in 111 IMAX format theatres world-wide, which includes approximately 26 minutes of specially converted 3D material. It is the first Hollywood live-action film to be released in this combined format. The movie has on-screen cues so moviegoers will know when to put on and remove 3D glasses. The scenes featured were 'Memories'(back on the farm), 'Rough Flight' (catching the jet), 'Saving The Lanes' (raising the stricken yacht) and 'Fly Away' (credits flightpast). The most recent 3D films to do this theatrically were Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, but these films were not displayed in IMAX or in polarized 3D; instead they were released in anaglyph format, for budgetary reasons and also to aid transistion of format to DVD. It is therefore unlikely that this version of Superman will see the light of day outside of an IMAX theatre in the near future. Superman Returns: 3D grossed approximately $1.2 million within 24 hours of its IMAX release, though not a large amount, it set a new record for the format.

Connections to Superman and Superman II

Template:Spoiler Singer has said that Superman Returns uses the first two films that began with 1978's Superman as a vague history to the events of this film. By establishing the plot as taking place after the first two films, it consequently retcons Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace out of existence. The many references to the first two films include:

• In the first full trailer for the film Martha Kent is heard in voice over "Your father used to say that you were put here for a reason", directly quoting a Jonathan Kent (Glenn Ford) line from the 1978 Superman.
• In the Kent house there is a framed photo of Jonathan Kent, Clark Kent’s adopted father, displayed with other framed family photos. The photo appears to be that of Glenn Ford, the actor who played the character in the 1978 film.
• When Kitty and Luthor are in Fortress of Solitude, Kitty says to Lex Luthor "You act like you've been here before" (he had, in Superman II).
• Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor paraphrased a quote made by Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor in the original 1978 movie: "Son, stocks may rise and fall, utilities and transportation systems may collapse. People are no damn good, but they will always need land and they'll pay through the nose to get it!" Along with that, after Spacey's Lex prefaces his sentence with, "Do you know what my father used to tell me," Kitty answers, "Get out," at one point in jest, the same response Miss Teschmacher gave Hackman's Lex in the original when he rhetorically asked a similar question.
• Kitty also has a lapse of judgement similar to Teschmacher, and her final refusal to help Lex.
• The threat of "billions" of people dying is again referenced to and by Luthor, his scheme is again a real estate themed threat to destroy part of America and make profit on the newly expensive plot of land.
• The score composed by John Ottman features leitmotifs created by John Williams for the original film. Aside from the main "Superman March" theme, Ottman references "The Planet Krypton" theme, the "Death of Jonathan Kent"/"Leaving Home" themes and the "Lois Lane Theme" (aka "Can You Read My Mind") in the score for the film. The teaser trailer relies on the cue "The Planet Krypton", which was featured in the 1978 film.
• Some of John Barry's Kryptonian designs for Superman, including the Fortress of Solitude and the baby Kal-El's transport pod, have been recreated.
• In the original film, after saving Lois, Superman says, "I hope this hasn't put you off flying. Statistically speaking, it is still the safest way to travel." Then she faints. In Returns, after he saves an entire press corps on board a flight by preventing the plane from crash landing he recites the same dialogue and Lois again faints.
• When Luthor and his henchmen steal the Kryptonite from the museum, the placard indicates that the specimen was recovered from Addis Ababa in 1978. The kryptonite in the original Superman film was taken from Addis Ababa and the movie was released in 1978.
• The film mentions Lois' article "I Spent the Night with Superman" — written by the character in the 1978 film.
• Lois still smokes (unlike her comic counterpart) prompting Superman to say in Superman and Superman Returns, "You know you really shouldn't smoke Miss Lane."
• As in the original two films, Lois is still a horrible speller (as implied by the original film quotes, "How many T's in bloodletting?" and when Perry White points out that she incorrectly put two P's in "rapist"). In the new film, she asks, "How many F's in catastrophe?"
