Singer Talks Superman Returns Sequel

Exclusive: Director confirms development


According to Empire Online:


Earlier today, IESB reported that there was a strong rumour that Bryan Singer was working on a sequel to Superman Returns and that Transformers' Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman would be writing the script. Well, we've spoken to Singer and, though we have no news on whether the Orci/Kurtzman story is true, he's confirmed that work's under way on the film that some said would never happen because the first was perceived as a flop.

"That movie made $400 million!" Singer says incredulously. "I don’t know what constitutes under-performing these days...Look, I can understand, I suppose, what some people mean. Perhaps some people went in with the expectation of it being like an X-Men film, and Superman is a tougher character than that. Especially bringing him back. It really goes back to the fact that you can only please some of the people some of the time. But, yes, I’m just getting back with writers after the strike. We’re just in the development phase. I’m starting to develop a sequel...with the intention of directing it."

Singer knows that there was some negative reaction to the fact that the first film focused more on story at the expense of action and is looking to redress that next time.

“The first one was a romantic film and a nostalgic film,” he says. “I’ll be the first person to own up to that without making any apologies for it. I knew it was going to be that from the outset. And now that the characters are established, there’s really an opportunity to up the threat levels...Clearly there’ll be a body count [laughs]. From frame one, it will be unrelenting terror! All those teenage girls who found the movie and mooned over James Marsden or Brandon? Well, I’m going to wake them up!”