Bryan Singer: Still Fired AND Delusional

Hey there,

It's been a SLOW last few months, while we wait for WB to decide WHO they are going to let make the Superman "reboot". Over the last few weeks there have been a few interviews with BS, where he does his best "Stuttering John" impersonation when asked about Singerman: Madame Of Swish. It's apparent to ANYONE with an IQ over 25 that he KNOWS he is NEVER going to make another one, but WON'T just come out and say it.

Well, today there is this little "gem" from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/14/movies/14harr.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&ref=movies

I only posted the 2nd page, as the rest just talks about his flop-to-be "Valkyrie". What a STINKER that looks to be.....

"After nearly a decade of comic-book movies, “Valkyrie” might seem to represent Mr. Singer commanding himself to do something different. But he said: “I think my work has a real continuity, not in style but in theme. Themes of identity, principal characters who aren’t what they seem: that’s the X-Men, the boy in ‘Apt Pupil,’ Superman of course.”"

I think it's pretty apparent WHAT "theme" his movies have in common. From "Usual Suspects" to "Singerman Peeps", it is there, slapping you in the face. Why not come out and state it for ALL to see, Bryan?

"Mr. Singer’s next move is uncertain. A plan to direct an adaptation of Randy Shilts’s Harvey Milk biography, “The Mayor of Castro Street,” fell apart when Gus Van Sant’s “Milk” beat the project to the finish line. And Mr. Singer tenses visibly when asked about his potential involvement in a “Superman” sequel. “I really don’t know,” he said. Last summer Jeff Robinov, the president of Warner Brothers, told The Wall Street Journal that “Superman Returns” “didn’t quite work as a film in the way we wanted it to” and failed to “position the character the way he needed to be positioned.”"

I highlighted the two most IMPORTANT parts of this paragraph. Uncertain? "I really don't know"??? You mean, he is FINALLY starting to come clean about his non-involvement in WB's next move? Is he finally learning humility, and being honest about the situation and his failure with Singerman Peeps??

"Mr. Singer says his own love of Superman lore may have given the movie the weight of too much nostalgia — “I’m learning to introduce characters a lot quicker and more aggressively,” he added — but he is otherwise disinclined to second-guess his decisions or even revisit his past work."

What the fu...?? "love of Superman lore"?? Ahhh, well-played Mr. Singer. You sneaky-monkey. Here I was, thinking you were starting to be honest and upfront about things, and you do a complete 180!Superman's "lore" goes BEYOND a movie from 1978, genius. You think trying to copy THAT gave it "the weight of too much nostalgia"? Seriously? NOTHING ELSE was wrong with your suckfest, 'eh BS?

You can't even claim your "love" for the FAR SUPERIOR Superman The Movie had ANYTHING to do with your "film" tanking. You DESTROYED the costume that Christopher Reeve used to make us Believe. You gave us a pale imitation of Gene Hackman's campy Lex Luthor. You took Margot Kidder's tenacious, "spunky" Lois Lane and turned her into a bad wig wearing, 12 year old boy looking, whiney BRAT who was SUPPOSED to be a MOTHER!

I won't even MENTION you disgracing Christopher Reeve's memory by having that talentless plank of wood "pretend" to be HIS Superman.

Shame on you, Bryan Singer.

Latino Review Won't Give It Up

BJ Routh gotta eat!! Looks like the "Singerman money" has run out for ol' BJ, doesn't it? Then again, his lack of work after Singerman Peeps FLOPPED at the box office goes to show that maybe this picture ISN'T too far from the truth, eh?

Anyway, it appears one of the "Usual Suspects" is back at it, fabricating stories about BJ Routh being involved in the reboot:

http://www.latinoreview.com/news/exclusive-dc-comics-president-gives-superman-update-5511

"Exclusive: DC Comics President Gives Superman Update

By Kellvin Chavez on October 9, 2008
The only thing better than living in New York, is being at a party in New York. I was out on the town this past Monday night with my partners in crime El Mayimbe and Ron Henriques at the special WATCHMEN presentation that was scheduled for a hand full of media outlets. The footage we watched to me was very good. It had its moments. I definitely believe just like SIN CITY, you will either love it or hate it. I loved the opening sequence explaining the creation and the rise of the Minutemen, which quite frankly blew me away! It was that good. And honestly while I’ve never read the book, I must say I was inspired to immediately go out and buy one just so I am up to speed.

Anyhow, the real action didn’t happen inside the screening, but rather outside of it. While mingling around with guest and watching my partner in crime sneak food into his Latin pockets, I saw the one and only Paul Levitz, the President of DC Comics. I walked over to him and had a moment to hang out and chat with him briefly. I could not keep my mouth shut and had to ask the questions that Latino readers are asking. So I went in straight for the kill.

“So Paul, what the fuck is happening with Superman?” Well not in those words actually. Paul looked over both shoulders like he was about to score some basura and said that things are still brewing.

In fact, he told me that “Last week Brandon Routh has come around the offices in New York and Los Angeles as of late to talk about Superman and what we want to do”……blah blah blah!

At first I thought it was the Apple Martini I was drinking but I soon realized that I just heard a bombshell go off in my brain! Brandon? He did say Brandon Routh was coming around talking about Superman! Why the hell would they be talking to Brandon if he was not going to be part of the reboot? Because he’s still in the mix!!!

The truth of the matter is that the way Mr. Levitz made it seem is that they love Brandon as Clark Kent and that he’s just a great guy, which I agree. I mean remember we at Latino Review told EVERYONE he was going to be the next Superman.

