Genre: Action-Comic Book Blockbuster
Premise: Braniac is on the hunt for Kal-el, Superman, after destroying Krypton. Braniac reaches Earth and merges with Lex Luthor to form Lexiac. Lexiac kills Superman with Kryptonite-blooded Doomsday. Superman returns. There is a battle.
Premise: Braniac is on the hunt for Kal-el, Superman, after destroying Krypton. Braniac reaches Earth and merges with Lex Luthor to form Lexiac. Lexiac kills Superman with Kryptonite-blooded Doomsday. Superman returns. There is a battle.
About: Tim Burton was to have directed a Superman film in the 90’s with Nick Cage in the title role, but inevitably the studios started pushing him around. Gilroy was hired onto the project to rewrite Wesley Strick (who we ran into briefly while studying the evolution of Batman II/Batman Returns). Gilroy was to bring down the $190 million budget to $100 million. Warners still put the film on hold. And Burton, who had been working on the project for a year, left to do Sleepy Hollow and a bunch of lesser adaptations of films that didn’t need to be modernized in the first place.
Writer: Dan Gilroy (Chasers, Freejack, son of the guy who wrote The Subject Was Roses)
This is the draft that effectively ended the quest to make Superman Lives, which in many cases would mean that the thing isn’t very good at all. I am yet to read Kevin Smith’s script, which is the seed of what Gilroy was rewriting but allegedly (according to The Superman website and Ain’t It Cool News, Smith’s script was better). So I’m going to stay away from a critique of the finer elements of the plot because I’m not sure how much here was Gilroy, how much was Smith, and how much is others and I could potentially end up finding weaknesses in Superman Lives that aren’t Gilroy’s fault or strengths that aren’t his creation either.
There’s one thing this script features that I love, Lexiac. It actually makes Lex Luthor somewhat intimidating, and it makes a decent villain for once in the Superman series. Now, this is an Alan Moore idea initially. (I mean, it’s a good thing from a DC comic, doesn’t that normally mean Moore was involved to some degree?) But, as much as I like Lexiac, there’s problematic stuff with the back story, which is that Superman’s knowledge of the events on Krypton when he was a baby are rewritten. Superman is not supposed to be aware of Braniac or what transpired to lead Superman being raised by the Kents. Now, why is it that DC finds it mandatory to rewrite the character line of their superheroes every few films? Batman is guilty of exactly the same thing. Why do this? Marvel doesn’t do it. X-Men retain the same stories their entire history. Same with The Avengers. It’s frustrating, and further bends logic, when comic book characters have their pasts slightly or entirely altered by the hands of a writer eager to make a good story.
And for the record, I know I’m supposed to suspend reality but how is Superman killed off and resurrected within the course of ten pages? There’s never really a sufficient explanation, and it feels like a lot to process in losing and rediscovering a character.
But there’s a few really awesome things about this script, though, and while the film spins out into a very high budget territory, I don’t necessarily think the script is all that bad. There’s a few cool cameos: including one by Batman. And my favorite part is Superman’s fear of what would happen if he had a baby with Lois Lane. For once, this actually made some real and interesting drama in the Superman series. What if Superman was in love with Lois Lane and wanted to raise a family, but knew deep down he wasn’t normal and that their child may not come out alright? In a way, it’s the same problem Geena Davis experiences in The Fly. Or, the Rosemary’s Baby complex. But, I’ve never seen this done through a male’s perspective before so that’s a cool angle.
The thing is, for a script that was written for a project in the midst of development hell, it’s obvious Superman Lives was not powerful enough to put the film back on line. It’s not bad, but there’s nothing here that’s going to sell Superman on the strength of its film.
