Superman Returns

Superman Returns is a 2006 superhero film based on the fictional DC Comics character Superman (after a cinematic absence of 19 years). It is directed by Bryan Singer and stars Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey. The screenplay is by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris.

Superman Returns
Directed by	Bryan Singer
Written by	Comic Book: Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster Screenplay: Michael Dougherty Dan Harris
Produced by	Gil Adler Jon Peters Bryan Singer
Starring	Brandon Routh Kate Bosworth Kevin Spacey
Cinematography	Newton Thomas Sigel
Edited by	John Ottman Elliot Graham
Music by	John Ottman John Williams (Themes)
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	June 28, 2006
Running time	154 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$204 million

Following a five-year absence, Superman returns to Earth. He re-assumes his secret identity of Clark Kent, and discovers that Lois Lane -- now in a "long engagement" -- has a five-year-old son. Superman's nemesis, arch-villain Lex Luthor has devised a new plan to defeat Superman. Bryan Singer has said that the "loose" continuity established in the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films serves as its back-story, or, as he put it, a "vague history". The late Marlon Brando's role as Superman's biological father Jor-El is reprised with the help of computer-generated imagery and earlier footage.

Filming began in February 2005, and the movie was released in the United States on June 28, 2006. The film received generally good reviews and has thus far made over $319 million worldwide.

Production

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Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor.

Shooting of Superman Returns began in Australia, on locations that included a farm outside of the regional town of Gunnedah in North West NSW, and Sydney. Other scenes were shot in various parts of the United States. The film was shot entirely on high-definition video using Panavision Genesis cameras.

Production History

For more details, see Canceled Superman films.

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Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane.

In 1987, Warner Bros. and Cannon Films had planned to release a fifth Superman film utilizing leftover footage from Superman IV: The Quest For Peace, provided that IV was a success. However, it became a box office failure, and the project was shelved. Alexander Salkind, who previously owned rights to the Superman movie franchise, had himself planned a sequel using the mythos of his Superboy TV series. This film would have been titled Superman: The New Movie, but that fell through. A few years later, it was announced that Nicolas Cage would play Superman, Tim Burton would direct, and Anthony Hopkins would appear as Jor-El. Cage, a long-time fan of the comics, still lobbied for the production to get underway and even attended a costume fitting. In the mid-1990s, it was rumored that the film, called Superman Reborn, would be an adaptation of "The Death and Life of Superman". Doomsday, Brainiac, and the Eradicator would be involved in Superman's demise and ultimate rebirth. Batman (who would have possibly been portrayed by Michael Keaton) would appear at Superman's funeral to eulogize him. Several posters of a silver 'S' shield against a black background, stating "Coming 1998", were made before that project would be called off. Because of the increasing budget and Christopher Reeve's paralysing accident, the film was put into development hell.

Director (and lifelong Superman fan) Kevin Smith wrote two drafts based on "The Death of Superman" storyline. Although his first draft was true to the comics, Smith's second adaptation was reportedly hampered by interference from producer Jon Peters and it differed greatly from the comics. Superman would not fly, he would not wear the blue and red tights (donning instead a black Supersuit), and he would fight Doomsday who would ride a giant mechanical spider. Tim Burton later took over the production, dropped Smith's script and renamed the movie Superman Lives, however the project was eventually shelved over conflicts about its direction. Joseph "McG" McGinty Nichol was tapped as the director for a time, but left because of a dispute with the studio over budget and location (he refused to film in Australia, as the studio had desired for cost reasons). Rush Hour director, Brett Ratner, was briefly brought in, and Josh Hartnett, Brendan Fraser and others were considered for the title role, while Johnny Depp auditioned for the roles of Jor-El and Lex Luthor. However, no major Hollywood actor would sign to play the Man of Steel, and the project was once again in limbo.

Eventually, X-Men director, Bryan Singer, an avowed fan of the character, turned down helming X-Men: The Last Stand to direct Superman Returns. Because of his Academy Award-winning performance in Singer's film The Usual Suspects and friendship with the director, Kevin Spacey was immediately cast as Luthor. He in turn suggested Kate Bosworth, who played his wife, Sandra Dee, in the film Beyond the Sea, for Lois Lane, and she was hired after Singer saw her screen-test. Singer, unlike previous directors, always knew his Superman, like Christopher Reeve, should be an unknown. After viewing hundreds of auditions and casting calls from the previous directors who were attached, he found a 24-year-old bartender from Iowa named Brandon Routh, whose mid-western roots and meekness seemed to fit Clark Kent's bumbling persona and his frame and charisma suited the role of Superman. Routh got the part after a meeting with Singer, spilling a drink on the director in the process, which a panicked Routh believed to have cost him the part. Nevertheless, the misfortune, Singer admitted, is what helped him choose Routh because he saw Clark's clumsiness in the young actor. In 2005, Brandon Routh was introduced for the first time to the media as the new Man of Steel.

