The Long, Career Snuffing History Of Lead Actresses In Comic Book Movies
Lots of beautiful, talented actresses on this list. Maybe a handful saw career benefits from doing a comic book movie.
But even the most famous ones… think hard about what their careers looked like before doing these roles… and then after.
Yes, Kim Basinger, Halle Berry, Nicole Kidman, Rachel Weisz, and Natalie Portman won Oscars after these comic book films appeared. But more in spite of these films than because of them, no? (Actually, I kinda love Constantine and many of its performances. And Portman gives one of her most powerful turns in V for Vendetta, her character offering quite a dramatic story arc.)
There were a few great performances on this list, too. Michelle Pfeiffer in Batman Returns, Angelina Jolie in Wanted (like the movie or not, she was great), Chloe Moretz in Kick-Ass. Jolie did extend her franchise as and ass-kicker and Moretz is still so young.
Margo Kidder was more famous after Superman. But not for long.
I’m not saying that Amy Adams and Emma Stone, both of whom I am a fan of, are destroying their careers with recent choices. But if you look at the history… not pretty.
Superman – Margo Kidder
Flash Gordon – Melody Anderson
Swamp Thing – Heather Locklear
Annie – Aileen Quinn
Sheena – Tanya Roberts
Supergirl – Helen Slater
Batman – Kim Basinger
Dick Tracy – Glenne Headly
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle – Judith Hoag
The Rocketeer – Jennifer Connelly
Brenda Starr – Brooke Shields
Batman Returns – Michelle Pfeiffer
The Crow – Rochelle Davis
The Shadow – Penelope Ann Miller
The Mask – Cameron Diaz
Tank Girl – Lori Petty
Batman Forever – Nicole Kidman/Drew Barrymore
Judge Dredd – Diane Lane
Barb Wire – Pam Anderson
The Phantom – Catherine Zeta-Jones
The Crow 2 – Mia Kirshner
Batman & Robin – Uma Thurman/Alicia Silverstone
Spawn – Theresa Randle
X-Men – Famke Jansen/Halle Berry
Josie & The Pussycats – Rachael Leigh Cook
From Hell – Heather Graham
Spider-Man – Kristen Dunst
Men in Black II – Rosario Dawson
Daredevil – Jennifer Garner
Bulletproof Monk – Jaime King
Hulk – Jennifer Connelly
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen – Peta Wilson
Hellboy – Selma Blair
The Punisher – Laura Harring
Catwoman – Halle Berry
Blade: Trinity – Jessica Biel
Elektra – Jennifer Garner
Constantine – Rachel Weisz
Sin City – too many to mention
Batman Begins – Katie Holmes
Fantastic Four – Jessica Alba
V for Vendetta – Natalie Portman
Superman Returns – Kate Bosworth
Ghost Rider – Eva Mendes
300 – Lena Headey
Spider-Man 3 – Bryce Dallas Howard
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Iron Man – Gwyneth Paltrow
The Incredible Hulk – Liv Tyler
Wanted – Angelina Jolie
The Dark Knight – Maggie Gyllenhaal
The Spirit – Mendes/Johansson/King/Paulson
Watchmen – Malin Akerman
X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Lynn Collins
Kick-Ass – Chloe Moretz/Lyndsy Fonseca
The Losers – Zoe Saldana
Iron Man 2 – Scarlett Johansson
Jonah Hex – Megan Fox
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World – Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Red – Dame Helen Mirren
The Green Hornet – Cameron Diaz
So… basically every actress alive has done a comic book movie. And the reason there aren’t any good roles for women has nothing to do with Hollywood decision-making, it’s simply that every actress appeared in a comic book movie. Got it.
Um yeah…I have no idea what I’m supposed to be getting from that list. I think Joli, Kidman, Mirren, Portman and countless others on that list have careers any actor or actress would kill for, post-comic book movie.
They all have very different filmographies and skill sets, and I see no correlation at all with what you’re talking about. Weiz did THE CONSTANT GARDERNER and THE FOUNTAIN, two of her best works, after CONSTANTINE, for instance (which I like too, by the way)…All I’m getting, like mutinyco, is that a lot of people have been in comic book adaptations.
