Millar Talks Superman Reboot and Kickass Budget

Mark Millar, comic book writer extraordinare, had an interview with G4 that offered up some insight into his plans for writing a Superman movie as well as some news about KickAss.

/Film quotes Millar:

“I’ve had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a big Lord of the Rings epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. And hopefully release them one year after another,” continued Millar. “If it works out, we’ll have to start shooting next summer.”

I do have a lot of faith in a comic book writer being put in charge of a comic book movie.

Especially when he sets his goals this lofty. Some might be nervous about someone plotting a story this big, but honestly as much as I like the majority of the previous generation of Superman movies, I am really curious about a reboot. Millar is just the guy for it.

I doubt that Millar will come up with something that will be distant from the Superman tale and he will be a good fit for a remastering of the franchise. When Marvel Comics decided to reboot their universe in a parallel version called Marvel Ultimates, he was responsible for penning the first 33 issues of Ultimate XMen as well as helping out with writing Ultimate Fantastic Four. I am also a big fan of his less than mainstream works such as the Authority.

With such a vast and clean slate ahead of him, I wonder if he would be so bold as to chronicle the whole story of the Death and Life of Superman. I could see it in an Epic Superman film with Doomsday taking him out in the first chapter. A tragic and epic heroic tale of DC’s most noble hero taking down the toughest threat Earth has ever seen. Then in a second chapter, we have the 4 Supermen, they can have their own story shrouded in mystery as they all claim to be Superman reborn. Then one last chapter with Superman actually returning to redeem his name and face off against the Superman replacement that had plans to take over the world in the name of Krypton’s Last Son.

Cue John Williams soundtrack. As much as I like Luthor as an opposition, I honestly don’t need another movie with him as the main villain. Let him be in this plotting on the side. Likely in real estate.

His adaptation of Kickass (also a comic he wrote) is on its way to the big screen as well and with an impressive $30million budget, hopes are high. But later in the above article, Millar brags that it is more like $70million which ironicly gives me flashbacks of Superman Returns and I have only to wonder just what that kind of money hopes to buy? $30m was already a LOT for a movie of this degree of buzz, but over double that? I just don’t know.

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17 thoughts on “Millar Talks Superman Reboot and Kickass Budget

  1. Its an easy mistake Darren. We all want Superman to be KickAss, but I had to try and talk about the Kickass Graphic novel as well. lol

    I like Millar’s writing. He gets comics, and he gets superheroes. I look forward to seeing what happens here.

  2. Great!!! AT last we’ve got something good to look forward to……but hey, the thing about doomsday, isn’t that a little too predictable, and a bit too fanboy oriented? we’ve seen that storyline before on dvd, and in the comics, and i think Millar is too talented to do something that predictable and boring, making a rehash of what’s already benn done and known. I hate it when i know how a movie’s gonna end before i even see it. except for special cases of course. and a Superman movie is just too special to be that kind of a special case.

  3. @Mr. Chris:
    “which was supposed to reboot the story from “Superman II,” while we’re supposed to ignore “III” and “IV” ever happened”

    “Superman Returns” wasn’t a reboot. It’s called a retcon. It’s when sequels to films change or contradict minor plot points or ignores events of a film or two.

    ****

    Aside from the idea of Superkid (or the kid getting his power boost from an special inhaler) and the way Lois was written -and cast- it escapes me why *everyone* on the WB end wants to wipe the slate clean. I understand the criticisms of the film, but I’m getting a little sick and tired of rebooting just because the previous film wasn’t “perfect”. Getting a “perfect” film in everyone’s mindset is a tough thing to do.

    I am equally perplexed on the heaps of praise on the overrated Millar; it seems strange to me that we all bitch about Marvel’s Ultimates brand crossing over into films-such as a Galactus storm cloud made of nanobites- stuff Millar helped introduce. Now he’s an uber genius.

    Excuse me while I search for the barf bag.