Production Budget

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Bryan Singer (right) directs Kevin Spacey (center) and Brandon Routh (left) in front of a green screen set.

This film has been rumored to be one of the most expensive ever, with an alleged budget of $260,000,000. However, director Bryan Singer initially debunked this figure, claiming it was "a little lower than $200,000,000". He had supposedly admitted that the former amount was closer if not slightly less than the full amount spent, according to an erroneous statement made by Rotten Tomatoes. There is controversy over Singer's supposed admission, though, which took place during an episode of Sunday Morning Shootout. Co-host Peter Guber stated a figure that was referring to the total cost of bringing Superman back to the big screen from Burton to Singer rather than a budget overrun on the current production. Singer's statement that it was "more than that" was a reference to the same scenario. According to various articles on the character's journey back to the silver screen, the total amount spent before Singer came onboard was close to $150 million, as some of those involved had "pay or play" contracts — meaning that they get paid if production isn't started by a certain date. That figure, alongside Singer's $185 million, gives a total cost of $335 million. Also, since Brett Ratner had left production because his budget was too large (reportedly $234 million), it is unlikely that Warner Bros. would have allowed such a high expenditure for a single motion picture after denying a previous one, even with the financial backing of Legendary Pictures.

During production, Singer released a series of 'video diaries' on the internet at BlueTights.net, giving almost unprecedented up-to-date insight into the behind-the-scenes work being done on what would normally be a very secretive production. However, after 27 installments, the video diaries stopped for a while shortly before the teaser trailer debuted.

According to The Numbers.com, Bryan Singer was quoted as saying the budget for Superman Returns was $250 million in late 2004. He later denied that figure. Pamela McClintock wrote in Variety in February 2006 that Warner Bros. had unofficially put the budget at $184 million, "factoring in tax breaks offered in Australia." In a July 2006 interview with Newsweek, Bryan Singer quotes the final budget number as $204 million in production and advertising.

Writing the Script

Although many insisted Singer should either remake the original Donner film or adapt the Doomsday storyline, he went with an original draft he compromised himself. In interviews, he explained that the original is a classic film, and he would never attempt to try to "undo" what Donner had originally envisioned. With previous writers from X-Men 2, Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty, Singer created a script that tied into Superman and Superman II, which erased Superman III and Superman IV from existance. His first draft included the character of General Zod, whom he wanted to be played by Jude Law, his first and only choice for the role. When Law turned down the part three times, Singer eliminated the character from the script. The most difficult challenge, he admits, was finding the most difficult obstacle that would be impossible for Superman to overcome: the passage of time and change, which took the form of Lois' son, Jason White. According to him, Jason is a permanent reminder to Superman that he left and blew his chances with Lois, and after five years, Superman cannot do anything about it like he could do in the first film, where he reversed time to save Lois once before.

Costume changes

While Superman's costume has undergone a variety of changes over the decades, the costume in this movie has been updated for the 21st century and clearly has modern and retro influences.

To start with, the color scheme is darkened several shades so that bright primary colors are less visible and the material has a deep, webbed texture that is visible on close-up shots. The Superman chest emblem is now a much smaller raised 3D-piece. In San Diego Comic Con 2005, Bryan Singer stated that the original silk-screened emblem looks like a billboard. And the new shield has an advanced alien look. The emblem itself is embossed with hundreds of smaller emblems.

The cape does not sport the large yellow and black emblem, and it now has a visible liner of a different material. The neck-line of Superman's top has been changed from a wide scoop-neck to a crew-neck cut. The boots have also been changed, with a slightly rubbery appearance for the sole as well as the Superman emblem on the back of each heel. Finally, the belt and buckle are changed to include the addition of the Superman emblem for the buckle.

