Superman Returns
You’ll Believe A Man Can Fly Again!
Country
Production
Genre
Budget
$270 000 000
Box office
$391 081 192
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
Jon Peters, Gilbert Adler, Bryan Singer, Chris Lee, Thomas Tull, William Fay, Scott Mednick
Camera operator
Newton Thomas Sigel
Composer
Artist
Guy Hendrix Dyas, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Cindi Knapton
Audition
Roger Mussenden, Ann Robinson
Editing
Short description
Superman returns to discover his 5-year absence has allowed Lex Luthor to walk free, and that those he was closest to felt abandoned and have moved on. Luthor plots his ultimate revenge that could see millions killed and change the face of the planet forever, as well as ridding himself of the Man of Steel.
What's left behind the scenes
- This film project can rightfully be considered long-suffering, as it was discussed as early as the mid-90s. At that time, only one person was considered for the lead role – Nicolas Cage.
- In July 2004, Brian Singer was chosen as the director.
- Kevin Smith was chosen as a screenwriter, but later declined, and the position was filled by two people: Dan Harris and Michael Doherty.
- Actors such as Josh Hartnett, Paul Walker, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Ashton Kutcher, David Boreanaz, Ian Somerhalder, Henry Cavill, and Jerry O'Connell were considered for the role of Superman at various times.
- Brett Ratner declined to lead the project as the confusion regarding the choice of the lead actor had dragged on, due to the carelessness of Warner Bros. executives.
- When Brett Ratner was at the helm of the project, he planned to cast Anthony Hopkins as Jor-El.
- Following Ratner's departure, the film project was briefly attempted to be moved forward by the well-known director McG, but he also failed to make progress. The director was unhappy with the producers' choice of filming location (Australia) and the allocated budget for the film.
- In early July 2004, McG left the project. During his short time leading the process, the director reviewed the following candidates for the role of Superman: Jason Behr and Jared Padalecki. During the casting for the role of Lois Lane, McG also carefully studied Scarlett Johansson's performance.
- Johnny Depp auditioned for the roles of Lex Luthor and Joe-El.
- Approximately $50 million had been spent on this project since 1993, most of which was wasted. The bulk of the expenses consisted of mountains of screenwriting material accumulated over a decade. In addition, a significant amount of money was spent on the initial development under McG's direction – computer work, various plot sketches by animators, and so on.
- Elisha Cuthbert, Claire Danes, Keri Russell, Mischa Barton, and Keira Knightley all auditioned for the role of Lois Lane.
- The script variant written by Kevin Smith was based on one of the 1993 comics in which Superman died from a creature nicknamed "Doomsday".
- Tim Burton's project, titled "Superman Lives," was in pre-production for some time and even acquired a teaser poster. The film was scheduled for release in 1998.
- Singer wanted to cast only Jude Law for the role of General Zod. After Jude's refusal, Singer decided to remove the character from the script entirely.
- James Caviezel expressed great interest in playing Superman, but Singer refused his services, believing that James had become "too recognizable" after playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" (2004).
- Filming of the movie took place in Sydney, Australia.
- To play the role of Superman, Brandon Routh had to gain about 10 kg of muscle mass.
- Almost all script variations revolved around the theme of Superman's death and unexpected return to life. Among these numerous options, the plot by Jonathan Lemkin is particularly noteworthy, in which Lois Lane becomes pregnant shortly before Superman's death. She dies during childbirth, and the child born becomes the new Superman. This script was rejected almost immediately.
- The city of Gotham is mentioned in the film around the 60-minute mark. This is reported by a Black female news anchor.
- At the time of its release, "The Return of Superman" was the most expensive film in the history of cinema.
- After Superman caught the plane, he tells the passengers, "Statistically, an airplane is the safest mode of transportation." Then he flies off, and Lois Lane faints. The same thing happened in the film "Superman" (1978). Only then Superman caught a helicopter.
- This film project could rightfully be considered troubled, as discussions about its start date began as early as the mid-90s. At that time, only one person was tipped for the lead role—Nicolas Cage.
- In July 2004, Bryan Singer was chosen as the director.
- Kevin Smith was selected as the screenwriter, but he declined shortly thereafter, and the vacancy was filled by two people: Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty.
- At various times, actors such as Josh Hartnett, Paul Walker, Matt Bomer, Brendan Fraser, Ashton Kutcher, David Boreanaz, Ian Somerhalder, Henry Cavill, and Jerry O'Connell were considered for the role of Superman.
- Brett Ratner declined to lead the project because the confusion regarding the casting of the lead role dragged on, caused by the negligence of the Warner Bros. executives.
- After Ratner's resignation, the well-known director McG attempted to get the film project moving again, but he also failed. The director was dissatisfied with the production team's choice of filming location (Australia) and the budget allocated for production.
- In early July 2004, McG left the project. During the short time he managed to lead the process, the director considered Jason Burr and Jared Padalecki as candidates for the role of Superman. Additionally, during the casting for the role of Lois Lane, McG closely studied Scarlett Johansson's performance.
- Johnny Depp auditioned for the roles of Lex Luthor and Jor-El.
- Since 1993, approximately 50 million dollars had been spent on the project, most of which went down the drain. The bulk of the expenses consisted of mountains of script material accumulated over a decade. Furthermore, considerable funds were spent on the initial development of the material under McG's leadership—CGI work, various storyboards by animators, and other assets.
- Elisha Cuthbert, Claire Danes, Keri Russell, Misha Barton, and Keira Knightley were all contenders for the role of Lois Lane.
- The script version written by Kevin Smith was based on one of the 1993 comic book arcs in which Superman died at the hands of a creature called "Doomsday."
- Tim Burton's project, titled "Superman Lives," was in pre-production for some time and even had a teaser poster. The film was scheduled for release in 1998.
- For the role of General Zod, Singer wanted only one actor—Jude Law. After Law declined, Singer decided to remove the character from the script entirely.
- James Caviezel expressed great interest in the role of Superman, but Singer passed on him, believing that James had become "too famous" after playing Jesus in Mel Gibson's project "The Passion of the Christ" (2004).
- Almost all the script options played with the theme of Superman's death and his unexpected return to life. Among these numerous versions, Jonathan Lemkin's plot is particularly noteworthy, in which Lois Lane becomes pregnant shortly before Superman's death. She dies during childbirth, and the baby born becomes the new Superman. This script was rejected almost immediately.
- After Superman catches the plane, he tells the passengers: "Statistically, the airplane is the safest means of transportation." After which he flies away, and Lois Lane faints. The same happened in the film "Superman" (1978), except that in that case, Superman caught a helicopter.
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