I Can Dream, Can't I?
LA Times printed some non-news on Nolan's Superman project:
Basically that he's managing the project, his "long-time collaborator" David Goyer is writing it, and there's pretty much zero chance Batman or any other DC hero will appear in it (after this season, that sounds like a bit of a relief). Rumors of either a Lex Luthor or Brainiac appearance are unconfirmed. The writer did take a stab at learning who might appear and was artfully deflected by Nolan:
"Asked if Superman as a franchise has to overcome a deficiency of truly great villains, unlike, say, Spider-Man and Batman, [Nolan] won’t bite. “That’s a very sly way of asking a question I’m not going to answer.” '
Now, this is something you're probably never going to hear me say again, so mark it on your calendars fan-girls:
I'm not sure I want to see either Lex or Brainiac appear in this movie because in the back of my mind I will always be saying Smallville did it better.
There.
I said it.
Now to clarify: My very vague memories of the Chris Reeves Superman movies are almost all of Gene Hackman's performance: I loved his Lex. So it's not that I'm not open to other possibilities. If they can write him in a fresh way that's not anything like the snide, Kevin Spacey version, I won't be too unhappy. But I'll still be thinking: he's not as sly as MRLex, he's not as subtle as MRLex, he doesn't move like MRLex: HE'S NOT MICHAEL ROSENBAUM'S LEX!
And Brainiac - yeah, I have no hope of seeing James Marsters cast as Brainiac. If Brainiac's in the movie he'll probably be green and alien and have the funky fore-head nodes. Maybe they'll cast someone so awesome I won't care. Maybe they'll cast Ben Kingsley (he's mentioned as a possibility for the Batman movie)!
But I am probably the only person on the planet who'd be excited about a Ben Kingsley Brainiac. And I could be wrong about the green and the fore-head nodes. Nolan seems to favor grittier, more realistic-looking villains, so here's me keeping my fingers crossed.
Unfortunately, the article also doesn't address what's on the tip of every true Superman fan's tongue, which is: Who's in the running to play Chloe Sullivan? I'm guessing Nolan out-slyed Geoff Boucher once again, or he probably would have led the article with that information.
(Sigh. I know. I do. This fantasy world I've built for myself is not healthy. Reality is a one day at a time process for me. For instance, right now I have to squash wild thoughts that someone out there will start a monumental fan campaign that will grow and morph and snowball, leading at last to another prop shout-out! Or to some blonde extra at the Planet being chewed out by Perry!
That's not so fantastic, is it?
Anyone know if Nolan's on twitter?)
Basically that he's managing the project, his "long-time collaborator" David Goyer is writing it, and there's pretty much zero chance Batman or any other DC hero will appear in it (after this season, that sounds like a bit of a relief). Rumors of either a Lex Luthor or Brainiac appearance are unconfirmed. The writer did take a stab at learning who might appear and was artfully deflected by Nolan:
"Asked if Superman as a franchise has to overcome a deficiency of truly great villains, unlike, say, Spider-Man and Batman, [Nolan] won’t bite. “That’s a very sly way of asking a question I’m not going to answer.” '
Now, this is something you're probably never going to hear me say again, so mark it on your calendars fan-girls:
I'm not sure I want to see either Lex or Brainiac appear in this movie because in the back of my mind I will always be saying Smallville did it better.
There.
I said it.
Now to clarify: My very vague memories of the Chris Reeves Superman movies are almost all of Gene Hackman's performance: I loved his Lex. So it's not that I'm not open to other possibilities. If they can write him in a fresh way that's not anything like the snide, Kevin Spacey version, I won't be too unhappy. But I'll still be thinking: he's not as sly as MRLex, he's not as subtle as MRLex, he doesn't move like MRLex: HE'S NOT MICHAEL ROSENBAUM'S LEX!
And Brainiac - yeah, I have no hope of seeing James Marsters cast as Brainiac. If Brainiac's in the movie he'll probably be green and alien and have the funky fore-head nodes. Maybe they'll cast someone so awesome I won't care. Maybe they'll cast Ben Kingsley (he's mentioned as a possibility for the Batman movie)!
But I am probably the only person on the planet who'd be excited about a Ben Kingsley Brainiac. And I could be wrong about the green and the fore-head nodes. Nolan seems to favor grittier, more realistic-looking villains, so here's me keeping my fingers crossed.
Unfortunately, the article also doesn't address what's on the tip of every true Superman fan's tongue, which is: Who's in the running to play Chloe Sullivan? I'm guessing Nolan out-slyed Geoff Boucher once again, or he probably would have led the article with that information.
(Sigh. I know. I do. This fantasy world I've built for myself is not healthy. Reality is a one day at a time process for me. For instance, right now I have to squash wild thoughts that someone out there will start a monumental fan campaign that will grow and morph and snowball, leading at last to another prop shout-out! Or to some blonde extra at the Planet being chewed out by Perry!
That's not so fantastic, is it?
Anyone know if Nolan's on twitter?)