In fact, these changes are inspired by the Superman costume from Superman cartoons produced by Fleischer Studios in the 40s, that was inspired by the original Golden Age comics Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

Marlon Brando's role

A digital recreation of the late Marlon Brando in the film, as Jor-El.

Bryan Singer on how the late Marlon Brando reprised his role as Superman's father, Jor-El:

What we did is we went back to footage from the original Superman and re-created Jor-El using computer technology based on references to the Richard Donner film. ... The challenge is that, when you have an actor, you can scan them using a cyberscan and a lumispheric scan to re-create them all the way down to the pores on their tongue or the hair on their ears. But since we didn't have Brando, we didn't have the actor. All we had was reference photography and film footage, so we had to reconstruct him in a computer. It was very challenging.

In June 2006, Rhythm and Hues, the studio that created the special effect, released a video detailing the process.

Deleted scenes

Many scenes are known to have been deleted. Singer said the first cut of the movie was 2 hours and 45 minutes, and the film began with Superman exploring the remains of Krypton. The character of Ben Hubbard only has a small role in the finished film, and he had a scene at the end of a TV spot ("So, you flew in last week?") indicates cuts. Also, photos of Stephen Bender as young Clark Kent with a Kryptonian crystal and the white coloured ship Superman came to Earth in as a baby also exist, with the ship briefly in the first teaser trailer. The novelization has scenes of young Clark in high school dealing with his heat vision, which Singer has confirmed that there were more scenes of Clark coming to terms with his powers. He has said he has no plans for an extended cut, but he wishes to include them on the DVD version of the film.

Trailers and TV spots

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The original teaser poster for the film.

Warner Brothers very heavily promoted Superman Returns online and on television prior to it's cinematic release. On November 17, 2005, Warner Bros. released the teaser trailer, containing John Williams' music and Marlon Brando's dialogue from Superman. The main theatrical trailer premiered online on May 2, 2006 (three days before its cinema debut). It appeared in theatres on May 5, 2006, along with prints of Mission: Impossible 3. On May 19, 2006 with UK prints of The Da Vinci Code, the studio released the film's international trailer. A second full version was issued with some prints of X-Men: The Last Stand on May 26, 2006. A third trailer appeared on the film's new official website in June, 2006. It also appeared online before the new site came on in the end of May.

On May 11, 2006 Warner Bros began a campaign of television spots: TV Spot #1, TV Spot #2, TV Spot #3, TV Spot #4, TV Spot #5, TV Spot #6, TV Spot #7, TV Spot #8, TV Spot #9

IESB released 11 clips of Superman Returns to their website midway through June. They were: "Do you know the story of Prometheus?", "I Thought I Would Never See You Again", "Lois Lane is A Mommy", "Unidentified Bogey", "Airplane Rescue", "Superman Returns", "Were you in love with him?", "I love that he can see through anything", "Where did you go?" , "Lois, will you come with me?" , "This just came through the fax", "Superman Returns from Yahoo Video"

The iTunes Music Store also released an exclusive premiere scene, which showed 'This just came through the fax', Kent ducking into an elevator shaft, and the landmass beginning to grow. It was first made available on June 20, 2006, and continues to be available at apple.com.

IMAX 3D release

Superman Returns was released simultaneously in 111 IMAX format theatres world-wide, which includes approximately 26 minutes of specially converted 3D material. It is the first Hollywood live-action film to be released in this combined format. The movie has on-screen cues so moviegoers will know when to put on and remove 3D glasses. The scenes featured were 'Memories'(back on the farm), 'Rough Flight' (catching the jet), 'Saving The Lanes' (raising the stricken yacht) and 'Fly Away' (credits flightpast). The most recent 3D films to do this theatrically were Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D, but these films were not displayed in IMAX or in polarized 3D; instead they were released in anaglyph format, for budgetary reasons and also to aid transistion of format to DVD. It is therefore unlikely that this version of Superman will see the light of day outside of an IMAX theatre in the near future. Superman Returns: 3D grossed approximately $1.2 million within 24 hours of its IMAX release, though not a large amount, it set a new record for the format.

Synopsis

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Brandon Routh as Superman.

The film opens with a short explanation of the plot up to the present point: Superman's homeworld Krypton is destroyed by the shockwave of a supernova from the collapse of the system's sun, a red giant. Superman has been absent from Earth for five years; after astronomers on Earth supposedly pinpointed the location of Krypton, he went to find out if anything of it remained. Superman's crystalline spacecraft is then shown crashing near the Kent family farm. As Martha Kent examines the crash site, Clark reaches out to her and passes out in his mother's arms.