• In Superman II, Lois hoped to win a Pulitzer Prize by doing a story on French terrorists who were attempting to destroy the Eiffel Tower. In Superman Returns, she has won the Pulitzer for her essay "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman".
• In both Superman: The Movie and Superman Returns, Lex Luthor (while holding Kryptonite) states that he will defeat Superman by using "mind over muscle".
• The final scene, now computer-generated, shows Superman in space, smiling at the audience, in almost the same pose as in the final scene of the 1978 film (which was re-used at the end of the other three Reeve pictures).
• As established in the first two Christopher Reeve movies, Metropolis is essentially New York City. Featured are the Twin Towers, the Statue of Liberty, etc. (Richard Donner confirms this in his commentary for the film). This is in contrast to comic book continuity which maintains that the two cities co-exist (although even in the comics they are identifiable as the same city). Singer's film continues the canon established by Donner by setting Metropolis in place of New York City. This is supported not only by the maps on Lex Luthor's yacht, but also aerial shots of Metropolis in which Manhattan Island is clearly identifiable (its shape, Central Park, etc.) as well as its proximity to Roosevelt Island, the Hudson River, the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, etc. The only difference between the two cities' skylines is the prescence of the Daily Planet building (with its iconic spinning globe) in Metropolis.
• While the design of Kal-el's spaceship is essentially the same as in the first film there are some differences. The ship in Superman Returns was given a larger size to accommodate Kal-el as an adult. Also, in the Richard Donner classic, the ship starts to deteriorate as it enters Earth's orbit (and the wreckage of the ship is then hidden in the Kent barn), which is not apparent in the 2006 film.
• In the first movie, Lex Luthor plots to destroy the coastal area of California for real estate speculation purposes. In Superman Returns, his creation of the Kryptonian landmass would have flooded most of the U.S., except the California coastal area. Also, in both Superman II and Superman Returns, Lex makes explicit references to "beachfront property".
• Answering a question in the Fortress of Solitude, Lex calls it a "monument to a long lost civilization." Similarly Zod refers to the fortress as "a sentimental replica of a dead civilization" in Superman II.
• Lois makes a reference to Luthor's double life sentence that was mentioned in Superman II. (However, according to a prison guard in Superman II, Luthor only received a "Life + 25" sentence.)
• Clark describes one of Richard's ideas as "swell". In the original movie, Clark also used "swell" as an adjective, to which Lois responded, "You know, Clark, there are very few people left in the world who feel comfortable saying that word." In Superman Returns, they simply give him an incredulous look.
• Kevin Spacey's Lex Luthor, like Gene Hackman's, disguises his baldness with a hairpiece. Upon his arrest in Superman, Luthor smugly discards the hairpiece when he informs the prison guard who he is. In Superman Returns, his goal accomplished, he smugly tosses his hairpiece to the child of a family whom he has just swindled out of their fortune.
• In both Superman and Superman Returns, Superman approaches Lois for an interview because a lot of people have questions. In both interviews Superman makes a point to not know Clark. In Superman Lois tells Superman, "Clark said that you were just a figment of somebody's imagination, like Peter Pan" and Superman responds, "Clark? Who's that, your boyfriend?" In Superman Returns Lois says, "Clark said the reason you left without saying goodbye was because it was too unbearable for you; personally I think that's a load of crap." In return Superman simply replies, "Clark?"
• In Superman, after Clark's first day at work at the Daily Planet, Lois and Clark leave the building, and Clark gets stuck in the revolving doors on his way out. Similarly, in Superman Returns, as Lois and Clark leave the Daily Planet, Clark gets himself stuck in the same slot of the revolving door as Lois, as they awkwardly exit the building.
• In Superman and Superman II, the opening credits show the titles coming at the audience in a simulated 3-D effect in space. Superman Returns utilizes similar opening credits with the titles coming at the audience in 3-D fashion as the camera moves about outer space.
• In Superman Returns, Superman is seen to be flying around the Eiffel Tower. In Superman II the Eiffel Tower was the setting for the opening action sequence.

