Okay, so I've been meaning to write this down for a while, but haven't really had an opportunity. But now that the hype, and subsequent backlash has dimmed into a relative state of apathy towards Superman Returns, I thought I'd chime in address how I'd do the sequels. Since it will be a few more years yet until I'm a writer with the clout to approach WB and make it happen (give me 4 or 5 years ... ), I will say only this: Warners - feel free to steal my ideas ... god knows you need 'em.
Now, Bryan Singer and his writing team have painted themselves into a number of corners with the job they did with Superman Returns. Going into sequels, these are going to be some really tough narrative obstacles to overcome. What are these obstacles, you ask:
1.) Superman has a kid.
2.) Lois Lane is still engaged to Richard White, essentially making the returning Superman a homewrecker.
3.) Clark Kent is still a bumbling idiot, and Lois has no idea that he's Superman.
4.) Lex Luthor, potentially a key supporting character and / or villain in future sequels, is a dim-witted used-car salesman and inept villain.
5.) Casting problems - Superman is still too effeminate, Lois is too cold, not to mention young, and Spacey is simply Hackman-lite as Luthor rather than the character reinvention we had hoped for.
Okay, so in going forward with these sequels we'll have to address these problems - but I am not a fan of all of breaking with established series continuity, so I wouldn't be in favor of simply forgetting about the kid for example in the name of having a clean slate. As long as the franchise is going to continue in it's current form, they will have to address some of the original movie's problems while continuing to reinvent the series organically.
My two sequels would be a total change in direction - an epic two-part adventure that would send Superman across time and space, see Superman and Lois finally reunited, make Superman's son into his greatest threat, reestablish Lex Luthor as the great villain that he should be, and pit Superman in epic battles against Doomsday, Darkseid, Bizarro, and the armies of Apokolips!
So, on with it - here is my plan for SUPERMAN 2:
- Following the events of Superman Returns, Lex Luthor is missing and presumed dead. In his place emerges Lex Luthor II, apparent long-lost son of Lex Luthor. He vows to make good on his father's name and atone for the sins of his father. He begins Lexcorp, a corporation dedicated to advanced scientific research.
- Richard White covers the story of Lex II's emergence. Taking a press-tour of the new state of the art Lexcorp facilities, he stumbles upon some information he shouldn't have though, and bang! - he's a goner at Luthor II's hand.
- Lois is torn up at Richard's death -- she turns to Clark for comfort, realizing there's more to him than she thought. But as they begin to get closer ...
- In Smallville, Kansas, deep underground near the spot where Superman's rocket landed years ago, a monster emerges from it's prison - DOOMSDAY.
- Doomsday reeks havoc on Smallville - Ma Kent, Lana Lang, and Pete Ross run for their lives - until Superman swoops in to save the day.
- The majority of the movie is Superman vs. Doomsday in a knockdown, drag-out brawl. For some reason, Doomsday is compelled to cause a path of destruction that leads him on a road directly to Metropolis. After seemingly defeating Doomsday in Smallville, the monster breaks away from his military captors and appears to grow exponentially stonger. The world is in a literal panic over this unstoppable creature, who has fought off every weapon known to man as he forges ahead towards Metropolis, seemingly drawn towards the one thing he's after -- Superman.
- Meanwhile, Lex II uses his newfound clout to arrange a deal with the military. He claims to have unique insight into the monster known as Doomsday and will develop a weapon to stop him.
- As Doomsday approaches Metropolis, Clark begins to become fearful. He realizes he's never faced a threat like this - a creature his equal in strength and speed. He might not win. He might die. He realizes he can't go into this fight without telling Lois how he feels. He tells her he's Superman. He proposes to her. When he gets out of this fight, if he gets out, they'll be engaged.
- To add to the heartbreak, Perry White wants Lois and Jimmy on the ground to cover the battle. Lois protests, but Perry insists that she knows Superman better than anyone.
- Meanwhile, Lois' son is pulled away by a strange light. He finds himself taken away across time and space to a far away place - a prison, but not on our own world. Surrounded by lowly children, he is eventually singled out and taken away - he is the special one.