Also a comic book adaptation jump started Diaz’s entire career: THE MASK.
quite a stretch (and unless you want to sound shallow and silly, always put talent before beauty if you must mention appearance – somehow i doubt a list of equivalent male actors would mention looks at all, let alone first and foremost), but ftr kim basinger won an oscar for ‘LA conf’ after her role in ‘batman’
Wow, Mutiny… really nothing remotely having to do with what I wrote… but okay.
The reason there are fewer great roles for women than for men – because the world is not filled with great roles for anyone – is that female-centric films are seen as less commercial. Is this a new concept to you?
But unlike the easy “every actress has been in one”s schtick, use that big brain of yours and tell me, why don’t these films, often very popular, push careers forward?
Perhaps we can say some of the same things about the men in these films. Downey is one of the few who accelerated off of a comic book film.
These roles engender a great deal of excitement. They are seen as big moments in a career. And they are often dead ends.
More than 50 titles here. And yeah, we can all name the 5 or 6 who did well moving forward.
But mostly, I see careers having a moment of mass excitement and then hitting a wall. Why?
I will add her to that short list, Leah.
And it’s a shallow, silly business. None of these women were hired to play “the girl” because they had won an Obie for a performance in a Beckett play.
I was being facetious, Dave…
That list is so large that the term “comic book movie” loses significance. There’s a wide variety of budgets and expectations within that list, and it’s not like those actresses were at equivalent points in their respective careers. What does putting together a list that includes both Halle Berry in Catwoman and Laura Harring in The Punisher tell anybody about anything?
Wasn’t Madonna, not Glenne Headly, the female lead in Dick Tracy? And with all due respect to Ms. Hedly — was she ever likely going to be a movie star?
On the other hand: The fact that Famke Jansen hasn’t become a major star always mystifies me. I wonder if this is a case of, for lack of that one big breakthrough, show-off role…?
It’s just complete, sdp… read into it what you will.
You’re right. Very different animals. And Jolie in Wanted, even more so.
But what I see in it all is that some actresses who were ascendant took supporting roles in these kinds of big, testosterone-driven films and not only didn’t become bigger stars, but were lost in the sauce afterwards.
Perhaps it is a phenomenon of them being hired when they are perceived to have commercial value, meaning 30something, and while these films don’t help, they aren’t really hurting… that awkward too-old-to-be-The-Girl-too-young-to-be-The-Mom moment is just coming anyway.
I made the list because I think it’s an interesting conversation. I feel like in so many cases, this is presented as a big breakout moment… and it ends up being the step before the direct-to-DVD movies.
“And it’s a shallow, silly business. None of these women were hired to play “the girl” because they had won an Obie for a performance in a Beckett play.”
are you sure about that? there are actually several actresses on that list that do not fit the traditional mold of ‘hollywood beauty’, and were very likely hired for what they bring to a role far beyond the superficial. it’s entirely your choice to phrase your comment the way you did, playing neatly into the sexist notion and perpetuating the silly double standard wherein actresses, unlike actors, are valued first and foremost for their looks. don’t be a part of the problem, be a part of the solution. like spike said, do the right thing.
Hollywood has always put a premium on good looking people. There is a definite, unfair over-emphasis on this when it comes to women, but if you go through the men who have led these movies there going to be mostly tradtionally handsome as well. (Whether or not a writer would mention that, Leah, is a good point.)
I think DP mentioned their looks because he thinks the roles they had in the movies were shallow and, hence, didn’t allow the actors to go beyond their attractive surfaces.
I think this discussion makes more sense if you replace “comic book movie” with “big budget action movie”. Also your list is missing Courtney Cox from MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE, who obviously did quite well for herself…
“Hollywood has always put a premium on good looking people”
no, really?
my entire original point was about the mentioning it first and foremost, so i’m glad you think it’s a good point because it was my only point.
(edited t/a: also, how for instance is lori petty’s perf in ‘tank girl’ not being “allowed” to go beyond her attractive surface?)
You have Oscar winners on that list. You have some of the biggest actresses in the world on that list. It’s this sort of shit that just makes you come across as a comic-book film hating jerk.
Leah, that was my topic sentence. Was not supposed to be mind blowing…But yeah, I got what you were getting at.
Oh yeah, as a friend pointed out to this nonsense David posted… these are just the westerns of our age and of course all of these actresses would star in the biggest genre of this generation.
