The Superman V that never was

[Earth 2 Chris]

Newsarama.com : Writer Details the SUPERMAN Movie (5) That Never Came To Be

Sounds like it would have been a great script. Like Bates said, it may have been hard to produce with the technology of the time, but this sounds so much better than III and IV.

Chris

[Riffster]

sounds like a great concept, one they could use today

[samurainoir]

Looks like they came up with a good solution for Brainiac, giving him a human face like they did in Smallville. One can only imagine how cool the robotic version would have been if they got someone like Stan Winston to do the SFX.

[LadyZod]

That's the second person I've heard take credit for the Death of Superman-Before the Death of Superman.

The first one:

http://superboytheater.webs.com/thedeathofsuperboy.htm

[SlipperyLilSuckers]

Wow. I hope that they go ahead and make Superman Reborn sometime. I remember that comic story of Brainiac with cities in bottles vaguely from when I was a kid.

[jds1911a1]

That's the second person I've heard take credit for the Death of Superman-Before the Death of Superman.

The first one:
http://superboytheater.webs.com/thedeathofsuperboy.htm

If it wasn't someone like Carey Bates I's think it was a lie but his creativity in superman comics was really high so I can see him thinking of it as a plot device

[huedell]

That's the second person I've heard take credit for the Death of Superman-Before the Death of Superman.

With all the Christ allusions in the 1978 movie I think it was bound to happen
in that mold eventually ...and ... without getting into a religious discussion....
I think it was pretty apparent that the whole DOOMSDAY/DEATH OF
SUPERMAN dealie did just that...even down to "hair length".

[madmarva]

The Death of Superman was done and re-done several times in the 1960s. The idea of killing Superman and writing about the impact of of his death pre-dated the 1990s story by three decades. And the messianic aspect has been a core part of Superman since Seigle and Shuster decided he would be a hero rather than a villain in the early 1930s.

The Super Powers cartoon show adapted Superman No. 149 (crica 1960) in the mid 1980s and the 1988 cartoon series may have done a version of it as well.

It was not a new idea in any way shape or form for a Superman V movie treatment or 1990s comics version.

[huedell]

The Death of Superman was done and re-done several times in the 1960s. The idea of killing Superman and writing about the impact of of his death pre-dated the 1990s story by three decades. And the messianic aspect has been a core part of Superman since Seigle and Shuster decided he would be a hero rather than a villain in the early 1930s.

The Super Powers cartoon show adapted Superman No. 149 (crica 1960) in the mid 1980s and the 1988 cartoon series may have done a version of it as well.

It was not a new idea in any way shape or form for a Superman V movie treatment or 1990s comics version.

i didn't give it that much thought which is why it may have appeared that
I felt differently. I even saw multiple episodes of the SF where SUPERMAN "died". Makes sense it'd happen many times throughout his
history. Some might even say his disappearance at the start of the recent
SR movie was a kind of "death" that lead to "ressurection"....same with
his North Pole hike and Metropolis return in SUPES2 (1980).

The Supes potential "villain" aspect is a new thing to me tho'....interesting.

[MIB41]

While interesting I doubt any studio would have justified the cost after the bomb that was Superman IV. How many times have we heard the excuse that budget prevented a film from reaching it's "true" potential? That would have been the case here as well. Just as well that it never got made.

[huedell]

While interesting I doubt any studio would have justified the cost after the bomb that was Superman IV. How many times have we heard the excuse that budget prevented a film from reaching it's "true" potential? That would have been the case here as well. Just as well that it never got made.

I may be wrong here... but I thought this script in question
was the one after Reeve got paralyzed in real life
and he was to appear in the movie as a dying Superman
that gets his soul transfered to another body (played by a younger actor)?

If that was the case, it'd essentially be a "reboot type sequel"
and I think it would've been given the same budget that RETURNS had.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I may be wrong here... but I thought this script in question
was the one after Reeve got paralyzed in real life
and he was to appear in the movie as a dying Superman
that gets his soul transfered to another body (played by a younger actor)?

If that was the case, it'd essentially be a "reboot type sequel"
and I think it would've been given the same budget that RETURNS had.

I've never heard of that, but this one was definitely in circulation before Reeve's accident. I remember it also being called Superman: The New Movie. There were various mentions of it in Comic Scene magazine in the late 80s/early 90s. It was in development during the run of the Salkind's Superboy TV series.

Chris

[johnmiic]

I find this story very interesting because Kevin Smith, (Director: Clerks, Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back, Clerks 2, Cop-Out), discussed this same script assignment at great length in An Evening With Kevin Smith:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZKxY...eature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qnWR_lkic8&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghEUb...eature=related

So is Bates discussing a script Smith re-wrote or did bates come in after or is he omitting him completely from the process?

[ODBJBG]

There's been like a billion Superman scripts. This one, no closer than any of the others to being a reality, IMO.

Sounds pretty unfilmable too. I can't imagine audiences being interested in Superman on Kandor.

I've never heard the idea of a ailing Chris Reeve taking part to "hand over" the mantle of Supes, but if that's true, it would have went over like a lead balloon. Sounds tacky and tasteless to me.