    “Kickass budget”
    Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Define that for me and then quote the Superman Returns budget to me without marketing and distrubution. I’d say THAT had a “kick ass” budget. Hell, like it or love it, SR’s production tags kicked a lot of folks in the ass.

    I agree that the bad guy in the next Supes film should not be Lex, but Bizarro or Metallo, Darksied, Parasite…I wouldn’t mind a nod to Lex, but granted, bad reboot or not, he should step out for a bit. (Heck, even make him the Leader of LOD when the JLA film is ready five to ten yrs from now)

    I want Millar nowhere near this.

  4. Sounds pretty good, As long as we aren’t watching another Lex Luthor villain movie I can deal with the reboot. I am optimistic that this could be great with Millar behind the project. I would really like to see Millar add Kevin Smith to his team since Kevin is a big Superman fan and I think he could really lend his creative talent to the project. It wont happen, I am just thinking out loud and making wishes! lol

    Did you just see that shooting star?

  5. I’m pretty sure Millar’s reboot won’t be recycling storylines like the Doomsday death and Reign of the 4 Supermen. If he’s this passionate about the project and been working on it for 10 years, there’s no way he intends to make some multi-film story that would for all purposes be a streamlined retelling of Superman comics from the 1990s. So I wouldn’t geek out just yet over an Eradicator story. Millar no doubt has something more original in mind.

  6. Ah, I can see you’ve read the ‘Reign of the Supermen’ trilogy top to bottom sir; as have I. I’ve also just finished reading ‘Superman: Last Son’ which was the storey Richard Donner wrote with Geoff Johns and all the time I was reading it, I just thought that it was the movie Superman Returns should have been (even though I love that film warts and all).

    I am a huge Superman fan but I’ve decided that I don’t care who makes the next film, how they do it, or where they take it; JUST MAKE IT. I don’t even care if you abandon the John Williams theme (a distinct possibility if its a complete re-start me thinks), just get Superman back on the screen as a living, breathing franchise. He does not deserve to be in limbo for another ten years while WB makes up their mind what to do.

  7. Eradicator was in Kevin Smith’s script for his Superman film…

    I really want to see Eradicator, Doomsday, Bizzarro, and maybe Mongul…Mongul would be pretty sweet…and then throw in smaller, lesser known villians like they’ve done in Batman…I also would like to see some overlap in the DC Universe…not a lot, not like a Justice League style thing, but have side characters, or hints at character’s in the movies…just an idea. Similar to how they hinted at Captain America in The Incredible Hulk…

  8. So we’ve got a new Superman trilogy coming out that completely ignores “Returns,” which was supposed to reboot the story from “Superman II,” while we’re supposed to ignore “III” and “IV” ever happened.

    *head explodes*

    Well, at least it’s Millar.

  9. ultimate x-men and ultimate F4 was absolutetely awfull. although ultimate spiderman was amazingly enjoyable

    and oh yes. i think we all agree with you that we dont need another movie with lex in it…bizzarro maybe or mongul!!!!

    eridicatore is also kinda cool (But lame..)

    my fav superman villain of all time however has been metalloh sinse..ever. i know that would be a sick movie.
    cmon..metalloh against supe?

  10. Your idea for the three chapters of Superman films, is really solid. Granted, the films would be pretty long, but if you have a similar opening to the most recent Hulk film, the backstory is pretty much set, with maybe a little bit at the begining. Maybe Chapter 1 would be Superman, maybe fighting…Brainiac…and then at the end, you would see Doomsday…Chapter 2 would be the death of Superman, and end with the 4 Supermen, and then the final film could be the 2 hour 45 minute – 3 hour epic film, with the return of Superman and then defeating the said phony Superman (a stronger Bizaro maybe?) or Doomsday…

    I think the main flaw with The Dark Knight was it’s length, but that’s due to it’s insane ambition…I only hope more films could have that complaint…this is a perfect series to have epic films. Superman is an epic hero with an interesting story arc in comics. Millar has me really hyped about the reboot…

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