Comic films continue to dominate theaters and with two power house Marvel films closing in as well as a new Batman installment, there seems to be no end in site. Now, out of the blue, Superman returns...
After a Superman film which saw actors mimicking performances made famous years back, I was ready to accept a cruel world where the only DC film I'd look forward to was Batman. Now, Archangel reports that there is something new on the horizon and he's more powerful than Brandon Routh in 6 lbs of makeup...
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Superman: Man of Steel a reboot???
This could be the news we've all been waiting for!!
I was given a rare opportunity today to read an outline recently submitted to WB for a reboot of the Superman franchise. Now, this doesn't mean it's being made, but the fact that a possible reboot is on the table is enough to make me smile from ear to ear.
The writer started out by describing the story to me as Superman meets Terminator. At first I was confused, but once I finished reading I was totally stoked. For all intents and purposes, it is a remake of 1978's Superman The Movie. There are much needed changes and modern updates so don't expect the same film with different actors. And the title is tentatively Superman: Man of Steel.
It opens on Krypton which is filled with elaborate crystal palaces, but being ravaged by war under General Zod. Zod is finally captured and banished to the Phantom Zone by Jor-El and a counsel of elders.
Knowing that Zod was defeated too late, Jor-El decides that to save his only son, Kal-El, he must send him to the third planet from the yellow sun. Right behind him, the nerve center of Krypton, which contains all the knowledge of the known universe, is ejected into space. As Kal-El speeds on his way, Krypton explodes in the distance.
The next fews scenes are pretty much the same as usual. Martha and Jonathan Kent find Kal-El during the meteor shower and raise him as Clark Kent, the fortress is built, he begins his training (which we actually see in this version), and becomes a reporter at the daily planet.
Here's where some changes come in.
Hooray!! Lex Luthor is not a real estate junkie!! He's an influential business man who lusts for power. Following his father's death, Lex takes over LuthorCorp (renaming it LexCorp) and discovers a secret project he had been working on. Lionel had found Brainiac after the meteor shower and was using it to reverse engineer technology that put LuthorCorp at the top of the business world. Lex continues this project reaching out to the military by creating bio-mechanical super-soldiers. What he doesn't realize, is that Brainiac is actually a living computer that is self-aware and manipulating everything with his own agenda.
While working at the Daily Planet, our first look at "Superman" is of course a rescue of Lois Lane.
The big fight comes when Brainiac launches his plan to wipe out the planet and rebuild it in his own image. His vast knowledge has given him a God complex. Once Lex gains the confidence of the military and access to certain facilities, equipment, etc, Brainiac takes over satellites and even the internet (essentially doing what SkyNet did hence the Superman meets Terminator description), thus holding the entire world hostage. Kryptonian messages appear on every computer around the globe. In doing this, Brainiac is absorbing the knowledge of Earth and learns of Superman.
Clark now seeks information and guidance from Jor-El at the fortress trying to find out how this can be if he is the sole survivor of Krypton. After learning who is behind this takeover, Superman speeds off to find him.
Just in case this ends up being what they decide to do, I'm going to keep the ending to myself. I will share these tidbits though... just like in the original, nuclear missiles are launched and Superman must stop them. But this time, it's more than just two. The final fight between him and Brainiac has the potential to be the greatest cinematical experience ever seen.
If the script turns out as good as the outline, I promise you, I'll be the first in line to buy tickets. Be smart WB... This could be your ticket to redemption!!
Now, if this doesn't undergo any major changes and Superman can manage not to get shanked prison style, I'll be a happy man.