Wouldn’t the more complete, more interesting list include non-comic properties that were also testosterone-driven? I think limiting it to “comic book movies” is fairly arbitrary.
“(edited t/a: also, how for instance is lori petty’s perf in ‘tank girl’ not being “allowed” to go beyond her attractive surface?)”
I was trying to interpret this post. I don’t agree with the thesis. Also, some of these people have such young careers that I don’t see why they’re being listed as some kind of “not pretty” cautionary tale. Moretz, Fox, Winstead, and Saldana are at the beginnings of their (very promising) careers, no?
The truth is, you could go through the same list and make the same argument for the male leads as well…
Christopher Reeve, Sam Jones, Ted Wass, Billy Zane, Brandon Lee, Brandon Routh, Eric Bana, on and on. Even Michael Keaton…
That’s true, Mutiny. Christopher Reeve and Brandon Lee didn’t maintain A-list careers, did they?
Margot Kidder. Like Brigitte Bardo or Waiting for Godo.
Helen Slater had some great opportunities with Ruthless People and Secret of my Success, she just didn’t have the acting chops to keep getting big roles. Kate Bosworth’s career was killed by Superman because she was a bad Lois Lane.
Jennifer Connelly won her Oscar after Rocketeer, so that’s six. Cate Zeta-Jones won hers after Phantom so that’s seven. Not bad. in fact I’m starting to miss whatever point you’re going for. Comic book movies seem good for an actress’s career more often than not.
Does “Dark Man” count as a comic book movie? If it does, Frances McDormand is another subsequent Oscar winner to add to the short list.
Yeah, I’m probably missing the point here too. What would be the point to taking one of these rolls? Wouldn’t their reps look at it like the most convenient way to sorta cash in? Don’t you make the pool movie while you’ve got the chance? I thought horror was the category actresses avoided or told to avoid as career suicide. And while I’d be hesitant to group some of these movies as you’ve done, (I completely get why you’ve done it as you have), I don’t see any of these films as points of negative trajectory from there on on their own. Is there any kind of sense that once an actress is signing on to do one of these films, it’s sorta the signal to the entire industry they’re selling high at that point and we’re ready to move on to the next possible big thing?
I get the myth of posing nude in Playboy to jumpstart a career but this doesn’t seem like a magazine cover jinx. I don’t know if they’re really being sold on “do this, and you’re career will take off to the next level,” though. Certainly with the pub a lot of these films get the talent by extension will see an uptick in notoriety. to me it seems like they’ll never get a chance to get so much for doing so little. And if they don’t do the comic book film it’ll just go down a golden payday opportunity lost.
So basically, you get more roles after starring in a comic book movie and you have like a chance to get an Oscar. WHERE’S THE FUCKING DOWNSIDE TO THIS?
Around the newsroom, we used to have a joke: The definition of a trend — two facts and a reporter on deadline.
And don’t forget Stana Katic, who went from playing a tough cop in THE SPIRIT to playing a tough cop on the hit TV series CASTLE.
it’s funny that femme oriented films are not perceived as as big box office potential, black swan grossed more than the fighter.
And yes, I know the realities. I’m being facetious.
And Jennifer Connolly did she have a major career moment in between Rocketeer and Beautiful Mind?
Interesting that you have Scarlett Johansson for THE SPIRIT and IRON MAN 2, but not the movie that kick-started her entire career…
GHOST WORLD
based on a comic.
Well, the issue came to me as I was hearing talk about Amy Adams in Superman, sdp.
But actually, looking at the Top 50 from the last couple of years, I see a lot more roles working for actresses than I see amongst this genre.
Avatar did make Zoe Saldana. Transformers did make Megan Fox (who has gotten leads off of it). Blind Side and The Proposal did reinvigorate the Bullock franchise. Not so much for McA in Sherlock Holmes. Emma Stone in Zomnbieland. Mia Wasikowska is certainly being pushed along by Alice. K-Stew in Twilight. Portman in Swannie. Jolie in Salt. Etc.
I honestly don’t care about the acting skills or career trajectory of the women on that list.
I just know that 99% of them post mid-90s are SMOKING HOT.
SO HOT. LOOK AT THEM.