Allegories and allusions (specific to other lore)

• Prometheus: Lex Luthor uses this tale as a premise for his raid on the Fortress of Solitude, as Prometheus stole the fire for mankind from the Gods.
• Clarke's three laws: In reference to Kryptonian technology, Lex Luthor states a version of Clarke's third law twice: that to a relatively primitive mind, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. This quote is referenced from Arthur C. Clarke, who mentioned "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." from "Profiles of The Future", written in 1961.
• Moses: Superman's castoff to Earth has been alluded to the casting of Moses in the rushes for his safety (in Superman's case, from the destruction of Krypton) This is probably due to Superman's creator's Judaism . Also covered in other works.
• Dog Eat Dog: a literal take on the aphorism; one of Kitty's dogs is found to have eaten its counterpart while she and Luthor were conducting the Fortress raid.
• Christian God the Father:"I have sent them you, my only son;" allusion of the sacrifice of a son for the people. Also covered in other works.
• Jesus: "Everyday, I hear people crying for a savior;" Superman's point to Lois Lane on "why the world needs Superman." Also covered in other works. Late in the film, Superman is stabbed in the side as Jesus was believed to be during the Crucifixion; after casting the Crystal Continent into space, the fatigued Superman strikes a pose almost identical to that of a man being crucified.
• Life imitating art: Luthor's experiment with the crystal destroys his model city, as his growth of the Crystal Continent nearly destroys Metropolis.
• Atlas (mythology): Superman stops the Daily Planet globe from falling on a crowd, assuming Atlas' ancient pose.
• Achilles' heel: Superman's reaction to Kryptonite. Also covered in other works.
• Humans intervene to rescue Superman on two occasions: the idea of "mortals" assisting someone greater than themselves is a flip of the premise of the Gods partaking in human affairs (ala Greek Mythology).

Trivia

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Action Comics #1 (June 1938), the debut of Superman. Cover art by Joe Shuster, and extremely similar homage shot from the new film.

• This was the first Superman movie to date to be wholly produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Superman IV: The Quest For Peace was co-produced by Warner Bros. and Cannon Films.
• The producers of Smallville were allowed to visit the set during production.
• During the scene in which the train set is being destroyed by the crystals, a sign displaying "Smallville" can be seen among the wreckage.
• According to Bryan Singer, Superman's age has always been in his late twenties to early thirties, and will continue to be so.
• Kitty Kowalski's name has been the source for much confusion. It has been alternately spelled as 'Koslowski'; in a production blog one of her costumes behind the scenes is labeled 'Kowalski' and her name in the credits of the film is as such. This confusion has been further exacerbated in various articles and websites that list her name as either Koslowski or Kowalski. She was featured in director Bryan Singer's production blog #23 entitled 'Derailed' on BlueTights.net, in which Lex Luthor tests out a stunning train set whilst ignoring Kitty, who is visibly bored and lonely. She was also the subject of costume-design blog #27 entitled 'Bespoke'.
• Tom Welling, who plays Clark Kent in the TV series Smallville talked with Brett Ratner, when he was still the director, about the role of Superman. Among topics in the discussion was the scheduling conflict with Welling's series and the movie.
• Routh put on 20 pounds of muscle for the role of Superman.
• One of the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling of Clark Kent's bed room is red, a reference to the red sun of Krypton.
• The movie was originally planned to be released on June 30, 2006, but Warner Bros. bumped up the date to Tuesday, June 27 (both conventional and IMAX theaters hosted special screenings at 10 p.m. on Tuesday night, a day ahead of its official June 28, 2006 theatrical release). Many see this as an attempt to collect three more days' worth of box-office revenue before the debut of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest on July 7, 2006.
• The companion album to the score, Sound of Superman, was released on June 13, and features contemporary artists performing songs that merely reference Superman (such as The Sun's cover of The Kinks track '(I Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman', but do not feature in any film soundtrack.
• Bo the Bartender, who serves Clark Kent and Jimmy Olsen just prior to the airplane crisis, was played by Jack Larson, the original Jimmy Olsen of The Adventures of Superman series. Larson also appeared as a temporarily aged Jimmy in an episode of the Lois and Clark TV series. After Superman's rescue of the plane, one of the scenes of people celebrating include Larson hugging his current successor to the Jimmy Olsen role, Sam Huntington.