- Lois, covering the Doomsday story, does not know that her son has been mysteriously abducted.
- Superman makes his last stand - it's on - Superman vs. Doomsday - the final battle!
- The two go at it like two prize fighters, the earth shaking with every strike. Superman is losing! He's dying! Perched safely in Lexcorp tower, Luthor II can't help but smirk at Superman's pain, betraying his own malevolence. But he knows he must act according to his scheme - he unleashes his weapon - a beam of synthesized, concentrated Kryptonite! It's working, but not only is is killing Doomsday, it's killing Superman! Superman flees, confronts Lex 2 - what is he doing? Lex smiles at Superman - and Superman knows - it's Lex Luthor I. Lex betrays his plan - the city will be destroyed - and he will rebuild it. Superman will be dead - and Lex will be the people's new savior. In a rage, Superman destroys the krytonite weapon and heads back into battle.
- The endgame - Superman vs. Doomsday. Each blow is like a trainwreck. Both are wavering. In a final punch, Superman uses the last of his strength to defeat Doomsday - but Superman, alas, is DEAD.
- Lois is a wreck, all of America, all of earth, is in mourning. But at Superman's funeral, something odd happens - the body disappears. Is it some divine ressurection? A miracle? As the world wonders if Superman is in fact dead, we cut to Superman, opening his eyes, in a virtual garden of eden. He is on the planet of New Genesis - surrounded by brightly colored super-beings. Their leader, Highfather, explains that they have summoned him to New Genesis to heal him and to warn him. Doomsday was only a preemptive strike. We pan out to see that New Genesis is in ruins - it has been invaded and all but destroyed by the forces of its neighboring planet ... Apokolips, and its ruler, the great Darkseid. Darkseid unleashed Doomsday as an envoy to destroy Superman - his one obstacle to conquering Earth! In addition, Highfather informs Clark that his son has been kidnapped and brought to the prisons of Armagetto - the foulest region of Apokolips, where Darkseid believes that the boy is somehow the key to the anti-life equation - a formula that the Kryptonians had embedded in their DNA long ago, that had bene thought lost in time. Hearing this, Superman vows to find his son and stop Darkseid, no matter the cost. Highfather bids Superman good luck, and gives him a Motherbox - New Genesis tech that can open a boom tube to Apokolips, and conceal his appearance. BOOM! Superman warps to Apokolips, determined to save his son.
- On earth, Lex 2 explains to the press that Doomsday was Kryptonian in origin - a misguided creation of Kryptonian science. He believes that Superman's presence attracted the beast to our world - that now is the time to embrace humanity - and its science and achievements, not super-beings. He vows to rebuild Metropolis, and to create a special police force to keep it safe from all threats.
- We then see Lex approached by a hulking, monstrous figure -- Darkseid! Darkseid says that Lex did his part in guiding him to the son of Kal-El - the probably key to the anti-life equation, the discovery of which consumes Darkseid's existence. In turn, Darkseid created for Lex a new body, a new life, given him access to alien technology, and handed him Metropolis on a silver platter. The final step is near - Lex will use his technology to aid in Darkseid's impending conquest of Earth! Darkseid boom-tubes away, as Lex smirks - Darkseid has underestimated his cunning, he thinks.
- Coda: On Apokolips - the lowly peasants toil in the great shadow of Darkseid, with no hope, no spirit, no savior in sight. But in the midst of the lowlies, a stranger appears, unnoticed by the servants of Darkseid but drawing curiousity from the lowlies. Cloaked in black, the stranger defiantly approaches a monolithic statue of Darkseid. Sinking his fist into the black steel, he carves out a familiar S-shield. Stunned, the lowlies approach and warn him not to do any more to incite Darkseid's wrath. What is it, they ask? What is the carving? A symbol, replies, the stranger, removing his hood - now revealed as Superman - a symbol of Hope ...
TO BE CONTINUED, in SUPERMAN 3!!!
So, what do ya think ...?!?!
NEXT: The saga continues!
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