Superman's return to Earth generates much of the character development in the film, particularly for Lois Lane. During Superman's absence she became engaged to Richard White, nephew of the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, and gave birth to a son, Jason. Lois' strong sense of disillusionment, her resentment over Superman's original departure and long absence, combined with her lingering feelings for him, result in significant internal conflict which is never fully resolved.

One theme of the movie is that Superman has an obligation to help, and not to abandon, humanity. In a scene early in the film Superman tells Lois that he "hears everything" and -- though she has written (in a Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial entitled "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman") that "the world doesn't need a saviour" -- every day (he hears) people crying for one. In a later scene he is shown with the Daily Planet's famous 'globe', held aloft in a manner very reminiscent of images of Atlas from Greek mythology, doomed to forever hold the heavens aloft, often depicted as a man holding a globe upon his shoulders.

The film's main storyline concerns an attempt by Lex Luthor, who was released from prison due to Superman not appearing on the witness stand during his absence off-Earth, to harness stolen Kryptonian technology. After being released from prison, Lex marries an old woman (played by Noel Neill), who in her last dying moments, signs over all of her fortune and possessions to him. With his newly obtained resources, he sets off in search of the Fortress of Solitude. Luthor steals several crystals from there and uses holographic recordings of Superman's father to learn that on Krypton, such crystals were routinely used to "grow" useful objects such as buildings and vehicles, and could even be used to grow entire new landmasses. Luthor practices this on his train set.

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Lee Lawrie's depiction of Atlas (mythology) is very similar to this shot from the film in which superman holds the Daily Planet's enormous globe above his head.

Luthor's nefarious plan is to grow a new continent in the Atlantic Ocean, the size and displacement of which will destroy most of North America, killing billions of people, a point that upsets his girlfriend/co-conspirator Kitty. In the ensuing chaos, he will use his possession of the crystal technology to become a world superpower. In order to prevent Superman from thwarting his plans, he also steals the original Addis Ababa meteorite, featured in Superman, from which he originally extracted a chunk of Kryptonite. From this his henchman laboriously carves a hollow green Kryptonite cylinder which Luthor plans to meld with one of the Fortress crystals. As the cylinder is being fashioned Luthor pockets a dagger-like shard of the translucent green crystal.

Luthor succeeds in planting the "seed crystal" and the continent begins to grow. When Superman investigates, he is weakened by the presense of kryptonite in the new continent, and is stabbed with a shard of it by Luthor. Superman is rescued by Lois and Richard, and is ultimately able to prevent large-scale catastrophe by lifting the newly-formed landmass directly out of the ocean and throwing it into space, at significant cost to his health. Luthor escapes in a helicopter with Kitty, who throws the remaining crystals onto the island in a fit of remorse, just before it is carried in to space, sabotaging any future attempts for their use. After launching the crystalline landmass into space, Superman lapses into unconsciousness and falls back to Earth, where he is rushed to a hospital. The doctors' efforts to help him prove futile, since Superman's skin is impervious to needles or electricity. He hovers near death before recovering.Lois and Jason are allowed acceses to Superman's room.

Lex and Kitty are shown on a desert island, with their helicopter having run out of gas. It is implied that they might eat Kitty's dog to survive. How they will get off is as of now unknown.

The film then shows Lois staring at a blank laptop document with the title "Why the World needs Superman" It then shows Jason asleep in his room, with Superman watching him attentively, then begins to say the same words that his father, Jor-El said to him. Jason wakes up only to see an empty room with a open window. While Lois is typing, she hears the front door open, then hears Jason saying "Good Night". She goes to investigate, only to find Superman hovering in front of her. All Lois can say is "H-How?", which Superman responds to by glancing at Jason. Lois then says "Will we see you... around?" Superman says "I'm always around. Goodnight Lois", before flying off to the outer stratosphere of Earth, presumably going to save somebody else. Template:Endspoiler

Possible sub-plots and unresolved storylines

For more details, see List of Superman Returns Plot Elements and Trivia.

Cast

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Brandon Routh as Superman.

