Superman Lives : Director (Thread 2)

[Dr. Fahrenheit]

Continue director talk here.

I thought we could liven things up a bit by having one of those polls to see who would be your top picks to direct this thing.

We all know Joe McGinty has the gig (for now), but who would you pick if you were in charge and why would you pick them ?

Here are my picks, I will explain them a tad later on down the line.

Stephen Norrington---Next Fincher ?
James Cameron---Sci-Fi genius
Richard Donner---Obvious choice
Michael Mann---Excellent visualist


Thanks,
Doc Fahrenheit

[Grimlock]

What about Michael Bay and getting Bruckheimer to produce?

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Grimlock of Transformers fame...LIVE ON ICE!
Whaddaya think?

[Optimus Prime]

That seems like a logical choice, but I don't like what Bay and Bruckheimer team up to create, it gets way too sappy and idiotic much like Armageddon and Bad Boys.

I guess I would have to choose maybe Richard Donner again. I can't really think of anyone who could capture Superman better than him at this point in time.

I guess I could deal with a Tony Scott directed Superman flick, but even he may be less like his brother and more like Bay.




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"Autobots ! TRANSFORM !"
-Optimus Prime

[norrinraad]

I still say Peter Jackson (LOTR) all the way!

[Weapon One]

I would love to see a Peter Jackson Superman film.

I will nominate :

Peter Jackson
James Cameron
Michael Mann
Richard Donner

I would really find it interesting to see how Jackson would approach the material. He worked so well with an epic classic tale like Lord of the Rings, I think Superman would be an almost equal challenge for him.
Superman is such an almost impossible subject filmwise for a lot of directors it seems, and Jackson seems interested in doing a King Kong remake, so he will take a risk.

-Weapon One

[Grimlock]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Optimus Prime:
<B>That seems like a logical choice, but I don't like what Bay and Bruckheimer team up to create, it gets way too sappy and idiotic much like Armageddon and Bad Boys.

I guess I would have to choose maybe Richard Donner again. I can't really think of anyone who could capture Superman better than him at this point in time.

I guess I could deal with a Tony Scott directed Superman flick, but even he may be less like his brother and more like Bay.


</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't know, Bay and Bruckheimer can make some bad ass action movies, and at the same time have some romantic subplot (between Lois and Clark) hidden in all the explosions. I sure wouldn't mind seeing Donner do it again though.

[FireStormTrooper]

All I know is that whoever the director is (even if it stays McG) and whenever they start making the flick, I hope hairdresser-turned-producer Jon Peters is NOT involved with any part of the movie by then.

Unfortunately, he seems to have a thing for comic book movies : he's already latched on to the live-action movie version of AKIRA (thus ensuring it will be a flop) ...

*sigh* http://www.comics2film.com/UBB/frown.gif

[NYMan Of Steel]

My choices are:
John McTiernan: did 2 of the DieHard movies, Hunt for Red October, and Predator-knows how to do action films
Richard Donner-Only director to be true to the material

Stuart Baird:was editor on the firdt movie, and directing lastest Star Trek movie

[VampFan]

What about Sam Raimi? He gets my vote! Although I do like the idea of Stephen Norrington as well.

[DRSTRANGE2099]

Regretfully I belive even if this movie gets made Warner Brothers will make it quickly and cheaply, and it will be as bad as Batman and Robin.

[VampFan]

Warner Brothers has a way of doing that (Queen of the Damned comes to mind), sadly. But after the recent success of Spider-Man, I kinda think they'll be a little more careful with what they do from here on out.

[norrinraad]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by VampFan:
Warner Brothers has a way of doing that (Queen of the Damned comes to mind), sadly. But after the recent success of Spider-Man, I kinda think they'll be a little more careful with what they do from here on out.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

We are in total agreement.

[Weapon One]

In the wake of the utter mastery that was Spider-Man, I must say I agree with VampFan and must nominate Sam Raimi.

His Spider-Man film was the stuff of Dick Donner, and it reminded me so much of the original Superman film, but it was so much slicker, and more realistic.

I would also like to note that Norrington was once in the runnings for Superman Lives along with Shekhar Kapur, but was we see neither director wound up being involved.


-Weapon One

[Megatron]

I hate to admit it, but Raimi proved me wrong. Its amazing that someone like him could make a good movie for a change.

Wow, he was actually creative with his cinematography too. I must admit I would like to see what he would do with another classic comic icon like Superman.

He would fit. I thought of the first Superman movie when I saw this, and I think it beat Donner's greatness.



