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?

WB/Legendary Still Showing their Poker Faces

"Everything is going excellent, we have no weaknesses, endless sequels and virgins will be ours, the comic-reading infidels will be crushed!"

As Vincent Chase learned recently on Entourage, people in the business of Hollywood, often say one thing and do another, and never EVER admit to anything that doesn't put them in the best possible light. We've heard the rhetoric from Lord Singer, Alan Horn, Jeff Robinov, and now the people that co-financed Singerman, Legendary Pictures, are joining the "everything is a-okay" fray. In a recent Variety article, the trade paper speculates:

"If Legendary is unnerved, it isn't showing. Like Warners, Legendary insists it will turn a profit on "Superman Returns," and has given all indications that it's on deck to co-finance a sequel."

Some comic movie sites around the web seem to be putting a lot of stock in this statement, that it's the smoking gun for a sequel. However, they're not taking into account that Legendary is on the hook for half the cost of Singerman like WB, which makes this just as much "fluff" as WB's earlier comments.

While the film is still in theaters both here (just a few) and abroad, and with the DVD a few months away, they're going to say whatever they can to try and salvage their investment. They're not exactly going to say they're not on board for a sequel right now, it would be counter-productive to say about a project they invested in with the inclination it was going to be a feature film franchise. What they do in the boardroom come next year after the film and DVD are nothing but a bad memory, will tell you how they truely feel about things.

And like we said earlier, Singerman in the long run will most likely be "profitable." However, that's a relative term. If your revenue exceeds your costs by $.01, techincally it's "profitable," but the key is just HOW profitable will the film be? Will the profit margin justify a continued investment in this project? These are the decisions made by the money people in Hollywood, not the PR reps and spin meisters.

"Like Legendary, all the funds argue that they won't be made, or broken, by just one pic. By investing in a slate of pics over the course of several years, they're virtually guaranteed a return of 10%."

And I agree with this 100%, its whats called "investment diversification." You cover yourself by having your "eggs" in multiple "baskets." Although I hope for Legendary's sake they haven't been invested in the rest of WB's Summer 2006 slate, because that portfolio would be getting kicked in the teeth right about now. That being said, if you invest in something and it blows up in your face, do you dump money back into another project managed by the same people just because in the end you'll come out 10% ahead? Would the Enron stockholders have invested in Ken Lay's next business venture? I think you know the answer to that. NO! People adjust portfolios all the time, especially if they've made a mistake, they seek to minimize their risk and cut their losses. Don't be surprised if Legendary wants a little more input in any potential sequel discussions.

Dave Poland has an interesing take on all this in his Hot Blog. Ironically enough he finds an interesting analogy in the Tom Cruise/Paramount fiasco:

"Mission:Impossible 3 cost a lot (at least $50 million) less than Superman Returns and made more at the box office and should do similar numbers in Home Entertainment.

Paramount won't re-up thier deal with Cruise/Wagner.

Warner Bros. is claiming that they will make $50 million in Superman Returns

The difference in gross point dollars being paid out is about $40 million.

Who do YOU thnk is lying?

Oh, but wait... it's about jumping on couches and arguing with Matt Lauer. My bad.

Or to put it in Anne Thompson terms... who would you rather have fronting your next $250 million (including P&A) investment, Tom Cruise or Bryan Singer?"

Is Tom Cruise available to direct? At least we'd get something "original."