At that point my instincts kicked in and I continued with the questions. “What about Batman 3? You guys must be going crazy over the success of that film.” Paul pulls the cocktail shrimp from his mouth just enough to see him smile. I asked when were they going to get this Superman reboot done and he gave me a look like he was about to tell me the answers to the mysteries of the world. “Everyone is waiting for Nolan to sign on for another Batman, once that happens, the release date for Superman and all other future projects will follow.”

I could not believe my ears! Not only did my partner in crime blast wind next to me, but basically Superman’s future hangs in the balance until we have a concrete signature on the Batman contracts! The party was getting good, and the drinks were flowing making this just as easy as prom night picking. So I pressed with my questions. “What about Green Lantern and Supermax? How is that moving along?” Paul continued that Green Lantern was actually moving faster than Supermax, which to me makes sense because the Green Lantern script was badass!! If you do not remember the review we did, here it is again. The party went into the night, and the drinks continued to flow, finally I knew I had to leave as soon as my partner in crime started to stumble all over the place, looking kind of green in the face.

As of now just a few moments ago another inside source confirmed that yes they are waiting for Chris Nolan to sign the deal with the next Batman, and that they want him to commit to a July 2011 release. If that happens then the following superhero films will be released.

Green Lantern Summer 2010
Batman 3 Summer 2011
New Superman reboot Summer 2012

Also in the mix is THE FLASH."

Ok, first off, did ANYONE read where Levitz said BJ Routh was "in the mix" for the reboot? Or did he say Ol' Bartender was there talking about what DC is going to do with Superman? Secondly, did Levitz HIMSELF even say he thought BJ was a "great guy"? No? Gee, a Singer Suck-Up site like Latino Review would NEVER "bend the truth" to fit their AGENDA, now would they?? It's not like they have been "pimping" a Singerman sequel, or whining about the announced reboot or anything...

The truth is, Paul Levitz will know what WB is going to do when WB WANTS him to. I have a feeling if someone asked him about this little "hatchet job", you'd get a BIG "taken out of context" from him. This "journalist" decided to take what he heard, and inject his OWN personal bias and opinions into the mix. Shoddy journalism at BEST.

Once the new creative team is announced, these "bought & paid for" sites will shut their mouths about BJ Routh and Singerman FOR GOOD. It'll be about damn time too...

Do The Right Thing

Hey there,

Apparently, the Apologists have teamed-up with the obese, unattractive "women" who are "hagging" it over BJ Routh.

A poll is currently being run, asking who is the BEST Superman to YOU:

http://blogs.usaweekend.com/whos_news/2008/08/tell-us-who-is.html


Now currently, Tom Welling is leading the pack. Understandable, as he is currently the longest-running person to play ANY incarnation of Superman EVER. But what is surprising, and also HIGHLY offensive, is that BJ "Singerman" Routh is SECOND. There is absolutely NO reason why he should be above Christopher Reeve. None. Does anyone consider George Lazenby the BEST James Bond ever?? I don't think so.

So it is up to YOU GUYS to make things RIGHT. Start voting, and push Christopher Reeve, the man who DESERVES IT, up past that waste of space BJ.

Don't let the overweight VIRGINS "win"....

Ding Dong, The Bitch Is Dead! But We Still Have Work to Do.

First off, thanks to AP for getting the news of WB's plan to reboot the Superman franchise up as soon as he did this weekend. I was away traveling for business, and wasn't able to access the site. Although I was able to access my email, and imagine my surprise when I logged into it on Friday Night in my crappy hotel room to see that I had almost 150 congratulatory emails in my account without a clue as to why?

As for my thoughts on Singer's ouster, I don't think I really need to explain them, as most of you who've read this little blog with any regularity know where I stand on things. I also think most of us who weren't living in denial knew that this was just a matter of "when" as opposed to "if" ever since WB saw the lackluster public response to Singer's failed effort. I always wondered just how my initial reaction to the official news would go. Would I be ecstatic? over-joyed? urinate my pants? etc. The truth is, it was none of the those. It was more along this lines of someone who knew something they wanted was coming, and had the satisfied feeling of seeing something they believed in come to fruition. Sort of like acing a big exam that you studied your ass off for and knew you nailed it when you took it.

Now I'm not egotistical enough to believe that this blog was a deciding factor in WB's choice to reboot Superman. But I am confident in saying that I know we were seen and heard by some pretty important people. (and YES, even some who's name appears in the site's URL.) But that was never my purpose in starting this blog. I was just one fan who waited for a movie about a character he loved and was horrified to see what had been done to him. I wanted to pierce through all the fluff and BS spewed by the people in charge of this abomination, and show them for what they really were, even if it was initially unpopular to do. After that I just wanted to be a place where people who were of the same mindset could come together and express our views without the shackles of some Draconian web masters who were more interested in kissing the asses of the people making the films so they could get "favors" regardless of what they were actually doing to the characters they claimed to love. In all of those regards I think we succeeded.
And don't just congratulate me, congratulate yourselves. I merely provided the medium, you all stood up for something you believed in and called a spade a spade. You're all a testament to the character of Superman, who'd stand up and fight for something he believed in until he gave his last breath, even if it was initially unpopular.

Now, not to completely kill your buzz, but there is something that came out in the Wall Street Journal article that just ain't sitting well with me. And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it now.

"Like the recent Batman sequel -- which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far -- Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as "The Dark Knight." Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.' DC properties. "We're going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it," he says. That goes for the company's Superman franchise as well."

Robinov, you STUPID BASTARD, you still don't get it, do you? Apparently you do get now finally that Singer's approach to Superman sucked. However, you obviously have not a fucking clue why. Please someone print this next part of the post out and stick it on this man's desk. Neigh, staple this fucking post to his forehead.

