Kevin Smith On Robert Rodriguez Nearly Directing SUPERMAN LIVES, Why He'll "F***ing Never" Make Marvel Movie

Kevin Smith On Robert Rodriguez Nearly Directing SUPERMAN LIVES, Why He'll "F***ing Never" Make Marvel Movie

Filmmaker Kevin Smith has revealed how close Spy Kids helmer Robert Rodriguez came to directing Superman Lives, and explains why he has no interest in stepping behind the camera for a Marvel project...

By JoshWilding - Jun 16, 2025 05:06 AM EST
Filed Under: Superman
Source: Collider

Producer Jon Peters initially started developing Superman Lives after 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. He planned to revitalise the franchise after what proved to be a dismal farewell to Christopher Reeve's stint as the Man of Steel. 

By 1994, Warner Bros. had tapped Kevin Smith to write the script, incorporating comic elements from the "Death of Superman" arc and using villains like Brainiac, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday. 

Batman director Tim Burton eventually looked set to helm a version of the movie starring Nicolas Cage. However, escalating budgets, creative disputes, and Warner Bros.' hesitance after mixed reviews for superhero movies saw it ultimately scrapped. 

Talking to Collider, Smith revealed that Spy KidsSin City, and Alita: Battle Angel helmer Robert Rodriguez also came close to taking charge of Superman Lives

"There was a moment back in 1996-97 where Robert Rodriguez, who I knew a little bit from the world of indie film, called me up to be like, 'Warner Bros. asked me to direct your Superman script.' And I was like, 'Please do it. Oh my god, do it. You'd be amazing for it.' He goes, 'I kind of like it. It's fun, man. Walk me through it. Clearly you know more about Superman than I do.'"

"So it was a two-day period where he was trying to decide between Superman and this other project that he eventually wound up choosing because he felt he owed the studio. The studio was Dimension, and the movie was The Faculty. So he chose The Faculty instead of doing Superman. But for this one, like, two-day period, he was considering it. Warner Bros. wanted him big-time, and it would have been his biggest budget to date."

"If I could make anything that didn't happen happen, I think it would be that. Because I didn't have the pressure of directing the movie myself. It would have been in the hands of one of my generation's greatest and absolutely-f***ing-on-point visionary action directors. That would have been a wonderful marriage of material, because that script — and I ain't saying that's the greatest script — but dialogue was sharp in that f***ing script. And this was pre-Avengers, you know, before that became the norm and stuff."

"So I would have benefited, as a screenwriter guy. 'Hey, he wrote that!' And the pressure ... even if people were like, 'Oh, I hate that Superman' ... then I'm like, 'Yeah, well, blame Robert. He directed it.' So I'd have had the benefit of being involved but not being involved, and I've never really had that."

Later in the interview, Smith explained why he's not angling to direct a Marvel movie. The filmmaker directed episodes of The Flash and Supergirl, but when it comes to the MCU, he'd prefer to do something in front of the camera, not behind it. 

"Everyone's like, 'Do you want to make a Marvel movie?' F***ing never. What in my body of work has ever made anyone think, 'He'd be good for that sort of visual spectacle.' But Marvel if was like, 'We want you to play ... anybody. One scene — a f***ing bad guy, a good guy.' Oh my god, whose d*ck do I got to suck to make that happen? That's what I'd be more interested in. Because that would be fun, and none of the responsibility would be mine. I'm put on this Earth to make Kevin Smith movies, if anything, and most critics will argue that I'm not even put on this earth to do that. But nobody wants to make Kevin Smith movies except me, so that's my lane and I love staying in it."

It's always fun to hear Smith's honest take on these things, but whether he'll get a cameo appearance in a future MCU movie is hard to say (he's such a well-known figure among comic book fans that it runs the risk of being distracting). 

Smith is no stranger to the Marvel Universe; he wrote the game-changing Daredevil: Guardian Devil, which featured the death of Karen Page, and Spider-Man and the Black Cat: The Evil that Men Do.

You can watch our interview with Smith from last year in the player below.

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JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 5:49 AM
But Marvel if was like, 'We want you to play ... anybody. One scene — a f***ing bad guy, a good guy.' Oh my god, whose d*ck do I got to suck to make that happen?


Why a straight man anywhere near Hollywood execs say such a thing out loud is beyond me 🧐
Pathogen
Pathogen - 6/16/2025, 7:35 AM
@JurassicClunge - Probably because its just a phrase, and he's secure in his sexuality. What's your hang up? Is it bias? Hate? Shitty parenting? What you've been told from a church's bully pulpit? Smallminded? Small penis'd? Have you had thoughts of s*cking d*ck, and one of the above reasons made you feel ashamed for it?
Doesn't matter... just grow up. Let people love who and how they want.
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 7:43 AM
@Pathogen - are you ok? Like actually ok?