Scooby Doo (Complete Crap)
[X] - Atilla (Poor, Few Redeeming Qualities)
Wedding Crashers (Mediocre)
Hot Rod (Good)
Definitely Maybe (Pretty Darn Good)
Daily Tip: Don’t rewrite character’s back stories. Ever. Okay? It’s confusing. It makes us doubt whether we know anything at all. It’s not more interesting either. So here’s an idea, once the audience or the reader has a pretty good idea of how stuff is going to play with it. Once I think I know Superman’s life and how he was raised, don’t switch it up on me. I don’t care if it’d make a good film. It’ll just make me disengage.
Isla Prospect: Lois Lane here isn’t as witty or sarcastic as she is in other ones. She’s still in love with Superman, sure. But this depiction of Lois doesn’t play to Isla’s strength.
Script Link: I have a copy. Email me if interested.
This is the draft that effectively ended the quest to make Superman Lives, which in many cases would mean that the thing isn’t very good at all. I am yet to read Kevin Smith’s script, which is the seed of what Gilroy was rewriting but allegedly (according to The Superman website and Ain’t It Cool News, Smith’s script was better). So I’m going to stay away from a critique of the finer elements of the plot because I’m not sure how much here was Gilroy, how much was Smith, and how much is others and I could potentially end up finding weaknesses in Superman Lives that aren’t Gilroy’s fault or strengths that aren’t his creation either.
There’s one thing this script features that I love, Lexiac. It actually makes Lex Luthor somewhat intimidating, and it makes a decent villain for once in the Superman series. Now, this is an Alan Moore idea initially. (I mean, it’s a good thing from a DC comic, doesn’t that normally mean Moore was involved to some degree?) But, as much as I like Lexiac, there’s problematic stuff with the back story, which is that Superman’s knowledge of the events on Krypton when he was a baby are rewritten. Superman is not supposed to be aware of Braniac or what transpired to lead Superman being raised by the Kents. Now, why is it that DC finds it mandatory to rewrite the character line of their superheroes every few films? Batman is guilty of exactly the same thing. Why do this? Marvel doesn’t do it. X-Men retain the same stories their entire history. Same with The Avengers. It’s frustrating, and further bends logic, when comic book characters have their pasts slightly or entirely altered by the hands of a writer eager to make a good story.
And for the record, I know I’m supposed to suspend reality but how is Superman killed off and resurrected within the course of ten pages? There’s never really a sufficient explanation, and it feels like a lot to process in losing and rediscovering a character.
But there’s a few really awesome things about this script, though, and while the film spins out into a very high budget territory, I don’t necessarily think the script is all that bad. There’s a few cool cameos: including one by Batman. And my favorite part is Superman’s fear of what would happen if he had a baby with Lois Lane. For once, this actually made some real and interesting drama in the Superman series. What if Superman was in love with Lois Lane and wanted to raise a family, but knew deep down he wasn’t normal and that their child may not come out alright? In a way, it’s the same problem Geena Davis experiences in The Fly. Or, the Rosemary’s Baby complex. But, I’ve never seen this done through a male’s perspective before so that’s a cool angle.
The thing is, for a script that was written for a project in the midst of development hell, it’s obvious Superman Lives was not powerful enough to put the film back on line. It’s not bad, but there’s nothing here that’s going to sell Superman on the strength of its film.
Scooby Doo (Complete Crap)
[X] - Atilla (Poor, Few Redeeming Qualities)
Wedding Crashers (Mediocre)
Hot Rod (Good)
Definitely Maybe (Pretty Darn Good)
Daily Tip: Don’t rewrite character’s back stories. Ever. Okay? It’s confusing. It makes us doubt whether we know anything at all. It’s not more interesting either. So here’s an idea, once the audience or the reader has a pretty good idea of how stuff is going to play with it. Once I think I know Superman’s life and how he was raised, don’t switch it up on me. I don’t care if it’d make a good film. It’ll just make me disengage.
Isla Prospect: Lois Lane here isn’t as witty or sarcastic as she is in other ones. She’s still in love with Superman, sure. But this depiction of Lois doesn’t play to Isla’s strength.
Script Link: I have a copy. Email me if interested.
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