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"Decepticons ! Attaaack !"
-Megatron

[Oldsoul3300]

--Y'know, Sam Raimi has been one of my favorite directors for around 5 years now. Believe it or not I was the first one here on the C2F boards (the old boards... remember those?) to mention his name as a choice to direct Spider-Man.
But as much as I love Raimi's work, I do not want him to direct Superman. This is not to say that I think he'd do a bad job, just that I think he's better suited for the style of Spider-Man. And after all, if Raimi's to direct the Spider-Sequels, he won't exactly have time to direct Superman anytime soon.
Well, if McG weren't in the director's chair (and even though he is), my picks would be either Peter Jackson (LOTR Trilogy) or Simon Wells (The Time Machine).

[Dr. Fahrenheit]

Yes, yes I can recall your mentioning of Raimi to direct. I had heard that name mentioned a lot for Spidey director for years on various sites and by various people, and it bothered me to no end.

As for his doing Superman, I think he would have the time to do it, because we would all be extremely silly to believe that McG will actually be the one to get this movie rolling. Superman is a long, long ways off.
I will never hold my breath for this thing to start actually filming or casting or anything. Every big name that is attached winds up leaving for some reason or another much like Fantastic Four. Spider-Man and Superman were already similar in cinematic style as evidenced by the tone, the morals, the cinematography, and even the romanticism of the character. The classic picture that was painted of good versus evil was there too. This movie was not something that wanted to be a mind bender like X-Men or some sort of twisted nightmare like the Crow or even Batman, nor was it an ass kicking session hosted by a young man named Blade.

I really do not see where Simon Wells would be much better than McG. I really loathed The Time Machine, for it was absolutely boring and an utter disgrace to the original story and even the old George Pal movie.

I would prefer rolling the dice on the still unproven Stephen Norrington, or even someone huge like Michael Mann, who is not above something like Supes, or again, what is so hard about bringing Richard Donner back for another go ?


Thanks,
Doc F

[Nikhil]

I think I've mentioned these choices in a previous thread, but this seems like the right place : Ron Howard and Steven Spielberg (Outside choices : Frank Darabont or Barry Levinson? Still mulling those over)

[Oldsoul3300]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr. Fahrenheit:
Yes, yes I can recall your mentioning of Raimi to direct. I had heard that name mentioned a lot for Spidey director for years on various sites and by various people, and it bothered me to no end.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
--Ouch. So, are you now annoyed that he did such a wondeful job?
Had you really heard Raimi suggested for the job before that? I'm not disputing it, I just had never heard anyone suggest him. And, no... I'm saying I was the first one to come up with the idea... just that I hadn't heard it before.

[Oldsoul3300]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr. Fahrenheit:
<B>
I really do not see where Simon Wells would be much better than McG. I really loathed The Time Machine, for it was absolutely boring and an utter disgrace to the original story and even the old George Pal movie.
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
--While the film version of The Time Machine really was crap compared to the book, I think on it's own it was a fine film. I know a lot of people didn't care for it, but I thought Simon Wells did a commendable job with the performances, effects, story, etc.

[Dr. Fahrenheit]

Well Oldsoul, believe it or not there have been many Raimi supporters over at AICN and some now defunct movie websites. I had heard Raimi's name mentioned a lot on the Spidermanhype website a lot when I was first coming onto the Comics2Film board, and I just dismissed them. Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Nicholas Brendan were the names that seemed to always go together on many of these websites.

I am only annoyed by Raimi being successful, because it makes me have to put my foot in my mouth and I hate to be wrong, but in this case it was worth it, because a great Spidey movie is what it all came down to for me in the end.

As for The Time Machine, I just need to see Simon Wells do something else before we hand him the reigns to the new Superman movie.
I still just don't understand why Warners doesn't want to let Richard Donner do his thing. They have been treating him like crap for years despite his many hits for that studio (Lethal Weapons etc.).

Either way, here's to having a great Superman film no matter who the director is.

Thanks,
Doc Fahrenheit

[Optimus Prime]

What about Rob Bowman ?

What do you all think of the director of X-Files and now Reign of Fire ?

What about David Fincher since he wants to make a super hero film, and kind of change his style a bit ?




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"Autobots ! TRANSFORM !"
-Optimus Prime

[Oldsoul3300]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Dr. Fahrenheit:
<B>Well Oldsoul, believe it or not there have been many Raimi supporters over at AICN and some now defunct movie websites. I had heard Raimi's name mentioned a lot on the Spidermanhype website a lot when I was first coming onto the Comics2Film board, and I just dismissed them. Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Nicholas Brendan were the names that seemed to always go together on many of these websites.
</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
--Actually, not to toot my own horn or anything *toot-toot* but I was actually the first one to suggest Raimi over at Spidermanhype! as well, like the first day they were up on the web. That was significantly later than I brought it up here at C2F though. Nicholas Brendon was also my pick for Spider-Man, though I know I wasn’t the first to suggest him.
I never look at the forums on AICN, so I wouldn't know what they discuss there.
Regarding Simon Wells... I totally understand you being a little reserved on the issue considering he's only done one live-action film and it wasn't very well received.