Amy Adams is going to make ONE SERIOUSLY BORING Lois Lane. There is one woman perfect for the role, and her name is Kristen Stewart. And if they couldn’t get her, it should have been Emily Browning.
I love Adams as Lois Lane. As opposed to the anorexic skeleton that frowned her way through Superman Returns.
Lois Lane needs to have spunk, moxie, pizzazz, chutzpah! Needs to be the type of dame that wouldn’t instantaneously wilt if Rosalind Russell walked in the door from the paper across the street. Adams will be miles better than Kate Bosworth.
I think you’re logic is a little specious, Mr Poland. You are inferring a cause-effect relationship between an actress’s role in a comic book movie and the stalling of her career. Even just limiting the discussion to films in which these actresses appeared (and ignoring other factors that can affect career trajectory), you need to consider that perhaps it wasn’t just Catwoman that sent Halle Berry into a tailspin, but the cumulative choices of Die Another Day, Gothika, Catwoman etc around that time. I’m using Berry just to illustrate, of course, as you could and should look at any of these actresses’ resumes to see what else they had agreed to star in/did star in at around the same time that might have played a role in their decline/wall-hitting. Otherwise you’re just piling on comic book movies as career killers for no good reason other than to stir things up.
Adams is too old at 36 for Lois Lane considering Henry Cavill’s age.
Terrible choice.
Not as bad as Kate Bosworth, but close.
Tony
How did you justify the title of this post?
No Tony, Cavill is a shit choice and Amy Adams will be one of the only reasons to sit through that movie. Adams saves the movie from horrible Superman casting. She will also out act the hell out of him and that’s what every Superman movie needs.
I don’t have much of an opinion about Cavill. Really only know him from The Tudors. It could work, but the pairing of him and Adams seems questionable. I like many of the performers cast so far, but I’m not sure they’re all right for their respective roles.
Cavill would have made a great Zod. He’s just not Superman. I also don’t get why we have to reboot Superman for a THIRD FREAKING TIME! We know the story, everyone knows the story, and that means Supes should have a movie that starts right away with him being Supes and doing what he does best: saving people’s asses.
Ok, well Dave has already kind of backed off on this and owned up to the poor correlations, here – that list is pretty damn self-defeating when you see how many of those actress at the very least got more high profile roles after their stints in comic book films.
Probably a few cases where it hurt the actress’ career or at least the perception: Famke Jannsen was probably seen as too tall and otherwordly-looking to cast in a conventional dramas. As written, Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane became so grating that I’m sure it hurt her appeal. But realy just a few exceptions.
And really some one said this earlier, but you look at the male stars of those movies and MANY more of their careers absolutely tanked.
Wow, Sam Jones – forgot about him. Judge Dredd was kind of the nail in the coffin for Stallone’s career as a viable action star. Brandon Routh – see Famke Jannsen above. And The Spirit – not sure Gabriel Macht had much of a career ahead of him, but that pretty much killed it.
Heck, look at Tobey Maguire – he had some fantastic stuff BEFORE Spiderman, great character roles in great movies like The Ice Storm, Pleasantville, and Wonder Boys. Post-Spiderman, he had the one big role in Seabiscuit and apparently a very interesting role in Brothers, but what else? He probably made more money in the short-term, but probably hurt his appeal as a viable character actor in the long term.
I think where you’ll find the biggest upside with these kinds of movies are the actors who play the villains. Jack Nicholson pretty much kicked his second round A List work (most of it crap, but still) after playing The Joker in Batman. We all know about Heath Ledger. Ian McKellan and Alfred Molina, who already had journeyman careers to be proud of, have had pretty much non-stop work in big and small movies since their comic book villain stints. For Liam Neeson and Willem Dafoe, it probably wouldn’t have mattered much for their careers, but their plates are ALWAYS full since going the comic book route.
Most extreme example: Flash Gordon.
Wow, that film was almost 30 years ago! The two main leads have either being doing porn or C-list work. But look at Max von-freaking Sidow! Dude is still getting juicy roles this many decades after, positively amazing. I’m not saying playing Ming the Mercilous made his career, but it sure as hell didn’t hurt…..
Wouldn’t the list of up-and-coming actresses who DIDN’T do a comic-movie and had their careers fizzle be just as long, if not much longer?