Superman Returns didn't fail because it wasn't dark enough. Hell, it was plenty "dark" and "emo." It failed because Singer didn't have a fucking clue about who Superman is and what makes him tick. One of the problems with his film in the first place was that it was too god damn dark because Superman is a character of light, and of hope. He's the inspiration to rise above the darkness that threatens to consume us all. He's us at our peak as humans, not us sinking to depths to deal with those even deeper. That's fucking Batman. THAT is why Nolan's films work; because he captures who the character is and flushes that out. That mindset doesn't work for every character. It's not some fucking magic formula that you can apply to Superman, the Flash, Wonder Woman, and fucking Plastic Man. You need to boil those characters down to who they are and use that for the tone of the film. The Dark Knight didn't succeed because it found some magic formulaic approach that applies to all character's plotlines. It did however find the magic formula for developing comic properties: get a visionary director who respects the source material, update the character for a modern audience, and get a competent cast to portray the iconic characters. It's pretty god damn simple. How are you now missing this?

Needless to say we need to keep an eye on this, and just hope that Robinov was suffering from diarrhea of the mouth and speaking about details he doesn't understand. Otherwise, we could be looking at Tim Burton's Superman Lives all over again. Christ, apparently a hero's work is never done. It doesn't look like we're going anywhere soon here folks. Keep checking in for updates on what's next for Superman.

Forever Vigilant,
S.S.S.

VICTORY!!!!!

The day has come, and doesn't it feel SWEET!

WB has OFFICIALLY put an end to the Apologists, and ANY "hope" they had for a Singerman sequel. It took them long enough, but there was NEVER any doubt that this day would come.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/supermannews.php?id=7609&offset=25

"Warner Bros. also put on hold plans for another movie starring multiple superheroes -- known as "Batman vs. Superman" -- after the $215 million "Superman Returns," which had disappointing box-office returns, didn't please executives."

Oh really? Big surprise to the rest of us, eh? Here's something I am POSITIVE REtard will LOVE to read:

"'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned." "Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."

Bryan Singer, consider your ass FIRED.

I would love to see Steve Eunuch and his reaction to this news. Didn't he just say he got some "super secret" e-mail CONFIRMING writers were hired for a sequel?? That he "sat" on this news for inexplicable reasons? How you going to spin THIS?

It feels like a weight has been lifted, doesn't it? That all of a sudden Superman is seeming more, Super? No more stalking Lois, no more fetish wetsuits, no more MURDERING 5 year olds. Kate "Bryan" Bosworth can go back to starving herself to death, Kevin Spacey can go back to running the "Ol' Vic", and BJ Routh can go back to the North Hollywood bowling alley he came from. NOW we will see how many of the Apologists were actually SUPERMAN fans, and NOT just Singerman Peeps fans.

A friendly warning to whoever takes on the task of rebooting Superman though: We'll be watching. You pull the same shenanigans Bryan Singer did, and this Blog can EASILY turn into ______'s Superman Sucks.

For the Apologists, today is their "Doomsday"......

Thompson: Singerman Going Nowhere Fast

Howdy everyone, SSS popping in here just to say hello, and point out that our dear old friend Anne Thompson, Deputy Editor of Variety and enemy of Singerman apologists everywhere, is at it again just to let us know that a Singerman sequel ain't looking any better than when we last heard from her about a month ago. Not that it should come as a surprise to anyone considering they've been fielding relaunch ideas from just about anyone who has ever written any kind of successful Superman comic before, and it seems they've even talked to a few other directors about the project. Nonetheless it's always nice to hear that the suits at WB have noticed what went on with this whole mess. The article goes on to say:

"Fans have been clamoring all over the web--and on this blog--for a complete reboot. And within the halls of Warner Bros. the same debate rages on. They too believe that the last movie didn't break the mold and wound up in some kind of middle limbo. Today I was told that it is a priority at the studio to find the right direction and if Bryan Singer is willing to do that, fine, but if he gets in the way, he may not stay on the project. There are no writers working on a Superman script now. The studio wants to figure it out. "It might be better to start from scratch," one exec admitted."

Gee, ya think? But let's look at this in detail. They want to take Superman in the "right direction" which obviously means they have a lot of doubts about what went down the first go around. They'll want something vastly different this time. Does anyone see Singer doing a complete about face on this and suddenly let the studio dictate to him what kind of movie to make? Remember, he thought the first Singerman could spawn sequels as it was. I just dont see him capitulating considering everything that would need to be done differently. I also don't see WB hiring on the Meltzer's and Waid's of the world as his new writers, since they've been vocal about how bad the first film was. Those guys also all clearly stated they were pitching a reboot too.

My best guess? Sometime before the end of the year they announce a completely new creative team and they'll be looking to do a revamped Superman franchise for 2010 or 2011, whichever year doesn't have the 3rd Nolan Batman film. Stay tuned.

Grant Morrison & Mark Waid Hate Singerman Too!

Man, the people "coming out" against BS and Singerman Peeps is growing by the DAY! MTV asked Grant Morrison, Mark Waid and Brad Meltzer how they would reboot the lame-duck Singerman franchise, and their response was nothing short of PRICELESS:

"“‘Superman Returns’ didn’t work for a lot of reasons,” Grant Morrison said.

“I so wanted that movie to work,” said Mark Waid, “but every choice they made in that movie was wrong. If you’re making the movie in a vacuum, and there will be no other Superman movies ever again, go ahead and give him a son. But otherwise, that’s a staggeringly awful idea. What are you going to do next? Either the kid has to be a part of his life, or get superpowers, which no one wants to see. I want to go to them and say, "What were you thinking?""

This part is particularly interesting, and a good sign of things to come:

"Both Morrison and Geoff Johns have pitched the film studio on how to reboot Superman — properly reboot him, as if “Superman Returns” didn’t even happen."

