Here’s something that may be news to Bryan Singer, Brandon Routh, Warner Bros. — and, well, most everybody else: Mark Millar is planning a Superman movie for 2011.
Sort of. Maybe.
In an interview last week with the Scottish Daily Record, the Wanted co-creator and unrepentant Superman fan said:
“Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century.
“I’ve been planning this my entire life. I’ve got my director and producer set up, and it’ll be 2011. This is how far ahead you have to think.
“The Superman brand is toxic after that last movie lost $200 million, but in 2011 we’re hoping to restart it.
“Sadly I can’t say who the director is, but we may make it official by Christmas.
“But fingers crossed it could work out, that would be my lifetime’s dream.”
Millar, as he’s wont to do, then clarified the item on his Millarworld message board:
“… 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.”
The next day, Millar seems even less confident:
“Again, I can only stress that isn’t news, lads. It isn’t an offer from WB or anyone. It’s just a big name action director who got in touch and asked me to join he and a producer we both know well to pitch for it. This guy is a big deal at WB so there’s a little hope. But this ain’t a news item until it happens. And it’s not even close to happening yet.”
So, it moved from “I’ve got my director and producer set up, and it’ll be 2011″ to “it’s not even close to happening yet” in about a day.
Update: It appears as if the Millarworld thread has been deleted.
(Via FirstShowing)
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:12 am
I think even Mark’s biggest fans might agree with me that his off-kilter style might make him a bad choice to write a Superman film that will be a crowd pleaser. But it’s good to see that underneath all that cynicism and weirdness he’s still 10 years old and dreaming of a flying man in a red cape.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:16 am
Didn’t Returns end up making like 200 mil?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:35 am
Simon,
I think the best comics Millar ever wrote her Superman ones (his SUPERMAN ADVENTURES run), but I have a feeling his biggest fans wouldn’t agree with that. (Not a diss on the quality of his other work so much as praise for that run; it was seriously really good!).
But after reading the clarification, this just sounds like Millar’s been asked to help a director make a pitch for a movie that’s not terribly likely to get made, right?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:38 am
DC won’t let a Marvel guy write a Superman movie.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:58 am
“Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century.”
Why?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:26 am
david, yes, Superman Returns made $200 million in US box office. It made another $191 million at the foreign box office. Movies typically make twice as much after B.O as they made in theaters (DVD sales, rentals, TV showings, etc), so there’s a giant pile of money other than that, too.
Despite the high cost of Superman Returns, it was an extremely profitable movie. Miller’s comment about it losing $200 million is way off.
Alan, DC has zero say in the matter. Warner Brothers doesn’t ask their permission for squat.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:43 am
““Since I was a kid I’ve always wanted to reinvent Superman for the 21st century.”
Why?”
No kidding. What’s to re-invent?
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Jason, the studios don’t get all of the money that movies make at the BO. They clear almost 100% of what they make in the first two weeks, but at some point the scales start balancing on how much the theaters make off the ticket sales.
I’m sure it is still profitable, but not nearly as much as you may think.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:43 pm
We’ve been through this before:
“Well, sadly, I’m a Marvel guy and we were surprised to find out that WB couldn’t hire me for a DC property. They were incredibly nice and superbly apologetic about it, but when they discussed the matter seriously DC explained just how associated I am with Marvel Comics at the moment and it’s against company policy to hire the competition. It’s absolutely nothing personal. I spoke to some friends at DC and they explained this has happened with a couple of big Marvel writers in the last couple of years and I absolutely respect that. It’s a business after all and to have a guy writing Fantastic Four, 1985, Kick-Ass and another super-big project for Steve McNiven this year which would be mentioned in every article about a Superman movie is not only an insult to their own writers, but makes bad business sense. I have nothing but respect for the DC high-ups and, though obviously disappointed, can absolutely appreciate their position. They’re the custodians of these properties and they obviously know what they’re doing.”
http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=134016
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:01 pm
(sigh) Cuz, you know, the Superman franchise continues to exist in order to fulfil Mark Millar’s childhood dreams. God forbid anyone get in the way of that cosmic mandate.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:27 pm
JHW,
Thanks, but I already knew that. Please don’t respond to things that I didn’t say.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
I like Mark Millar a lot. I like the idea of keeping him away from Superman even more.
He’s not a good fit, but with Wanted’s success, he’s got some name recognition, and that seems to be worth more than gold in Hollywood.
Superman Returns may have underwhelmed most (although I really liked it), but I think Bryan Singer gets Superman more than the majority of Hollywood. Plus the first time talk of reinventing the character came up, Superman was going to be fighting a Lex Luthor from Krypton and a giant metal spider.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:02 pm
“DC has zero say in the matter. Warner Brothers doesn’t ask their permission for squat.”
Hmmm.
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Millar must really enjoy the taste of his shoes to keep sticking his foot in his mouth over and over and over and over and over…
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:25 am
Does it bother anyone else that a professional writer used the phrase “asked me to join HE” twice? I would not ask you to join I. I would ask you to join me. And I would not join he. I would join him. And I would still join “him and a producer” before I would join “HE and a producer”. Doesn’t anybody still care about grammar?
Maybe Mark Millar is writing a Bizzaro World Superman story and he’s just getting into Bizzaro-speak. “Me am Bizzaro Millar! Me will join he and a producer and destroy puny Superman!”
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Damn, Russ, maybe that explains Civil War.