Geoff, maybe you’re being facetious, but I know of no porn work in post-FLASH GORDON careers of Sam Jones or Melody Anderson. Pre-FLASH either, for that matter, though there have been rumors (unproven, as far as I know) of something in Jones’ past, possibly confused by the existence of FLESH GORDON, which Jones had nothing to do with.
Actually, Anderson hasn’t acted in something like 15 years. She went back to school and became a social worker. I wish she had kept acting, too — she was a cutie.
Anderson was a cutie, for sure! That’s cool that she became a social worker.
I could have sworn I had read about Sam Jones doing porn in the ’90’s – my apologies to Mr. Jones for putting unsubstantiated gossip on this blog about him.:)
Oddly, I made a movie with Melody in the mid-90s. Not porn. But she was stripped and sexed on a kitchen counter by a creepy guy. (Creepy in real life. Enough to send her to social work.)
Memories…
Timothy Dalton and Ornela Muti are every bit as awesome as Von Sydow in Flash Gordon.
For Superman I agree with the age concern, somewhat. I could buy Adams at late 20’s, but Cavil looks he’s 17.
She’s one of my favorite actresses working today, I’m baffled why she’d want to devote a year of her life to this. (Yes, I’m sure the money is good, but you get my drift)
Hallick – The title should have been, “Has being in a comic book movie ever done well by any actress’ career?”
This is, if anything, a waste of the time Ms. Adams could be spending in movies not directed by Zack Snyder.
Knew LexG would chime in about Flash Gordon – definitely the most overtly kinky superhero movie to come out in my lifetime. 🙂 Ornela Muti was super-hot, for sure, and hey, don’t forget about Brian Blessed!
Timothy Dalton was a kick to watch, “Lying BITCH!” Wondering if that kept out of the running for Bond for a few extra years…..
It does seem like Lois Lane would be a waste of time for Amy Adams, but it is perfect casting. Crap movie-otherwise and I haven’t even seen the whole thing, but watching her as Amelia Earhart in the Night at the Museum sequel, there’s no doubt she could pull off this role.
No doubt, she is better casting than Henry Cavill. Why the hell didn’t they go for Matt Bomer? He’s the perfect age and look, really could be Cavill’s older brother. We know he can look sharp in a suit and fedora….jeez, what’s the bias against USA shows from so many folks? Seriously, it is it me or does it seem like Tony Shalhoub is getting less work post-Monk? What gives?
Jeffrey Donovan should be in lots of movies – he kicked ass with his 15 minutes of screentime in Hitch!
Jeffrey Donovan RULES, but come on, the guy is like 135 pounds. He’s always rolling into every scene on THE NOTICE in a SKINTIGHT T-shirt and he’s basically a skeleton in aviator shades. He’d need to pack on like a full hundred– oh, wait, you weren’t suggesting him for Superman, just saying he rules. But, Geoff, what the hell did Gabrielle Anwar do to her face this past season? She was amazingly boner-worthy for most of the early seasons, and blatantly shows her feet CONSTANTLY on that show.
They also shouldn’t have added that new guy to the team. But they make up for it with MATHESON POWER.
Also thank God Paulo Costanzo and Marc Feurstein are stuck in the USA zone so I don’t have to see them crapping up movies anymore.
isn’t matt bomer gay, and that’s why he was deemed unsuitable for the high profile man of steel? i might be thinking of somebody else and have that totally wrong
The IDEAL SUPERMAN would have been THE LORD OF ALL, Sam Worthington. He would be IDEEEEEEEEEEEEEAL.
WORTHINGTON POWER. Coolest dude EVER. EVER.
BOW.
LexG, nice to hear that you’re into THE NOTICE – best show on TV, besides Parks & Recreation. (ADAM SCOTT POWER)
Anwar is super-cute, but she has always had that overtanned look about her, nothing new. See, I know you will never admit, but that’s a HUGE reason why women over 35 in the midwest tend to be much more desirable than those on the West Coast – like men (myself included ;), they tend to age much better without an abundance of sun, year-round. Women out here in Chicago who are in their ’40’s can easily pass for their ’20’s and that’s just not Chicago – could be folks from Wisonsin, Missouri, even more hotties from Michigan than you would think.