Brad Meltzer has some advice of his own on how to do Superman justice:

"Brad Meltzer also has an idea that could work as the basis for the character, based on research for his upcoming “Book of Lies.”

"Superman is a character more recognizable than Abraham Lincoln or Mickey Mouse", Meltzer said. “But no one knows crap about Mickey Mouse. He’s a symbol. Understanding a soul is much harder. So don’t treat him like a walking American flag.”

"To understand Superman", Meltzer says, "you have to know why Superman was created in the first place — because a young Jerry Siegel’s father was shot and killed in 1932 (a fact first uncovered by Gerard Jones in “Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters and the Birth of the Comic Book”).

"Superman was created not because America is the greatest country on earth, not because Moses came to save us from Krypton, but because a little boy lost his father,” Meltzer said. “In his first appearances, he couldn’t fly. He didn’t have X-ray vision. He was only bulletproof. So Superman’s not a character built out of strength, but out of loss.”"

Now, I don't agree that Superman HAS to be "born out of loss", or else someone might take the notion to make him all "angsty", and act out of character. Maybe have him "peep" on Lois while having an intimate conversa... Nevermind.

Some of the biggest names at DC Comics have come out against Singerman. Who's next??

Brandon Routh Can't Stop Being Gay

Oh boy... Let's just say that if there's any suits left in WB Studios who still believe Singerman is a viable feature film franchise, they're probably crapping themselves at the moment. Lost in all the hoopla of last weekend's San Diego Comic-Con, was a small bit of news from the panel for the new Kevin Smith film featuring Seth Rogen called Zack and Miri Make a Porno.

At said panel they showed some footage where Rogen and co-Star Elizabeth Bank's characters are at their high school reunion and they run into characters played by "Mac Boy" Justin Long and your favorite Singerman "star" makes a cameo. JoBlo details the carnage:

"Rogen and Banks are at their 10 year high school reunion. Banks is off flirting with Brandon Routh (SUPERMAN!), and Rogen is off to the side, talking to Justin Long--a dude with slick black hair and wearing a nice suite. They talk, it comes out Long is a gay porn star and Routh is his gay lover. Banks was hoping to hook-up with Routh, but not anymore, because... well, he's gay. Routh is not as open to being gay as Long is, and before you know it they're having a gay lovers quarrel. They then kiss and make up after Long tells Routh "You better shut your mouth before I f*ck it."

Ummm yeah.... Look I've got nothing against anyone who is gay. It's your life you do as you please. My point in pointing all of this out is, remember the good ole "Story that Just Wouldn't Go Away?" When WB had to basically launch a PR campaign to combat all of the 'Routh is Gay!" stuff so as not to have an emasculated Superman before the film even opened? (oops!) They even had banner ads on sites like SuperHero Hype! posing that very question.

Doing cameos like this, even if intended to be funny, just seem counterproductive to all that and will just seem to perpetuate that stereotype. He's not just gay in the movie, he's actively french kissing another man in a scene. Not to mention, this isn't Routh's first portrayal of a gay character. He's also done it in episodes of Will & Grace and Cold Case. Is he getting typecast or something?

I know he just recently got married apparently (although not that being married really means all that much anyway.) But if this guy has any hope of carrying on a multi-million dollar film franchise playing the proto-typical alpha male character in comic lore, you'd think he'd make some smarter choices in the roles he takes. Then again, maybe he knows something we don't...

BTW if anybody has link to the actual footage shown at Comic-Con, shoot us an email.

SDCC Come And Gone....

BS' ORIGINAL choice for Singerman, maybe??

Hello Everyone,

It appears that the San Diego ComiCon was this past weekend. Lots of movie news, clips and previews I hear. One conspicious absence though, and that was Singerman: Madame Of Swish. Why? I think this little tidbit from Zach Snyder might help explain it:

"They asked me to direct a Superman movie, and I said no," Snyder says. "He's a tricky one nowadays, isn't he? He's the king daddy of all comic-book heroes, but I'm just not sure how you sell that kind of earnestness to a sophisticated audience anymore."

Now I don't agree with the latter part of his statement. But the former? They ASKED HIM TO? Doesn't sound too good for the Apologists, now does it? I'm sure they are preparing their "hes suck a lier dey dint axe him to dureck a swooperman mofie!!" and "i dink dis meens dey r gunna half to let brian do MOS!!!". Steve Eunuch must be whipping them into a frenzy over at his "pit".

How many Apologists do you think ran and told their Mommy's??

Anne Thompson Puts the Cold Boot of Reality on Singerman's Throat...Again

You may remember a few months back when Variety Deputy Editor, Anne Thompson, basically proved to any of the remaining doubters, that the Singerman franchise was in real limbo and a reboot was possibly being considered with Singer and Routh out of the picture.

Well Ms. Thompson is back once again, this time to hopefully quell any of the silly rumors that have popped up about their being some kind of casting call for extras on Craigslist of all places. In an interview with Legendary Pictures producer, Thomas Tull (i.e. the guy writing half the checks for all of their films with WB), he spills a bit about the future of the Superman film franchise:

"He's also vested in making the next Superman installment, which is still years away, come to life. While Bryan Singer has been working on Valkyrie, Tull and the folks at Warners have been listening to various screenwriters pitch their solutions to how to make the next Superman work. "It's an iconic character," says Tull. "After everything that went into the first film, it's important to make sure that nothing is rushed and we come out with a fantastic second film." One thing they all agree on: Superman needs a powerful antagonist, a "worthy opponent," he says."

An opponent other than it's OWN DIRECTOR this time hopefully... Still sounds a WAYS away to me at this point, and they don't seem to really be endorsing the return of the people in charge of the last debacle. And if Singer was involved in this process, wouldn't he have some input on the writers? Whatever it is, its not exactly a ringing endorsement.

