Has the plot to the Zack Snyder Superman movie been revealed? It’s already been rumored that Clark Kent would be traveling the world as a young reporter – which kind of contradicts the 28 to 32 age that has been bandied about, but whatever…
The movie description goes on to say that Kent is forced into the role of Superman to track down an assassin, instead of reporting on an ethnic conflict between two tribes in West Africa. Clark returns to Smallville to discover just what’s up with his powers and his “secret origins”.
UPDATE: Someone mentioned that this sounds a lot like Superman: Birthright. It does…doesn’t it?
The story begins with a retelling of the destruction of planet Krypton. Jor-El laments the fact that his world accomplished “miracles no one will remember” while he is busy preparing infant Kal-El’s voyage. Kal-El’s shuttle pod fires into space moments before the planet’s destruction. Jor-El and his wife Lara regret that they will never know if Kal-El survives the journey.
Time winds forward to present day West Africa, where an ethnic conflict between the fictional Ghuri and Turaaba clans is claiming lives (this conflict is very reminiscent of the Hutu and Tutsi wars in Rwanda). Clark Kent, a freelance reporter in his early twenties, arrives to cover the conflict, and to meet with the Ghuri representative and activist, Kobe Asuru. Later, Clark interviews the Turaaba representative Mr. Kebile who dislikes Kobe and opposes Ghuri rights. While protecting Kobe’s sister Abana from a thrown bomb, he hears a commotion and speeds back to the rally where Kobe has already been stabbed. Enraged, Clark grabs the fleeing assassin and throws him into a wall, demanding to know who hired him. The terrified killer raises his arm—pointing directly at Rep. Kebile, who is incidentally surrounded by media. Kebile is besieged with questions and is later forced to resign.
Clark returns to Smallville, determined to learn more about his alien heritage. He tells his mother Martha that he wants to unearth his spaceship. He and Martha use the data tablet that came with Clark from Krypton to examine holographic records of Kryptonian history. Clark realizes the S insignia had great significance on Krypton and seemed to symbolize the Kryptonians’ hope for a better tomorrow. He refuses to wear a mask while taking flight. Martha’s solution is that only Clark’s human half requires a disguise. She dresses him in professional, nerdy attire that stands apart from his usual look and gives him prescription glasses to wear. She promises they will refract light so no one will notice his startling blue eyes (which would otherwise give him away). Clark learns to slouch and act nervous and clumsy, to distance his civilian identity from tall, self-assertive Superman.
David Goyer penned the script that will be directed by Zack Snyder and should begin shooting in June.
So, what do you think? This of course could all be a dummy setup for the real plot, which wouldn’t be a total surprise as companies have done this in the past to cover up the real deal.
13 Comments
Sounds vaguely like the Superman: Birthright story from a few years back which, honestly, I thought was the route they should’ve gone for restarting the film franchise anyway.
Sound good, better then Superman returns, then again what doesn’t.
It really does sound like Birthright. I liked that story, and never cared for it being totally written out in favor for Johns’ version. Well if this does turn out to be the jist of the story I am okay with it. As long as the tribes don’t have giants with weird piercings or fat men with blades for hands.
What!!!! origin story again! NOOOOOOOOO
Hi five to tea!
Writers need to stop trying to leave their skid marks on the origins of characters and just give us a “good” story that tells us something about the character of the … um … character.
We do not need to reboot ever five years and make fans all bristly. It would then be another installment in the characters legend, like a trade paperback one might say. Origin story is DVD extra, opening credit montage, or quick flashback material.
I closing, I hope this rumor is bunk.
What? I happened to LIKE Superman Returns! It was a heck of a lot better than the last few Christopher Reeves Superman movies, not to mention that dreadful Supergirl Movie. Personally, I hope they don’t do the Birthright story, which I have read and struck me as a lame attempt to make Superman relevant to the real world.
Yeah, Superman: Birthright was kinda boring and as origin reboots go, it was like an awkward confession on a first date. Moving along…
I like Superman Returns also, but I’m definitely ok with a reboot for the franchise. I just hope that this Superman Birthright adaption is not the direction they are going. That series was a poor revamp of the origin and one I thought DC had abandoned following Geoff Johns’ Superman Secret Origin. Maybe Warner Brothers should have pursued Mark Millar’s treatment.
Now, if that lead to setting up of Darkseid as the villain of the next movie, I could buy into it. Toss in a parademon or two…
SUUUCCCCKKKKKKSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!
If this is, indeed, the route they go, I think it’s going to be as a transition of “Smallville” from the small-screen Superman franchise to a continuation of it as the big-screen franchise as, essentially, Birthright seemed to be an effort to bridge the gap between Smallville and regular Superman continuity.
And, as Smallville has, thus far, been one of the more successful ventures in bringing Superman to the mass market, I can understand why that might be the route Warner Bros. wants to take.
Once again Superman has no one to punch, I want to see Superman throw down with someone like Zod! Mind you months ago they said that they choose the script that was most complete (rather than the one that would need a rewrite and thus time) due to time constraints, if they didnt start production soon they would loose the rights to the film.
So what we are getting is a movie that is already starting out on a bad foot.
I want to see Metropolis encased in an electric blue translucent jar, like what was done to Kandor, with Lois on the inside and Clark on the outside seconds after Clark proposes to Lois.
I want to see mass panic as little drones rain havoc on the people outside of the jar who are being rounded up to be collected.
I want to see Clark mouth to Lois through the jar wall “I’ll find a way to save you.” I want to see Lois mouth back “I know.” I want to see Clark tear his shirt open to reveal the suit underneath. I want to see Lois give a tearful smile and nod back.
I want to see the jar float up to giant space ship obscured by dark clouds.
Then I want to be told I have to wait a year to see it in the theater.
I would loose my shit.
I guess I’ll have to wait until I learn how to either draw or make really good home movies.