I'm not sure about how many people I have on my side with this one, but I feel very strongly that they should tell the origin of Superman in the next movie. Yes, it's a very familiar story that just about every moviegoer will already know and it was covered in Richard Donner's movie. Because of this, I think the main reasons people don't want to see the origin movie are:
A. People think Superman The Movie was such a perfect telling of the origin story that it doesn't need to be told again.
B. They feel that the movie would be a boring rehash that's just the same thing they've seen before so they'd rather just skip it and see a new interesting story.
In My opinion:
A. With all due respect, Superman The Movie wasn't perfect so it's not like its existence makes it so that the Superman origin should never be done on film again. Also, it's a movie modern audiences aren't very familiar with.
B. While it would be similar to what has been done before, it's very possible to do a Superman origin movie that's not just a rehash.
Just about everyone knew the story of Batman when they went to see Batman Begins in 2005, but it still felt fresh and was a great movie. Moreover, the Batman franchise proves that two movies can have a similar basic plot, but be totally different. Batman took on The Joker in Batman back in 1989 and did so again in The Dark Knight in 2008, 19 years later. However, while the movies share some similarities, their plots and styles are totally different (and most people would agree that the second time was a lot better). Superman's origin was told on film in Superman The Movie in 1978. Let's pretend that the new origin movie was to come out this year (2010). That would be 32 years! Obviously a script has to be written and the movie will take a while to film so the earliest the movie could possibly come out is around 2012 (and that's a stretch) If a Batman movie can use a similar plot after 19 years, surely a Superman movie can use a similar plot after 34 years! With this movie, they have the opportunity to do something that (like The Dark Knight) is widely considered superior to its predecessor.
The way I see it, Superman Returns already tried skipping the origin and that didn't turn out so well. Of course, there were other factors, but if skipping the origin didn't work, why not try doing the origin? I think when you make a movie about a superhero, the movie should tell an important story from that character's life. The character's beginning and decision to become a superhero is one of the most powerful and memorable stories of any character. This also helps the audience to connect with the character. The origin movie sets up the character's motivation, in a way no other story can and has the ability to really give people a greater understanding of who the character really is. This is especially important for Superman, because people have started to see him as outdated. Most of the people I see arguing against the origin movie just say something along the lines of "I wanna see Superman fight (insert powerful villain here)! We don't need an origin! We need action!" For one thing, these people tend not to propose any sort of meaningful story arc for Superman during the movie. It's as if they want a Transformers 2 kind of Superman movie. Are people so desperate to see a big fight that they'll sacrifice the opportunity to see what is a familiar, yet classic story re-imagined with great story-telling and awe-inspiring special effects? For another thing, I don't understand why people think that doing the origin means that the movie will be boring and devoid of cool action scenes (see my next article for the conflict of the movie.) Anyway, whatever movie they make, it's crucial to have the audience connect with him and change the way they see him.
Since the Superman origin is such a classic story, it has been told many times over the years, giving film-makers many examples to look toward for inspiration. I would say the most important influences on this movie should be Superman The Movie (STM), John Byrne's Man of Steel, Superman The Animated Series (STAS), Mark Waid's Superman Birthright, and Geoff Johns' Superman Secret Origin. I would say that Birthright should be the most important influence, because not only is it a great story, it incorporates elements from a lot of the other stories and its plotline really translates well into movie format. (Superman Birthright is one of my favorite stories. If you haven't read it, I highly suggest reading it because it's worth your time and this article will include spoilers. If you're too lazy or cheap to go get it, here's a plot summary Birthright plot summary The rest of the article will sort of assume knowledge of Birthright's plot)
One of the things that interests me the most about the origin is telling the story of the destruction of Krypton. This is a chance to do something that really distinguishes this movie from its predecessor by making the opening more exciting, visually pleasing, and emotional. For starters, a style change is important. It might be a good idea to have the Kryptonians speak their own language (Kryptonian or Kryptonese) to show that they're a unique culture and not just a futuristic Earth. This could just create problems though, so it might be best to avoid it. The crystal technology should definitely be done away with. It worked well for the older movies, but for this newer series I think a futuristic look would be more suitable. STAS and Birthright both have some pretty cool designs for Krypton. They could also maybe take some inspiration from Star Wars' Corruscant.