Note: According to Daniel Wallace's Superman Returns: The Visual Guide, Bo's full name is Bo "Bibbo" Bibbowski. Bibbo is the bartender and supporting character from the modern Superman comic books.

• Gertrude Vanderworth, the old woman whom Luthor cons to gain her fortune, was played by Noel Neill, who was the first live-action Lois Lane (in the 1948 and 1950 Superman movie serials) and the second actress to portray Lane in the 1950s televison series The Adventures of Superman. She has had cameo appearances in two other live-action Superman projects; as a young Lois Lane's mother in Superman, and as a Daily Planet employee in the live-action Superboy TV series alongside former Adventures costar Jack Larson.

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A panel from The Man of Steel #1 by John Byrne predates a sequence for Superman Returns.

• The concept of Superman's first public appearance upon his return in the film is reminiscent of the character's first public appearance as shown in The Man of Steel #1, by John Byrne. There, Clark Kent (sans glasses, and pre Super-suit) is in Metropolis for the launch of a new space plane being covered by the press. When something goes wrong, placing the lives of the crew and spectators below in danger, Clark instinctively springs into action and saves the plane. (It is here that he meets Lois Lane for the first time.)
• When Superman saves Kitty in the 'out of control car' sequence, the shot of him putting the car down, and the picture taken from the event seen on Perry White's desk in the following scene, is nearly identical to the cover of Action Comics #1 (Superman's first appearance).
• Superman saves a plane from disaster in a fashion that is similar to a sequence in the Fleischer Superman cartoon Japoteurs.
• In the film, there is a small reference to Gotham City in a news segment reporting where Superman has been sighted. Gotham City is, of course, the home of Batman
• One of the space shuttle pilots is played by Sir Richard Branson. His proposed company, Virgin Galactic, plans to make space flight affordable to civilians. The Virgin Galactic brand is seen in the in-flight presentation given to reporters in the movie. Also as part of the film's UK promotion, one of Virgin's Pendolino trains was given a relivery with large images from the movie along its side, the first time any unit in this class has deviated from the company's standard livery since its introduction in 2001. [1]
• At the end of the movie, the pajamas Lois Lane's son is wearing have DC Comics' Aquaman on them.
• Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris, the writers of the film, make a small cameo in the museum before Lex Luthor's thugs shoo them away from an exhibit.
• "Alienation" and "Zod" are words briefly glimpsed on the Scrabble board in the Kent house at the beginning of the film.
• While Superman remains in critical condition, Perry and Richard White discuss two alternate headlines, "Superman is Dead" and "Superman Lives." (The date on the former is September 29, 2006). This could be an hommage to the ending of 1961 newspaper-set film The Day The Earth Caught Fire. Superman Lives was also the name of the abandoned fifth Superman film.
• Routh as Superman parts his hair to the opposite side that Reeve parted his in the previous Superman films.
• As evidence of Superman's pop culture influence, two summer movies have used Superman themes in their trailers: The Devil Wears Prada and My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Additionally, the teaser for The Simpsons Movie, due the following summer used a similar theme whilst panning over a Superman 'S' (revealed to be Homer Simpson's T-Shirt).
• The F-35 Lightning II makes its first cinematic appearance in the plane scene, escorting the shuttle attached to the Boeing 777.
• During the quake, Superman used almost all of his powers; super strength and speed, heat vision and super breath.
• The film is "dedicated with love and respect to Christopher Reeve and Dana Reeve".