And speaking of "ringing endorsements," check out this piece in yesterday's Washington Post where DC Comics President Paul Levitz discusses The Dark Knight. In the interview, Levitz gives a few telling answers to questions about DC's film slate and Singerman.

Washington, D.C.: What other movie projects does DC have on the way?

Paul Levitz: The next film after this is "Watchmen" on March 6. It's an adaptation by Zack Snyder, of "300" of what is probably the most acclaimed graphic novel ever published. The trailer is coming out before Dark Knight in most theaters and you can probably find it online. We haven't announced any other projects, but there are about 6 at the starting gate right now.

Nope, nothing even announced yet. What exactly "at the starting gate" means is anyone's guess though. BTW, The Watchmen trailer is BAD ASS. He goes on:

Washington, DC: In retrospect, do you think it would have been a better idea to reboot the Superman film franchise, instead of continuing the Donner films?

Paul Levitz: I think Bryan approached "Superman Returns" with a great deal of passion for the character and put what he loved up on the screen, which is the best we can ask of any director.

LOL He doesn't even answer the question. He just gives some company line answer about Singer. No backing of the guy or his franchise. He doesn't say, "No I think Bryan's take was great and we look forward to his next chapter" or ANYTHING like that. He might as well have come out and said "Singer is a nice person."

And I got a real chuckle out of this last question:

Albany New York: I'd be interested in your take on why Batman seems to be more appealing to such a broad range of directors/producers/audiences over a long period of time than other superheroes. Superman's the only one that comes close and there hasn't been a Superman movie since Christopher Reeves. What's the appeal?

Indeed my friend, indeed. What's even funnier is that Levitz didn't even attempt to try and correct him by bringing up Singerman. Maybe he agrees?

Damn Am I Jealous of Batman Fans

Unless you've been living in a cave in the outer reaches of Mongolia, you know that tomorrow, July 18th, is the opening of the latest Batman flick, The Dark Knight. Christopher Nolan's sequel to 2005's great Batman Begins is bar none the most anticipated movie of the summer and perhaps the year.

The hype surrounding this movie is unbelievable (Oscar talk for a superhero movie?), and something I haven't seen or felt since the first Spider-man movie was getting set to unspool back in 2002. Reviews for this thing have been pouring in recently, and they're insanely favorable even from the most pretentious of elitist movie err sorry, "film" critics. (Well except for this asshole, but there's always one I suppose...) I know Heath Ledger's untimely passing has something to do with this, but it's only a tiny part of it. The truth is most of the hype around this movie is due the fact that Nolan has created one hell of a franchise that most fans and non-fans want to experience again and they want to immerse themselves in one of the best comic-to-film character representations in a long time. Imagine that.

Granted I really like the character of Batman. I read his comics, watched all of the TV shows, and have seen and own all of the previous films. But I've never considered myself a "Batman fan." When asked, I would always tell people (pre-2006 at least) that I was a Superman fan. The truth is, as much as I'm enjoying all of The Dark Knight hoopla, part of me is really jealous that this can't be for MY hero. I'm jealous that this generation can't experience Superman with the awe and anticipation that I did as a kid in the late 70's and 80's with the Reeve films. I'm pissed that after 19 years the "Superman" we did get was a piss poor, half-hearted attempt that completely missed who the character really is.

Superman deserves better. He deserves his moment in the sun and he deserves to be held in high regard by yet another generation of fans. He doesn't deserve to be put back in production limbo because some egomaniac of a director used him to write a personal love letter that depicted his own personal plight. Nor does he deserve to appear in some ill-conceived teeny bopper Justice League movie.

So when you're in the theaters this weekend watching TDK undoubtedly kick all crazy kinds of ass, remember that this SHOULD be happening for Superman as well, and remember why it isnt. Next summer, we Superman fans SHOULD be getting OUR own Dark Knight. We SHOULD be going bat shit (pun intended) for months on the Net in anticipation. This blog SHOULDN'T even freaking exist. But instead, we never even got our Batman Begins and are left to play the "What if?" and "Maybe" games.

As such, I'm always reminded of this great manip:


Boot Singer. Reboot Superman.

This! Is! Singer Getting The Boot!?!?!

Well, well, well,

It looks like the Anti-Singer rumor-mill is working overtime:

http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/

"Mr. Matt Holmes,

After your recent article was brought to my attention, I figured you would enjoy this. So far it hasn’t been posted anywhere, but we know this image was sent to a few websites within the last day including IESB, SuperheroHype, Superman Homepage, and our site as well. Unfortunately for us, the image is part of a proposal we are putting together to pitch a reboot trilogy of Superman to WB. The artist’s cousin who took the photo didn’t know he works for me and I was one of the people copied on their email. It also included a number of pages to our script, but I’m trying to keep those under wraps still. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me any time.

In regards to this recent news involving Mark Millar and now Louis Letterier, I can tell you that there are at least four groups preparing to pitch reboot ideas with us being one of them. There could be more."

I posted the artwork in question, and it seems VERY similar to what is going on over at the Save Superman website....

As to Zach Snyder doing Superman? In a HEARTBEAT. He has a distinct visual style, can frame an AWESOME action sequence, and is a HUGE Superman fan too. If anyone has the best chance of kicking BS into the bottomless-pit of "moving on", I believe it's him. 300 was a HUGE hit for WB, Watchmen looks to follow-suit, and he showed he can "reboot" a film franchise the RIGHT WAY with Dawn of the Dead.

What was the last rumor for a Madame Of Swish film? A BOGUS Craigslist "casting call" for EXTRAS?? Guess who fell for it, hook-line-and-sinker? You guessed it: The Apologist buffoons.