You sound sensitive as hell 😅🤣 why are you asking about the size of my penis? 🧐


Always if you weren't so sensitive and reactionary you'd realise its more of a jab at Hollywood and their casting couch / sexual exploitation history dumbass. As a straight man why would say such things in an industry where execs have been known to pressure people into doing sexual acts for roles etc. Even joking that you are willing to bend to advance your career can bring such requests to your doorstep 😬


But let me guess, you saw the word straight and got your knickers in a twist 🤣😅

Not everything is an attack on your community sir!
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 7:44 AM
@JurassicClunge - anyways*** !!
TheFinestSmack
TheFinestSmack - 6/16/2025, 8:35 AM
@JurassicClunge - "Not everything is an attack on your community sir!"

The funny thing about Kevin Smith is how much GLAAD attacked him for his jokes and then they shut up the moment he threw money at their cause.
Pathogen
Pathogen - 6/16/2025, 10:13 AM
@JurassicClunge - I can read it that way, sure, after your explanation! Apologies then, I'm used to seeing non-satirical posts here from the couple of MAGA folk who are always whining about woke and lgbtq representation, and other closeminded bs.
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 11:37 AM
@Pathogen - no worries sir! I don't take anything said on this site personally 😅 apologies for calling you a dumbass!

I am British, so I'm defo not part of the MAGA squad! Gay people don't offend me one bit.
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 6/16/2025, 12:05 PM
@JurassicClunge - He just explained that he's Kevin Smith and wants to do Kevin Smith things. Comments or jokes like that are pretty much quintessential Kevin smith. Besides, what makes you assume he's exclusively straight?
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 12:30 PM
@Patient2670 - he's been married to a woman for 25 years, why would I assume he's not? 🧐
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 6/16/2025, 1:26 PM
@JurassicClunge - You shouldn't. That's exactly my point. You shouldn't make any assumptions either way.
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 6/16/2025, 1:27 PM
@Patient2670 - There are plenty of bisexual people who marry people of the opposite sex.
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 1:31 PM
@Patient2670 - try and stop me 😌
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 6/16/2025, 1:35 PM
@JurassicClunge - And why would I do that?
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 1:38 PM
@Patient2670 - you tell me sir 👀 you're the one telling me I shouldn't assume like it offends you....but I shall continue to do so 😌
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 6/16/2025, 2:20 PM
@JurassicClunge - Not at all. You go right ahead and jump to arbitrary conclusions. Not something I think is wise, but whatever.
JurassicClunge
JurassicClunge - 6/16/2025, 2:46 PM
@Patient2670 - its my style 😎
Patient2670
Patient2670 - 6/16/2025, 3:47 PM
@JurassicClunge - So I've noticed.
Pathogen
Pathogen - 6/16/2025, 7:18 PM
@JurassicClunge - Same. As a straight person, if i have to define myself, i dont care what people do as long as they don't hurt anyone lol
ProfessorWhy
ProfessorWhy - 6/16/2025, 5:57 AM
@joshwilding Superman IV was 1987
JoshWilding
JoshWilding - 6/16/2025, 6:03 AM
@ProfessorWhy - Thanks!
Repian
Repian - 6/16/2025, 6:09 AM
An animated series for Kevin Smith under the strict supervision of Gunn.
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Reeds2Much
Reeds2Much - 6/16/2025, 6:21 AM
Since we're talking about stuff that is never going to happen; Tommy Wiseau as Bizarro for Nick Cage's Superman. He already talks like him.
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Repian
Repian - 6/16/2025, 6:25 AM
@Reeds2Much - A Bizarro created by Tim Burton would have been great. Burton would have had a lot of fun with the "Mirror Dimension" plot.
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skidz
skidz - 6/16/2025, 6:22 AM
It'd be fun to see a Jay & Silent Bob cameo.
SteviesRightFoo
SteviesRightFoo - 6/16/2025, 6:24 AM
Did he cry in the interview?
NodrickStripson
NodrickStripson - 6/16/2025, 6:49 AM
So, this is basically an excerpt from a video that was made A YEAR AGO.
Wilding has just decided to snip the portion out that contains the word “Superman“ and put it on main just to gain clicks from those who think it might be something new related to Gunn’s upcoming Superman movie.

The reek of desperation is so pungent it makes your eyes water.
OrgasmicPotatoe
OrgasmicPotatoe - 6/16/2025, 7:35 AM
@NodrickStripson - Man, i'm all in favor of calling out Josh's BS, but this is about the cancelled Superman Lives movie, not the new one. Did you think you just uncovered some secret conspiracy ? It's not trying to fool anyone, you did that to yourself.
JacobsLadder
JacobsLadder - 6/16/2025, 7:04 AM
Hey Kevin, nobody cares, you're a pathetic hack.
OgHerManM
OgHerManM - 6/16/2025, 9:34 AM
@JacobsLadder - And yet, here you are clicking to read stories about him and talking about him…
JacobsLadder
JacobsLadder - 6/16/2025, 11:04 AM
@OgHerManM - you're right, I'm secretly a stalker fan. you figured it out. genius.
LebaneseSpidey1
LebaneseSpidey1 - 6/16/2025, 7:35 AM
Give us animated movie version of it with Nic Cage and say it’s an elseworls story :)
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 6/16/2025, 7:44 AM
Given how bizarre that script or iterations of it were (not due to Smith entirely but Jon Peters & other writers involved aswell) , Rodriguez at the time might have been able to have made it work but I’m glad he passed on it personally.