Other back-references

The film contains some typical obligatory back-references to prior Superman media besides just the theatrical films:

• Jimmy showing photos to Perry White and Lois Lane, the three characters exchanging dialogue from the 1940s cartoons, "Look, [Chief], up in the sky!" "It's a bird." "It's a plane."
• Perry White: "Does he still stand for truth, justice, all that stuff?" (In the 1940s cartoons, Superman stood for "Truth and justice". Later he would stand for "Truth, justice and the American way").
• Perry White: "Great Caesar's ghost!", a line often used by John Hamilton as White in The Adventures of Superman, as well as by the character in current comics.
• People wondering, for at least a moment, if Clark might be Superman.

Spin-offs

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Superman Returns Xbox 360 Cover Art

• DC Comics released four prequel titles throughout June 2006 to tie in with the movie. The four 40-page editions served to bridge the story of Superman II and Superman Returns and are entitled Krypton to Earth (which reintroduces the origin from the 1978 Film, with Jor-El as the main protagonist), Ma Kent (in which Martha Kent recalls finding her son, his life growing up, and contemplates if she'll ever see him again), Lex Luthor (discussing Lex Luthor's time in jail, how he met Kitty and the old rich woman) and Lois Lane (Going over Lois' heartbreaking loss of the Man of Steel, her first meeting with Richard, and the birth of Jason.).
• DC Comics also released a comic adaptation of the movie written by Martin Pasko and illustrated by Matt Haley. The story in the adaptation only focuses on the core story, and does not have any mention of the possibility that Jason is the son of Superman.
• The novelization by Marv Wolfman was published by Warner Books on 1 June, 2006. The novelization does not link Jason to Superman. Brutus is killed by Lois by pulling a bookcase down his head, snapping his neck. However, just like in the movie, it is Jason who finds Superman near-drowning.
• Also scheduled is a Superman Returns video game for release on September 19, 2006. It will be based on the movie but contain additional villains such as Metallo which are not found in the movie.

Documentary

Released alongside the film was a documentary, Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman, covering the history of the Superman franchise. Along with input from Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey, the documentary contains commentary from other past and present actors, directors, writers, artists, and fans.

Sequel?

Warner Bros. announced early plans for a sequel several months before the release of the movie; pre-production was planned to begin in late 2007/early 2008, with a possible release date in 2009. Prior to the debut of Superman Returns in the United Kingdom, at a press conference Routh hinted at the possibility of the sequel, saying "At the end of this film we see that there is so much more to explore". It has more recently been thought that a Superman Returns sequel hinges on the film's domestic box office performance, some media outlets suggesting that Warner Bros. want it to take in at least $200 million in the United States for a sequel to get the green light. As of July 24, the film was still $20 million shy of $200 million domestic, despite having been in nearly a full month of release. Newsarama reported from the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con that director Bryan Singer has been in talks to direct a sequel for 2009, though a deal has not yet been set with Warner Bros. The article says, "As for the story, Singer said that while Superman Returns allowed him to introduce the cast, the sequel would allow him to, 'Go Wrath of Khan on it.'" He added that there would be an alien villain. In another interview on Superherohype.com, he indicated a return of the New Krypton island.

External links

• Official website (including trailers)
• Official MySpace site
• Superman Returns at Rotten Tomatoes
• Superman Returns at the Internet Movie Database
• 360-degree QuickTime VRs of the Superman Returns movie-sets
• BBC News: Critics wowed by Superman return
• CBR's detailed, analytical review of the film and its place in Superman's mythology and history
• Complete list of actors who were reportedly considered for roles
• Chronological list of all Superman graphic novels, including movie and television tie-ins
• Pictorial article on the transformation of Sydney into Metropolis
• Blog Review @ Munjeet.com (feel free to post comments here)
• Agent DVD Superman Page