Lordy, lordy. Things are getting GOOD.

Hulk Smash Bryan SInger??

Hey,

Aint It Cool News is an obvious Singer-Sucker website, but get this little tidbit they posted today:

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37402

"We've been hearing hints for a while not what Bryan Singer's SUPERMAN RETURNS sequel might take a radically different form than many of us first thought...including not having Singer on-board at all.

Today, this may be closer to reality."

Can you hear it? The sobs? The moaning? The denials and limp trash-talking SURE to be spewed across Younis' Apologist Lair?

Now, The Incredible Hulk was a good movie. MUCH better than Ang Lee's snorefest. Was it the BEST movie they could have done? No. It felt "chopped-up" in parts, and rushed in others. Better than Singerman Peeps? Infinitely. Something tells me if Leterrier DOES do a new Superman, there will be no stalking, no bastard kids, and no fetish wetsuits to be seen. Who knows, maybe Superman will make a fist for more than just "really fast flying with Kryptonite in his side"??

The chicken's is comin' home to roost, BS...

P.S. I know the Apologist "mantra" will be: "It jst a roomor. MOS iz commin out in 2010!!". But think about something: First, we have the Millar rumor, then quick recanting. Followed closely by the Leterrier rumor, again with a quick Hollywood "Uh, what I MEANT was...". It would be one thing if a Singerman sequel was "set in stone". FAR from it. WB is going to go with the biggest profit-potential pitch that comes their way.

Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Mark Millar "WANTED" For A Reboot??

Hey everyone,

Something interesting popped-up in the "news" recently. It appears that maybe Mark Millar is going to have a second chance at writing a NEW Superman film AFTER ALL.

http://forums.millarworld.tv/index.php?showtopic=82235

Mr. Millar himself:

"PS That Superman news is interesting, isn't it? In the interests of clarity (because I'm sure this will be picked up somewhere) a very well known American action director heard about my love of Superman, approached my and asked me to team up with he and his producer to make a pitch for this. We've been talking for several weeks now and, if this is going to happen, we'll know by Christmas. He has huge pull at WB so fingers crossed. But this is nothing more than a huge US name pulling me into his fold and making me part of a package."

This news, of course, has caused GREAT "angst" amongst the Apologists at their usual "bath houses". Much whining, crying, hand-wringing and lame "insults" have already begun. Oh, and in their usual childlike-mindset, Mark Millar is just "wishing", and this will "never" happen. But BJ Routh says he's "hoping" to be shooting Singerman: Madame Of Swish next year? SEQUEL ON!!!

Things should get interesting in the next 6 months or so....

A More Accurate Singerman Trailer

I was "lurking" around YouTube, and found something that I think fits with what MOST of us have been saying all along about Singerman. I'm not sure if you guys have seen this, but it is pretty darn HI-larious:



"I hear everything". LOL.

A Telling Weekend for the Future of Superman?

Hey folks. SSS here, back after a bit of a hiatus to my "home world." I hope I didn't impregnate any of you before I left? Anyway, just popping in to bring up something that was brought up from time to time in the past here, and that is this weekend's release of The Incredible Hulk movie.

This film marks the relaunch of Marvel comic's Hulk franchise. After Ang Lee's disappointing Hulk limped out of theaters a mere 5 summers ago. Marvel decided to go in another direction and reboot one of their flagship characters with a new film that really doesn't contradict Lee's film, but doesn't really build off of it either. A new director, writers, and cast are all in place to give the jade giant a fresh start that focuses more on the action and raw brutality of the character as opposed to meaningless psycho babble and moss growing on rocks.

This was a pretty bold step on Marvel's part being that Lee's film (and horrific images of Nick Nolte) is still fresh in the general public's mind. And if you think the other studios aren't watching this with a close eye, then you're missing the obvious. The success or failure of the film will not only determine the future of the Hulk franchise but could also have a huge trickle-down effect in the comic movie industry as a whole for any character who left a lot to be desired in a previous film incarnation like say Superman.

Will studios continue to shelve these otherwise bankable characters because previous directors blew it? Or will they wipe the slate clean and start from scratch in a few years? TIH could go a long way in determining that, as this is the first time a character has gone through a reboot after a failed film venture in so short a time. TIH will really be the test case for this type of approach. If it succeeds, its a great incentive for studios like WB to wipe the slate clean with characters like Superman and start anew instead of dancing around the issue of whether they're going to go ahead with another Singerman sequel. (How's that coming BTW?) Obviously this won't be the sole determining factor, but it will give a strong precedent.

So far the critics seem to semi-like the new Hulk film, but as we all know here most critics don't tend to see eye to eye with the general populace and at times will even like pretentious crap that the public doesn't buy. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding and we'll likely have a better idea once the weekend box office tallies come in. For anyone hoping to see a new actual Superman franchise in the next decade or even a rebooted character like Daredevil, its really in our best interests that TIH do well. Stay tuned for updates as they become available.

UPDATE 6/19: Box office figures are in and TIH looks like it pulled in $55.4 million domestic in it's opening weekend. Not a great weekend, but not terrible either. (although Ang Lee's film made $62 million in its 1st weekend) Through Wednesday TIH has made $70.7 million and should break the $100 million mark by the weekend. Not really figures that wow you, but this weekend will be really important to see what kind of legs the film will have. Hulk in 2003 (69.7%) and Singerman (58.5%) both fell on their faces in their second weekends with huge drop-offs. We'll see how TIH looks come Sunday. It will need to have a drop-off closer to that of Batman Begins (43.4%) if it hopes to have some staying power.

Don't Call It A Comeback.....

"Yay, I won! Yay!"

