Short of Jesus Christ or Ronald McDonald, if there's one person familiar amongst all cultures of the world its Superman. Batman may be cooler and more realistic, Spider-Man more bankable at the box-office, but like it or not Superman to this day is arguably the most recognisable and famous comic book creation of all time. The last son of Krypton has survived many incarnations of the years including at least different four television series and of course the famous run of four major movies from 1978-1987.
Now, almost twenty years since his last big screen outing, the character is coming back to the big screen in "Superman Returns", one of the biggest films of 2006 which aims to hit it big at the box-office all around the world at the end of June. With the relatively unknown young actor Brandon Routh as the titular character, and acclaimed "The Usual Suspects" and "X-Men" director Bryan Singer at the helm, anticipation is sky high for what could be the relaunch of one of the biggest franchises in cinema history.
In this new epic action-adventure, and following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth. While an old enemy plots to render him powerless once and for all, Superman faces the heartbreaking realization that the woman he loves, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life. Or has she? Superman's bittersweet return challenges him to bridge the distance between them while finding a place in a society that has learned to survive without him. In an attempt to protect the world he loves from cataclysmic destruction, Superman embarks on an epic journey of redemption that takes him from the depths of the ocean to the far reaches of outer space.
Nevertheless, this is a film not without controversy. The late Christopher Reeve left shoes so big to fill that its a daunting challenge for even the most seasoned actor let alone a newcomer. The story ignores the events in the last two films and takes place five years after the second one, which has yielded some pretty bold choices in terms of character direction. Everything from the choice of Lois Lane to the film's highly stylised look is ambitious, brave and different from what many might expect and has already yielded much debate amongst the characters most rabid fans.
Back in early August last year, many of those lingering questions I had were answered in a multi-day tour of the set of "Superman Returns" which yielded unprecedented access in terms of a production of this scale. Along with various fellow members of the online press from all over the world, we conducted hour-long (in some cases more) interviews with practically all the key cast and crew involved including Routh, Singer, Kate Bosworth, Parker Posey, Kal Penn, the producers, the writers, the costumers, the production designer, etc. along with looks over various sets and departments.
In coming months leading up to the film's June 30th release date, I'll be giving you a multi-part online set report which will fill you in on everything you ever needed to know about the movie, and then some including the hidden visual references in Lex Luthor's various lairs to the location of every spot on the the new Superman suit where padding has been added to improve its contours. Stay tuned.