But you have Angelenos and actors who do all of their work in LA, just the West Coast in general (have you been to Arizon, lately?) age prematurely – women in their ’40’s LOOK like they are 45 or older. Men, forget about it – everytime I’m in Vegas, I see some white-haired dude with a buzz coat over a bright orange leathery face – dude’s from LA, always! Californica folks get way too much sun and it shows. Not opposed to the leathery look on the right person, but that’s probably EXACTLY the issue with Anwar – she’s lovely, most men on this blog would be lucky to meet her. But I’m guessing she has had to work done to fight the aging/leather process and it’s getting weird. Good tip: just stay out of the sun, more!
As for Donovan, what do you expect? Dude’s a spy and supposed to be a chameleon – does every spy have to look like Vin Diesel, now? Heck, wasn’t the whole joke of XXX, anyways? Donovan is super-cool and I would doubt he’s any less muscular than Matthew McConaghey. Who WAS awesome in The Lincoln Lawyer, by the way. Fantastic movie! Is it me or does it always seem like every March, some low-key indie gem comes along that no one’s expecting much from and it ends up being among the most re-watchable movies to come from that year? I’m thinking The Bank Job, Millions…..The Lincoln Lawyer will be a movie to own, I have a feeling.
And yeah, Matheson – wow, who would have thought he could play such a convincing psychopath? His veins bulging out of his forehead when he’s ranting out Michael Westen about being who “he really is!” Great stuff!
Sorry, Burn Notice just gets me revved up like other pieces of current pop culture – some one should give Matt Nix a shot at directing a second tier action franchise like The A Team and see what he can do.
Even if Bomer’s gay (apparently he is and dating some high profile publicist). Better a gay American Superman than a British Superman!
Bomer and his other have an adopted kid, IIRC. Either way, he’s another pretty-boy softie that makes Chris Reeves look like George Reeves.
Worthington would have been interesting. I assumed Snyder would play it safe and cast Butler. The A&M would have guaranteed a massive opening, but a reboot calls for someone who looks younger.
Re: why a reboot. Copyright. They’re in a box come 2013.
Definitely an interesting post. One reality that I feel many critics overlook is that more often than not actors take jobs for the pay day. We like to think that actors make more conscious, creative decisions when choosing between roles, but a lot of times a pay day is just a pay day. They may try to take on commercial roles that minimize the risk of backlash (in this case, a Christopher Nolan produced megabudget Superman movie seems like a safe bet.)
Another thing people often ignore is how cushy and comfortable these big budget enterprises are for a working actor. A supporting female lead is going to work a couple of days a week, off and on with massive breaks in between for six months and have every expense paid for them. Add in the $25 million pay out (over three movies), and it’s enough to get them to sign on the dotted line. Especially if you’re a new, working mother looking to maximize time with your kid.
Not saying that’s the case here. But it often is, and that calculus seems to rarely get addressed when message boarders rail against actors for jumping the shark with their careers.
I didn’t really know who Matt Bomer was beyond seeing the name floated and knowing he’s done some TV work. So I looked him up; Guess I saw him in that TCM prequel, but more to the point: That’s like the best-looking dude on the planet. That guy makes Brad Pitt look like Burt Young.
So, why is his apparent partner like some pushing-50 type dude who’s way older? If you were some 33-ish gay celebrity, wouldn’t you just want to bang equally hot guys your age or younger? It’s like when Saffron Burrows came out… instead of scissor-grinding some supermodel or It Girl, she was with like old-ass Fiona Shaw or something.
What’s that about?
Like I used to work with a gay dude in his early 20s who had just moved here from the Midwest. But he wasn’t into “good looking” dudes; he wanted an older, father-figure type guy who looked like JASON ALEXANDER because it reminded him of his aloof dad.
at least i wasn’t speaking out of turn re: bomer. and apart from anything else sam w. is way too short to be superman, with heels on i’m taller than him
and here’s the other possibility: actors and actresses take these roles because they’re fun and they want to be involved in and experience the unique thrills and challenges of working on a big action/adventure/comic book/whathaveyou production. variety. never assume you know why people do stuff.
Lex, you want a younger woman right? It seems to work the same way with gay men.
Martin, yeah watch his show. Bomer is anything but soft. Seriously, he can act, looks the part, and he’s not British. He’s a better choice every day of the week over freaking Cavill.