I know to SOME people, they feel this Blog has "died". Just wanted to let everyone know, this AIN'T the case. We're going to have some fun here once again, and piss some people off in the process.

"Look! Up in the sky! It's a turd! It's lame! It's Singerman!!"

Strike Coming to an End, Singerman Sequel still Dead

Just checking in for the first time in a little while. Finally there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel with this whole Writer's Guild strike business. According to The Hollywood Reporter and various other sources, the WGA leadership in an impromptu press conference today revealed that they are encouraged by a proposed agreement from the AMPTP and that if all goes as planned, the picket signs could be put away as early as sometime on Monday. In our opinion, its about damn time, as the thought of endless months of reality television were starting to make my skin crawl. I have a feeling the AMPTP will really be the one to have "won out" this time around.

But that's not all the good news we have for you today. Well it's not really "news" since we've been saying it for a good long while, but its always nice to see it in print nonetheless. According to yesterday's Hollywood Reporter, the strike's impending resolution has heartened studios, specialty divisions and mini-majors that a host of development projects could suddenly be jump-started. They then go on to give a few blurbs about some of the upcoming WB projects:

The consensus from industryites seemed to be that Warner Bros. had the most immediate need on both the development and spec script sides. The studio's offerings for 2009 are light, with "Watchmen," based on the graphic novel; the children's fantasy "Where the Wild Things Are"; and "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins."

There are at least nine more projects that are not dated but could be slated for 2009, according to one source. But one studio tentpole, the sequel to "Superman Returns," is not so lucky. There apparently are no current plans to add the project to the slate, according to a studio source.

Yup, still as dead as ever. Sorry, Restart there will be no Singerman 2 in 2009, and god willing, never, ever again. Oh yeah and they do also mention the JLA film:

Meanwhile, productions with known script issues such as Warner Bros. tentpole "Justice League" are expected to get fast-tracked once writers return to the scene.

Let's all pray to whatever deity you choose that by "get fast-tracked" they mean "gets tweaked, rethought, and recast. " As bad as that last update got we sounded, WB is still more confident in it than going forward with another Singerman film. This should hopefully put to bed those silly rumors that another Singer film was only being delayed due to the strike.

JLA is Not Looking So Good

Hey, at least that Superman can fill out a suit...

It appears WB's ineptitude with it's superheroes knows no bounds, as recent reports in both Variety and the Hollywood Reporter are now suggesting that the much ballyhooed film has been put on hold until at least the end of the WGA strike or it possibly could even be joining Singerman II in the scrap heap. It looks like the project encountered a myriad of issues from casting, to the inability to do rewrites, to a lack of necessary tax incentives from the Australian government.

But my friends, that is just the tip of the iceberg! Wait until you hear who they were going to cast in this film. It appears that the "WORST CAST LIST EVER!" that was posted on Superhero Hype! a few months back was pretty spot on. The Hollywood Reporter details the carnage:

The decision to put the project on hold now frees up the actors who had been cast in the roles of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash. D.J. Cotrona, Adam Brody, Anton Yelchin, Common, Teresa Palmer and Megan Gale had been cast in the movie in November, with their holding deals extended at least once as the studio tackled the script problems. The extensions expired Tuesday, after which a pay-or-play situation would have taken effect.

"Justice's" delay is considered good news for Christopher Nolan's camp. Nolan is in post on "The Dark Knight," the sequel to "Batman Begins," and is said to have been unhappy with the "Justice League" movie because its version of Batman (to have been played by Armie Hammier) clashed with his (Christian Bale).

Holy shit on a stick does that list suck! Sure the delay is good news for Nolan's camp.. and anyone who hasn't ever wiped their ass with a JLA comic. What the hell is WB thinking? They were going to make a gazillion dollar film and have a nickel and dime cast? The only name on that list that doesn't make me cringe is Common, but he's a decent supporting actor, he's not good enough to carry a cast of soap opera rejects. Please tell me the man who gave us Mad Max is not responsible for this and that some suits foisted them upon him? Otherwise I've lost a ton of respect for George Miller. D.J. Effing Cotrona was going to be their Superman??? He's 5'9" for Christ's sake! The Baking Soda kid who was to play Batman is 6'5", Cotrona would've looked like his god damn side kick and together they've got the acting resume of Paris Hilton. The "casting issues" the article speaks about have to have something to do with someone in the studio with at least a modicum of common sense looking at this cast list and saying "WTF? Are you serious?"

Regardless, for anyone who thought that WB was starting to come around and get any kind of handle on their superhero properties, if Singerman wasn't enough then this should convince you that Batman Begins was a complete fluke occurrence.

Now on to something I feel I need to address: the whole "Uncle Bingo" fiasco. As I've always said to you, be careful to ever believe ANYTHING you read on internet messagboards. Someone ALWAYS has some kind of agenda. And once again I was proven correct as Uncle Bingo's was either to mess with people or spread false hope. It's clear now that he, and those who were singing a similar tune, were DEAD wrong. I was really surprised by some emails I'd gotten showing me just how far it had spread too.

The thing that does piss me off about it is not so much that he came on here and did that, its because since his comments were posted in the comments section here, some people (a few even with their own websites) have attributed them to this blog. Why? Hell if I know. Another chance to badmouth the blogosphere and make themselves feel superior perhaps?

Singerman II Going "Nowhere"

In today's Variety, Anne Thompson followed up her previous blog scoop with an interesting article that discusses the fate of any potential sequel to Singerman. While its not really anything we didnt already know, it does at least bring the point home for those who were whining about how" if she REALLY knew this why not put it in the magazine?" Well here you go. While she seems to be attributing a lot of things to the WGA strike, she brings up some interesting points in giving a run down of what we've been following for the past 6 months:

After "Superman Returns" delivered a disappointing box office take of $386 million worldwide, Warner Bros. and Singer debated how to proceed with the next "Superman" pic. The studio even considered rebooting the franchise with someone else.