Actor	Role
Brandon Routh	Clark Kent / Superman
Kate Bosworth	Lois Lane
Kevin Spacey	Lex Luthor
James Marsden	Richard White
Sam Huntington	Jimmy Olsen
Parker Posey	Kitty Kowalski
Tristan Lake Leabu	Jason White
Frank Langella	Perry White
Eva Marie Saint	Martha Kent
Marlon Brando	Jor-El (archive footage)
Kal Penn	Stanford
James Karen	Ben Hubbard
Stephan Bender	Young Clark Kent
Jack Larson	Bo the Bartender
Noel Neill	Gertrude Vanderworth
Mike Massa	777 Pilot
Sir Richard Branson	Shuttle Pilot
Peta Wilson	Flight Attendant Bobbie Faye

Reactions

Template:Infobox movie certificates At the San Diego Comic-Con, Bryan Singer showed a five-minute montage of clips from the film to over six thousand viewers, who were so enthused by the footage, they gave it a standing ovation and had the director show it again.

Christopher Reeve's late widow, Dana Reeve, in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2005, was shown the press release photo of Brandon Routh and gave her nod of approval to the actor and the suit. She later sent Routh two pendants emblazoned with the Superman "S" and the words "Go Forward" to show the actor that he had her blessing. Dana Reeve died on March 6, 2006, before the film was completed.

A new montage of footage was shown in March 2006 at the National Association of Theatre Owners ShoWest convention and was favorably received.

In a video segment at ShoWest, Richard Donner was featured giving his nod of approval to Routh as Superman, stating, "He looks so much like Chris it's extraordinary. I'm ready to see this guy take flight, and I know Bryan [Singer] is going to make it happen."

In late April 2006, a Coca-Cola commercial aired in Australia, advertising for special premiere tickets, showed the first glimpse of Superman flying. The reaction was a little mixed, but the majority approved. A clip from the commercial with the scenes of Superman is available at Aintitcool.com (QuickTime required).

David Ansen of Newsweek said, "Next to Singer's champagne, most recent superhero adventure movies are barely sparkling cider." Other reviews said that Singer had done the Superman character proud and that the whole cast had succeeded.

Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine stated, "The best Hollywood movies always knew how to sneak a beguiling subtext into a crowd-pleasing story. Superman Returns is in that grand tradition. That's why it's beyond Super. It's superb." Renowned movie critic Leonard Maltin commented on his website, "Bryan Singer has brought us a brand-new movie that celebrates the traditions of Superman in a movie that somehow still seems fresh. Superman Returns is completely absorbing and highly entertaining." Empire went further still in its praise, giving the film five stars (out of five) and describing it as "the finest popular entertainment since the Rings trilogy closed."

In contrast, Roger Ebert's reaction to the movie was very negative, saying, "This is a glum, lackluster movie in which even the big effects sequences seem dutiful instead of exhilarating." In addition, much of his dissatisfaction cites both Routh and the character's general portrayal: "One problem is with the casting. Brandon Routh lacks charisma as Superman, and I suppose as Clark Kent, he isn't supposed to have any... It's strange how little dialogue the title character has in the movie. Clark Kent is monosyllabic, and Superman is microsyllabic." In an apparent change of heart, Ebert would later give the film thumbs up on Ebert & Roeper .

Film critic Michael Medved gave the movie two and a half stars (out of four) saying, "The new Superman takes flight easily, even effortlessly enough, soars for a while, but then dawdles and swerves inexplicably before coming in for a lethargic landing." And, "The slender plot simply can't support the overwrought, elephantine effects and the absurdly padded two hour and forty minute running time."

The New York Times labelled the movie as "leaden", while the San Francisco Chronicle observed that "Superman Returns finds no reason for being, other than that it's summer and computer graphics have improved since the superhero days of Christopher Reeve."

Despite these critics' opinions, the movie has generally been well reviewed by critics and audiences. It has been a "Certified Fresh" film on Rotten Tomatoes with 76% overall approval from critics and 73% from the "Cream of the Crop", and received a 72% on Metacritic. As of July 2006, it currently holds a 7.2/10 on the IMDb.