Also good for Smith to acknowledge he might not be the best fit to direct a big blockbuster like a Marvel movie.
THEKENDOMAN
THEKENDOMAN - 6/16/2025, 8:06 AM
I’ll be [frick]ing honest here.

I’d feel very [frick]ing uncomfortable seeing [frick]ing Robert Rodriguez direct a [frick]ing Superman movie.

Rodriguez is a [frick]ing talented filmmaker, no doubt, but his approach is often [frick]ing awkward and [frick]ing uneven. His [frick]ing characters tend to lack [frick]ing emotional [frick]ing depth, and while his [frick]ing stories can [frick]ing appear [frick]ing simple on the [frick]ing surface, they often become [frick]ing unnecessarily convoluted. He’s a “love him or hate him” kind of [frick]ing director, a [frick]ing maverick with a distinct style that doesn’t [frick]ing always land with broader [frick]ers and audiences.

The [frick]ing problem with giving him a character like Superman is that the [frick]ing material demands emotional [frick]ing clarity, [frick]ing moral nuance, and a deep [frick]ing sense of hope, not just [frick]ing stylized [frick]ing action and [frick]ing grit. Rodriguez thrives in worlds where [frick]ing pulp and [frick]ing hyper-stylization are the [frick]ing point (Sin City, Desperado, Alita: Battle Angel), but Superman isn’t that kind of [frick]ing story. To make it [frick]ing work, he’d have to [frick]ing strip back his [frick]ing usual instincts and [frick]ing dig deep emotionally, something I’m not [frick]ing convinced he [frick]ing would or [frick]ing could do. He’s [frick]ing notorious for doing things “his way,” and I just don’t see Superman [frick]ing thriving under that [frick]ing rigidity.

As for Kevin Smith, I have the opposite [frick]ing concern.

Smith is a mother[frick]ing passionate fan, and he truly loves Superman. That’s part of the mother[frick]ing problem. I feel like his mother[frick]ing fanboyism could get in the way of mother[frick]ng clear mother[frick]ing storytelling. He’d try to [frick]ing pack in every [frick]ing Easter egg, [frick]ing reference, and [frick]ing obscure character from the [frick]ing comics, not because it serves the [frick]ing story, but because he wants to see them on the mother[frick]ing screen. And while that [frick]ing kind of love for the [frick]ing source material is [frick]ing admirable, it often leads to [frick]ing creative decisions that [frick]ing alienate general audiences and [frick]ers or dilute the [frick]ing narrative. It’s less about making a [frick]ing good film, and more about making the [frick]ing ultimate fan [frick]ing version. And “OUR” Superman [frick]ing deserves more than that, he [frick]ing deserves a filmmaker who [frick]ing respects the [frick]ing iconography, but also knows how to [frick]ing translate it meaningfully to the mother[frick]ing screen.

So in [frick]ing both cases, these [frick]ers, Rodriguez and Smith, I see [frick]ing potential [frick]ing pitfalls. One would lean too [frick]ing far into style over [frick]ing substance, and the other too [frick]ing far into fandom over [frick]ing filmmaking.

For [frick]s sake
TheFinestSmack
TheFinestSmack - 6/16/2025, 9:49 AM
@THEKENDOMAN - @kennkathleen and I really appreciate you being [frick]ing honest about this sort of thing.
THEKENDOMAN
THEKENDOMAN - 6/16/2025, 9:55 AM
@TheFinestSmack - My [frick]ing pleasure as [frick]ing always brutha👊🏿
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 6/16/2025, 12:04 PM
@TheFinestSmack - User Comment Image

User Comment Image

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ElJefe
ElJefe - 6/16/2025, 8:19 AM
Kev has essentially created a career by making his own fan films and being omnipresent in pop culture … I’d definitely like to see him do something, but nothing too big budget.

Maybe a Question one-off or even turn his screenplay into a cartoon.
dragon316
dragon316 - 6/16/2025, 8:20 AM
So much for ghost rider
50ftNerd
50ftNerd - 6/16/2025, 8:45 AM
With Jen Garner’s Elektra in D&W that put the 2003 Daredevil movie within the MCU multiverse, and Kev Smith had a cameo in that movie, so TECHNICALLY he has aready been in the MCU (alongside his name appearing on Stan Lee’s “Mallrats” script in Captain Marvel).

Nah, all kidding aside it would be fun to see him, even as a blink and you miss it cameo like they have had with comics writers before…
Deadinside
Deadinside - 6/16/2025, 11:45 AM
@50ftNerd -
"...even as a blink and you miss it cameo..."

Like, Jimmy Buffett in Jurrasic World...! ☮️👍
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