IESB.net spoke to Brandon Routh about Superman being a darker character in the next Superman film and this is what he had to say:
“I don’t know, I don’t think the character necessarily has to be darker, I think he is kind of dark in a sense, emotional dark, in Superman Returns, and the movie as a whole was slightly dark, they could have had more prowess in it I suppose, and I think that’s one thing that can be done in the sequel, so I don’t know how much darker you want to make it necessarily. You make the stakes higher, you make the villain darker, I think that’s a way to do it. But I don’t think Superman himself needs to be darker. He definitely has to struggle, how does Superman be a part of the world? And does he have to make sacrifices to be a part of that world? To fit in and what purpose does he really play in the world? Those are all kind of dark places to explore. But, I don’t think Superman should ever be dark and brooding, that’s not is nature. And that’s now what people what to see. Like Brainiac or something like that, a situation when the villain is…”
Bravo Mr Routh gets it, now if only the powers that be would relise that The Dark Knight worked as a darker film simply because that is the essence of the Batman world and character. Â To say that darker will work with other characters is simplistic at best, and downright stupid moneygrubbing mentality at its worst. Â Oh Batman was dark and he made a lot of money, lets make everyone darker.
How about you just write the best story for the character and treat the film like you would one going for an Academy Award. Â These are important iconic characters that have a place in fine film (of course lets not remember that film is a fun medium too).
Oh the names of the people I get through here :), I have a suspicion that ‘Capt.’ Incredible is not really a Captain at all, I mean he does defend Neptune and all but would they really get a Captain? Â Maybe a Commander…
At any rate he’s been a welcome addition on the blogroll for quite a while now and it’s always a pleasure to talk comics with Captain Incredible…
Favourite regular series right Now? Daredevil
Comic book character you only recently discovered/started reading? Captain America
If you could draw/write one character who would it be? Batman
Are you a fan of the big multi issue crossover extravaganzas? Not a fan of crossovers - leastways, not on the scale we see these days.
Last comic book series that you dropped and why? Trinity - the second story was starting to drive me nuts. You could say it was in the cards.
Favourite character? Batman
Are you a DC or a Marvel? About 70-30 DC.
Do you remember your first comic/series? Batman - sometime in 1968 or so - my dad bought it for me because we both liked to watch the TV show. I’ve been hooked ever since.
Is Watchmen the movie going to be as good as the comic book? I hope so.
Favourite comic book movie? Iron Man.
Worst comic book movie? LXG (I haven’t seen Catwoman).
Character you’d like to see in a movie? Green Lantern (Hal Jordan).
I think this is my favourite top five list so far because it gave me the chance to reminisce on what I think are absolute little comic book movie gems.
The Stan Lee cameo.
Forget anything else but above all Stan Lee is a living treasure/legend/icon. Â The man is responsible for some of the greatest comic book characters ever. Â Nuff said
Fantastic Four - There are a couple of reasons why I like this cameo so much, for one thing it is a speaking role and is not too much out of place and secondly it’s based on an actual character! Â Willie Lumpkin postal worker, whom Stan helped create. Â It is just a real treat for me as a comic book fan and I’m reminded of the character’s appearance in the Marvel Onslaught comic.
Spider-man - Stan saves a little girl from being crushed by some falling concrete and bricks during one of the fight scenes. Â It’s a cool scene simple because Stan shows us that one man can make a difference and be a hero - he also repeats the act in the sequel.
Daredevil - Â A young Matt Murdock saves a man in the street with his face stuck in the newspaper from stepping out into the traffic. Â It’s a nicely shot scene and not overdone which is what can happen in some cameos.
Incredible Hulk - It is of course a tradition now to spot Stan and I had a huge grin on my face as he is the ‘old guy’ who has a brush with gamma irradiated sports-drink, again a nicely shot cameo.
Heroes - Ok it’s not a Marvel film, it’s not even a film but the brilliant, brilliant Heroes season one (did I mention it is brilliant?) knows where its origins lay. Â I almost jumped out of my seat when Hiro goes to board a bus and who happens to be the driver and has lines!? Stan the Man. Â It should be mentioned another homage in that series that made me very warm inside. Â The Kirby plaza.
Now there are other cameos that are cool like his appearance in Mallrats and there are some that are simply background shots such as X-Men (he’s either selling hotdogs on the beach or eating them in the background anyway). Â There is a really bizarre appearance too, one that I didn’t know, one I wish I didn’t know, The Princess Diaries 2:
Just to wash that out of your mind I also have a montage someone put together and the Heroes scene:
Forget that I’m a huge Iron Man fan, forget that I’ve been waiting for this film for almost fifteen years, forget that it was with every fibre of my being that I wanted this film to be good.
Forget all of that and know one truth.
Iron Man is awesome.
That is the simple truth.
Thank you Robert Downey Jr for being Tony Stark, he is fantastic, he captures the essence of the 45 years worth of Stark. Â The hints at alcoholism, the arrogance, the noble side, it’s all there in his wonderful performance.
The amazing Iron Man references that are there only for the fans and add to the rich tapestry the director Jon Favreau has woven were greatly appreciated. Â Oh yeah they use the Iron Man theme from the 60s in a very cool way, look out for it!
The effects look fantastic and the suit that we’ve all already seen looks magestic and awesome on the big screen. Â But the best part is that it isn’t about the special effects or the cool armour, it’s about Tony Stark the man and the changes that he goes through. Â There’s an actual storyline and it is adapted from the comic book storylines really well.
I’m trying desperately not to give anything away, it’s the best comic book movie that I’ve seen and the worst part is I have to wait a couple of years for the sequel. Â Other neat points without giving any spoilers is that there is a nod to War Machine and the armour gets scratched like it would in reality which is a very nice touch.
Actually the whole way that we see Stark develop the armour adds an element of plausibility that actually makes an origin film enjoyable for a change.
Phew, sorry this post isn’t more coherent, still trying to order my thoughts from the whole thing.
Thank you Robert Downey Jr for being Tony Stark, he is fantastic, he captures the essence of the 45 years worth of Stark. Â The hints at alcoholism, the arrogance, the noble side, it’s all there in his wonderful performance.