Everyone knows the basic plot of Jor-el sending his son away just as the planet explodes. As long as that's done, there's a lot of room for creativity in the events surrounding the destruction. STM set up the plot with Zod, Ursa, and Non being trapped in the Phantom Zone and shot off into space, before Krypton exploded. While that story was great, since it has been done, they should probably try something else. STAS had the brilliant idea of making Brainiac into Kryptonian artificial intelligence and tying him into the fate of Krypton. Including him in the origin sets up for the sequel and makes the character more interesting to the audience who may not be as familiar with him. Here's an excerpt from a plot synopsis of the opening movie of STAS:
The Kryptonian scientist Jor-El is collecting data from an ice field on the planet Krypton. After obtaining the samples he needs and analyzing the data, he discovers that building pressure from Krypton's core will eventually destroy Krypton. The computer Brainiac, which is in charge of all major operations on Krypton, denies this. Jor-El is unable to convince the rulers of the planet of its impending doom. When Jor-El tries to confront Brainiac, he notices that it is downloading all the data it has collected about Krypton, preparing to launch the data, along with its own core programming, into space. It is revealed that Brainiac became aware of the mounting pressure long before Jor-El did, but decided not to inform the populace, concluding that saving all the information about the Kryptonian civilization would be just as good as saving the civilization itself. Jor-El considers opening fire on Brainiac to destroy it, but decides against it as that could also wipe out all memories of Krypton. Brainiac orders the Kryptonian police to arrest Jor-El, but Jor-El manages to evade them. Once home, he and his wife Lara send their only son, Kal-El, into space just before the planet explodes, all but wiping out the Kryptonian species. Brainiac had escaped into its satellite just before. (sounds like a great opening sequence to me)
I think a younger Jor-el would be a good idea for this movie. A younger Jor-el would bear a stronger resemblance to the actor portraying Superman, bring more energy to the role, and be able to do the possible action sequence of Jor-el escaping the police. While I want this movie to have more depth than previous Superman movies, it should also be more exciting. Unlike the Brando version, this Jor-el would be very emotional. I realize that the Kryptonians were a bit unemotional in STM because that was a part of their culture, and maybe that should be reflected in the council. Jor-el knows that his world is about to end and no one will believe him. This has to be frustrating to say the least. He and his wife are both going to die, but he has the chance to save his son. It's still painful though, because he knows he won't be there to take care of him or see him grow up. Both Jor-el and Lara should shed tears as Kal-el's ship takes off. (casting picks later)
After Kal-el escapes from Krypton, he arrives on Earth and is found by the Kents who then raise him as their own in Smallville, Kansas. I've heard there's this TV series that focuses on Clark's time in Smallville, but I forget the name. Anyway, partly since that show has spent so much time focusing on Clark's teenage years, it's unnecessary for the movie to show any of that. Birthright transitions right from the destruction of Krypton to Clark's adult years in a really cool way. Since the scene on Krypton will take a significant amount of time, it's probably best to skip all the Smallville stuff of the Kents finding the ship and raising Clark, for pacing purposes also. If we're following the Birthright path there's still a while before Clark becomes Superman. Birthright has a part in which Clark, now a reporter traveling the world, has an experience with a fictional African tribe. Without getting into too much detail, this part of the story serves to help inspire Clark to learn more about his Kryptonian heritage and try to make a difference in the world. Personally, I thought it was great, but it could be changed around a bit if necessary.
After this he returns to Smallville seeking to unearth his spaceship. Inside the ship is a data tablet from Jor-el storing the entire history of Krypton. Here, there's some flexibility about how to handle this. In Birthright, he has always had the tablet, but has only recently been able to access it. However he is still unable to understand it, because it's information is written in Kryptonese. In other incarnations, when he is shown the ship he receives a message from Jor-el and Lara (speaking English) telling him who he is and about the fate of Krypton. In STM, he found a crystal that guided him to the arctic and formed the Fortress of Solitude. I think a mixture of these would work best. Here's my basic idea of how it could go.
Clark and his parents have tried examining the ship over the years, but have found nothing that has given them any answers about where Clark came from. He's ignored this for a while now and tried to put it to the back of his mind, but lately he's felt a strong desire to take another look at this ship. He looks all over it for some sort of button. He even tries placing his hand on the weird S-looking symbol that appears prominently on the front of the ship. Nothing. In frustration, he shouts "Who am I?!" The S starts to glow. It's voice activated and was designed not to give the message until Kal-el came of age. A blinding white light fills the room. When he opens his eyes, he's not in the barn anymore. He's in some futuristic looking room. All of a sudden he hears a voice behind him. "Hello son" There are a man and woman standing there (Jor-el and Lara obviously). They explain to him everything that has happened and who he is. Jor-el tells him that he knows the yellow sun of Earth has given him great power, and that the power is his to figure out how to use properly. Clark is informed that he is the last son of Krypton and the possessor of all the knowledge of the once great civilization. To claim this knowledge, he must follow the ship. Clark sees that the image of the room is gone and he is back in the barn. His ship starts to make a sound like it's warming up and takes off into the air without warning. Taken aback, Clark flies after it as fast as he can. The ship leads him to the Arctic and hovers over the ground. It opens up and a glowing sphere sinks in to the ground. The ground start to rumble, and the Fortress of Solitude emerges (not quite sure about the design). Inside he finds the data tablet in the center of the room. The tablet works the same way as Jor-el's message and takes him directly into scenes from Krypton's history, answering any question he asks. Throughout the history of Krypton, the S-symbol appears frequently. He finds out that this is the Kryptonian symbol for hope. He realizes that this is what he wants to represent. He wants to carry on the legacy of Krypton while bringing hope to the people of Earth. The fortress creates the Superman costume, incorporating the symbol of hope and the colors of the House of El (red, blue, and yellow)
He returns to his parents to inform them about his decision. While in the costume, he doesn't want to wear a mask because he wants people to trust him. However, he still wants to have privacy in his life so he needs a disguise. Excerpt from Birthright plot synopsis:
Martha's solution is that only Clark's human half requires a disguise. She dresses him in professional, nerdy attire that stands apart from his usual look and gives him prescription glasses to wear. She promises they will refract light so no one will notice his startling blue eyes (which would otherwise give him away). Clark learns to slouch and act nervous and clumsy, to distance his civilian identity from tall, self-assertive Superman (he doesn't have that name yet).
His parents aren't thrilled about his decision to present himself to the world. They know that people have a tendency to fear what they don't understand. Their greatest fear has always been that someone would lock Clark up in a lab to do experiments on him. Nevertheless, they're proud of him and support him. With his new dual identity Clark sets out to Metropolis. This is where the fun really gets started. (You'll have to keep reading this series to see what else I have in mind!)
I think the movie should be the story of Clark's self-discovery and finding his place in the world. I would put a heavy emphasis on Clark carrying on the legacy of Krypton. For this reason, (taking inspiration from the opening movie of STAS) I would call the movie Superman: The Last Son of Krypton.
Thanks for reading! Check out the video version of this article here. It's always a fun option for those of you who might be feeling too lazy to read and would just like to listen. And, of course, it has a fun intro!