Box office results

Superman Returns grossed $21,037,277 from its June 27, 2006 and June 28, 2006 screenings. As the movie did not begin showing regularly until June 28, 2006, 10 p.m. showings on Tuesday were limited in most locations to one or two screenings. However, this is counted as part of its Wednesday gross as the film lasts slightly longer than two hours, causing it to end early the next day. The movie's debut ranked 11th on the all-time list of biggest Wednesday movie openings, the 7th biggest June opening weekend release, and the 21st fastest to $100 million. As of August 4, 2006, Superman Returns has grossed US$188,018,343 domestically and $131,600,000 internationally, taking in an estimated $319,618,343 worldwide to date. This makes it the 79th top-grossing movie of all time in domestic totals, the 142nd of all time in worldwide totals, the 6th top-grossing movie of 2006 in domestic totals, and the 7th of 2006 in worldwide totals.

Director Bryan Singer has stated that he and the studio are surprised with the relatively high international gross of Superman Returns, as Superman is considered more of an American icon. The phased international release of Superman Returns contrasts with the Marvel franchises such as X-Men and Spider-Man, and other franchises such as the Star Wars prequels, which were simultaneously released in the US, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Disney also chose to release Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest in and outside the US on the same dates, and the movie actually came out in many foreign territories before Superman Returns. It can only be speculated that Warner Bros. revenues may have been higher had it taken foreign sales more seriously.

Trivia

For more details, see List of Superman Returns Plot Elements and Trivia.

Sequel?

Warner Bros. announced early plans for a sequel several months before the release of the movie; pre-production was planned to begin in late 2007/early 2008, with a possible release date in 2009. Prior to the debut of Superman Returns in the United Kingdom, at a press conference Routh hinted at the possibility of the sequel, saying "At the end of this film we see that there is so much more to explore". It has more recently been thought that a Superman Returns sequel hinges on the film's domestic box office performance, some media outlets suggesting that Warner Bros. want it to take in at least $200 million in the United States for a sequel to get the green light. As of August 2, the film was still $13 million shy of $200 million domestic, despite being over a full month in release. Newsarama reported from the 2006 San Diego Comic-Con that director Bryan Singer has been in talks to direct a sequel for 2009, though a deal has not yet been set with Warner Bros. The article says, "As for the story, Singer said that while Superman Returns allowed him to introduce the cast, the sequel would allow him to 'go Wrath of Khan on it.'" He added that there would be an alien villain, with many fans speculating that it will be Brainiac. In another interview on Superherohype.com, Singer indicated a possible return of the New Krypton island.

Documentary

Released alongside the film was a documentary, Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman, covering the history of the Superman franchise. Along with input from Bryan Singer and Kevin Spacey, the documentary contains commentary from other past and present actors, directors, writers, artists, and fans.

Related Superman Returns media

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Superman Returns Xbox 360 Cover Art

• Also scheduled is a Superman Returns video game for release on September 19, 2006. It will be based on the movie but contain additional villains such as Metallo which are not found in the movie.
• DC Comics released four prequel titles throughout June 2006 to tie in with the movie. The four 40-page editions served to bridge the story of Superman II and Superman Returns and are entitled Krypton to Earth (which reintroduces the origin from the 1978 Film, with Jor-El as the main protagonist), Ma Kent (in which Martha Kent recalls finding her son, his life growing up, and contemplates if she'll ever see him again), Lex Luthor (discussing Lex Luthor's time in jail, how he met Kitty and the old rich woman) and Lois Lane (Going over Lois' heartbreaking loss of the Man of Steel, her first meeting with Richard, and the birth of Jason.).
• DC Comics also released a comic adaptation of the movie written by Martin Pasko and illustrated by Matt Haley. The story in the adaptation only focuses on the core story, and does not have any mention of the possibility that Jason is the son of Superman.
• The novelization by Marv Wolfman was published by Warner Books on 1 June, 2006. The novelization does not link Jason to Superman. Brutus is killed by Lois by pulling a bookcase down his head, snapping his neck. However, just like in the movie, it is Jason who finds Superman near-drowning.

External links

• Official website (including trailers)
• Official MySpace site
• Superman Returns at Rotten Tomatoes
• Superman Returns at the Internet Movie Database
• 360-degree QuickTime VRs of the Superman Returns movie-sets
• BBC News: Critics wowed by Superman return
• CBR's detailed, analytical review of the film and its place in Superman's mythology and history
• Complete list of actors who were reportedly considered for roles
• Chronological list of all Superman graphic novels, including movie and television tie-ins
• Pictorial article on the transformation of Sydney into Metropolis
• Blog Review @ Munjeet.com (feel free to post comments here)
• Agent DVD Superman Page
• Superman the next Jesus? BBC News
• Superman Returns Memorable Quotes