I also get that the copyright is coming up but really, another reboot, is just stupid. There’s no reason for Superman to ever have a freaking reboot.
Matt, you probably just explained the reason why Adams took this role. She has kids, she’s 36, and now she gets paid for three flicks.
IO, your first sentence doesn’t make any sense as a reply to my asking why Saffron Burrows and Matt Bomer, who could PRESUMABLY GET ANYONE, would opt for old-asses.
It’s not just copyright, Leah. They are looking for more franchises, even more since Potter is done. They want it to be another $650m-$800m series.
Superman is about the hardest of the major heroes, since his biggest flaw is being flawless. Where do you go with that?
you go big. read all star superman, or watch the animated direct to dvd flick they did. superman can be awesome when you take off the reigns. it’s when you try to root him in reality that he becomes a boring “god walking among men” messiah complex.
when you give him alien intelligences trying to take over earth or future versions coming back through time to help beat an unstoppable villain… then you get interesting. the best superman stories are giant science fiction epics where superman uses brain and brawn to defeat a world conquering foe. Brainiac, Mongul, Eradicator, Darkseid…
And even then, i think you’re right: Superman is kind of boring as a character compared to his comic book brethren.
DP: ? i don’t know shit from shinola re: superman copyright, i think you mean io
Anghus, you had me til the last sentence. Superman is the most fascinating because… he can do the impossible. He is the one they all look up to and that makes him the one who must be infallible. Sure. Occasionally he decides to walk through the country and cheat at basketball, but he’s the beacon, he’s the light, and if you have someone who can write that worth a shit. You have a good story.
Seriously, Smallville has made entire seasons out of this stuff. Oh, now I know why a reboot is fucking stupid, because 10 YEARS OF SMALLVILLE EXIST! DUH!
Bomer’s soft. It’s not an acting comment. He’s got charm, no question, he’s just another in a line of Leo elven pretty boyz. It’s the male equivalent of the joke about Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball. Instead of fucking Billy Bob, why doesn’t she go become a model?
Re: copyright. WB wasn’t planning on going back to Superman this soon. They wanted a JLA project, then do individual films, but the win by Siegel’s estate changed plans.
It’s an issue about what was established by Siegel/Shuster in Actions Comics 1 and what they created later. The logic, as best I get it, is if they establish a Superman origin that doesn’t rely on certain Siegel/Shuster aspects, they can limit what the Siegel estate can claim from the film’s returns. After 2013, if the estates wanted to move Superman to Disney, they could only take certain parts with them and WB would still have the authority to use whatever assets they still controlled. Trademark law would declare it as market confusion and force one of the two to drop the Superman name. So, theoretically, you could end up with the estates owning the Superman name but have none of his mythology and WB with the mythology surrounding a Superman variant under a different name. What the estates are hoping is that they can gut the core library of characters.
So while I agree WB would love a franchise, they are also keenly aware that this could be a last hurrah for some years. Think of it like Tri-Star’s Godzilla. They plunked xx millions over a decade into development and license fees and at the end, they could have either watched Toho walk away or give it to someone and be done with it. Emmerich was their best chance at a franchise, or large payday, and that’s what WB/Legendary are thinking with Snyder.
I don’t think it’s a coinkydink that Chris Lee, top guy at Legendary, was the shepherd behind Tri-Star’s Godzilla and that we’re seeing the same gameplan for Supes. Hell, he brought Godzilla to Legendary…
…and this is all without getting into the Smallville/Superboy morass which is an extension of the same issue.
You would think that Warners would have bought Twilight or Hunger Games, if they are so fucking Franchise needy. Screwing over male American actors with their DC films (FASSBENDER as freaking BARRY ALLEN? THE FUCK IS THAT SHIT) is just getting tired, but we really are running out of franchises. Sure. there could be more of them out there, but Warners simply lacks the leadership and the foresight not to hit some lean years after TDK-R hits theatres.
Chloe Moretz put her name on the map with Hit Girl in Kick Ass, so in her case it’s a career launching move!
MORETZ POWER.
LITTLE MORETZY = YAY!
I wish I were 15 again.
I have no dog in the Cavill hunt, but remember how all the 007 fans were going bugfuck when Daniel Craig was announced?