But eventually WB execs Alan Horn and Jeff Robinov agreed to proceed with Singer at the helm of a $170 million "Man of Steel" packed with more action, a super-powered villain and less romantic melodrama.

We've heard this before, and it still makes absolutely no sense. How do you expect "more action and a super-powered villain" with $35+ million less in budget? From Singer of all people? If anyone still doubted his sense of fiscal responsibility, you need to look no further than his current project.

Before Singer started production on UA's "Valkyrie," WB and co-financier Legendary Pictures closed a deal for him to produce and direct "Superman: Man of Steel."

What she's talking about here is the development deal we heard about over the summer.

According to a spokesman for the director’s reps at William Morris, “ ‘Superman’ is moving forward with Bryan Singer attached.” But inside the studio, “Superman” is not on any fast track, and word is that Singer may wind up not directing it.
Nothing is happening. The WB supervising exec on the project, Dan Lin, has moved over to a studio production deal; exec Lynn Harris is taking over.

And there it is., right there in the pages of Variety for all who complained about it only being a blog posting.

So while Internet comic sites are rife with rumors about Warners replacing Routh with the new Superman from "The Justice League," the question of who plays Superman will depend on who directs Superman.

As we speculated, Routh's fate is tethered to that of Singer's apparently sinking ship. Don't be surprised if her remark about Singer looking for another project to direct is a subtle hint to a pending agreement with UA, especially since they've now cut a deal with the WGA.

The only thing I find odd about the article is that she seems to at times be attributing this all to the WGA strike. But a potential Singerman II was off the radar WELL before the strike happened. Otherwise they'd be in the position that the JLA film is now trying to make a Summer 2009 release. Obviously there are other factors at play here, and the change of leadership at WB may have more to do with it than you think.

Say Goodbye to Routh Too

When it rains, it pours I guess. These past few days feel like that scene in the movie Goodfellas when all of the mobsters who were in on the Lufthansa heist start turning up dead. Only their crimes weren't as egregious.

Just days after we got news of what potentially could be Bryan Singer's demise as director of Singerman, comes word via the fine folks over at Latino Review that Brandon Routh is OUT as the "Man of Squeal" as well in any solo Superman films, and that the Superman from the Justice League film, when or if he's ever cast, will take over the role in any stand alone flicks that will thankfully have absolutely no relation to Singerman. The article reads:

Kelvin knew about Brandon not being the new Superman for weeksand weeks now, but made a promise to the DC people that he wouldn't break the story. Variety has now confirmed what we've secretly known for a while and Brandon Routh will be replaced in the stand alone sequel by whomever is cast as Superman in the upcoming Justice League of America movie.

If Singer is gone as is expected, then Routh getting the boot is basically just a formality. We pretty much thought that would be the case. Routh is, in effect, the ugly baby getting thrown out with the dirty bathwater. As I've said before, personally I have no issues with Routh. While his acting is a bit stiff, he wasn't the big issue here and might've been serviceable under better direction. He seems like a likeable enough person, but he's just too much a part of what Singer did and that's something that will never come off in the public's eyes. Any future incarnation of Superman with him in it would automatically be linked to Singerman and that's NOT a good thing in WB's eyes at this point. Best of luck in your future endeavors maybe now you can devote more time to campaigning for Barack Obama. Ugh.

Now as for this JLA Superman. The heat has been pumped up a notch. As we suspected, this role will be bigger than just one film or even the JLA series. This person will have to be able to star in the role in solo films as well. God help us all if WB thinks some schmeg like D.J. Cotrona is going to be able to hold up that burden. Your move, WB.

UPDATE 1/5/08: Here we go again, Now AICN is allegedly "debunking" this claiming that they've talked to one of their infamous "moles." I had a feeling something like this was going to pop up from someone else with a source. Honestly, I'm deferring to Latino Review and their previous track record until I hear otherwise. We all know AICN's track record for things Superman has been a bit sketchy at best. Remember Rupert Evans and Scott Porter? Stay tuned.

"Highly Unlikely" That Singer Will Return

Set phasers to DONE!

Well what we've been speculating on for months now seems to be coming to fruition as rumblings in and around Hollywood are that Bryan Singer is on his way out as director of the Superman franchise! Word of our pending independence comes via the blog of Variety Deputy Editor Anne Thompson.

In her most recent posting, Thompson discusses meeting Batman director Chris Nolan as well as the current state of the DC Comics movie franchises:

Speaking of DC Comics pics, it is highly unlikely that Bryan Singer will return to shoot the next Superman movie. (The director is finishing up Tom Cruise's Nazi film Valkyrie, and prepping The Mayor of Castro Street). The next Superman we will see on the big screen will not be Brandon Routh, but a younger Superman among a cast of youthful superheroes in The Justice League. That movie will likely not be shot, however, until after the WGA strike is resolved. Warners is so happy with Dark Knight that their fondest hope is that Nolan will return to do another Batman.

Not to toot our own horn here, but we've been saying that was a strong possibility for a while now. From the unsupportive comments of Alan Horn, to the fast-tracked JLA project into the 2009 slot formerly thought to go to a possible Singerman sequel, to the release of Harris and Dougherty, all things seem to pointing to Singer going 'bye bye." We can only hope this is indeed the case. Hopefully this means that this version of the franchise is dead and that WB doesn't plan on having some other director try to clean up his mess in it's current state. Keep your fingers crossed.

Interesting tidbit there about JLA as well, since previously the thinking was that it would lense before the WGA strike ended.