[norrinraad]

Oldsoul3300, you obviously had a vision of what Raimi could accomplish with Spider-Man and you were right on the money. Just like Tobey would not have been my first choice for Peter Parker but Raimi knew better. Now I can not image anyone else playing the role to perfection! Back to the topic at hand, I think the idea of David Fincher is an interesting one. He would have to tone down a bit but could probably make a great Superman movie. My first choice, however, still remains Peter Jackson.

[The Xenos]

Ya know, I might be happy so long Tim Burton says away from this and other comics book movies. I recently checked out his early film 'Vincent'. I admire Burton and he has done brillaint films. I even liked his Planet of the Apes and his little twists. (Hint: They didn't go forward in time this time!) Even his Batman was great.. but not a faithful adaptation. I would like to see more movies be true to their books, comic book or otherwise. (I couldn't bring myself to watch that 'Dinotopia' miniseries and that is a favorite book fo mine.) Mind you, Burton's Superman would be interesting, but it is not the Superman I want to see now. I remembered a quote that sparked me to bring this up. A while back there was a thing in the news with Planet of the Apes about Burton's ending and a Kevin Smith comic with a similar panel. He said, "I have not seen the image and anybody that knows me knows I do not read comic books. And I especially wouldn't read anything that was created by Kevin Smith." For that comment, I do not look forward to any comic book adaptations from him. I hope for more faithful adaptations from people that actually love the source, like Sam Rami and Peter Jackson (and hopefully Aronofsky).

-Xenos

[This message has been edited by The Xenos (edited 06-13-2002).]

[FireStormTrooper]

Found an old thread about this topic ...

Anyways, I think that whomever picks up the mantle of Richard Donner should have a passion for the character. Sam Raimi was the best thing to ever happen to Spider-Man. Christopher Nolan is an excellent choice for Batman. Seriously, who should direct the next Superman movie?

Michael Bay is NOT the guy. Ratner and McG aren't either. I'd hold out hope for M. Night Shamalayan or Peter Jackson, but it seems faint.

Any ideas who could do justice to the Man of Steel?

[Oldsoul3300]

--As much as I love Shyamalan, I don't think I want him to direct the flick, though I'd be interested in seeing what sort of script he could come up with.

I'm not too keen on the Bryan Singer idea, though he's one of my favorite directors. It doesn't really seem like his style.

I think Peter Jackson would still be my number 1 pick for the director's job, but I don't think that's too likely.

For those of you who were following the Fantastic 4 directing thread, you may recall my pics to direct that film were either Luc Besson or Baz Luhrman.
Again, I think either would do a great job with Superman.

[norrinraad]

Bryan Singer, eh? I both really like and really dislike this choice. I think Singer will do a wonderful job on Superman Returns (apparently it will even have ties to the continuity established in the first 2 films) but this means we're going to have to wait years for another X-Men film! Oh well, aside from Peter Jackson this is a far better choice than we could have hoped for, and miles ahead of McG and Ratner.

[Oldsoul3300]

--I agree... much better than McG or Brett Ratner, though not my first choice. I'm sure he'll do a great job.
According to the reports, Singer won't be coming back to X-Men for the 3rd film, wich sort of stinks.

[Oldsoul3300]

--I just thought of something...
considering their working history, do you think there's any chance Singer might snag Hugh Jackman for the blue tights?
Not that I would necessarily want to see Jackman jump ship also, or even play another superhero role... but he'd probably do all right.

[The Xenos]

Jackman? I would think if Singer grabbed any X cast member for Supes it'd be Marsten.

-Xenos

[FireStormTrooper]

Looks like it's official. Acording to Variety and CNN, director Bryan Singer (APT PUPIL, THE USUAL SUSPECTS) has signed to helm the next Superman movie. Here's how I would rate this selection on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best director for a new Superman and 1 being the worst case scenario.

1.0 - Joel Schumacher
2.0 - McG
3.0 - Brett Ratner
4.0 - George Lucas
5.0 - Richard Donner
6.0 - Wolfgang Peterson
7.0 - Steven Spielberg
8.0 - Bryan Singer
9.0 - M. Night Shyamalan
10.0 - Peter Jackson

So, all in all, I am very pleased with this development. Singer certainly understands the constraints of making a believable and enjoyable comic book movie and sounds like he has a good amount of respect for the character. So, bring it on! I'm starting to get a little hyped for this now ...