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.

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?

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.