Chris Nolan Overseeing New SUPERMAN Film

Warner Bros. has waited long enough and now they’re getting back on the horse… the Superman horse. Was there ever a Super-Horse? We had a dog, Krypto, a chimp, Beppo… I digress.

If you were Warner Bros. and one of your biggest potential money-making properties stinks up the theaters (I am referring to Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, 2006) what would you do? Well, you’d go to the guy who returned a similar franchise from the depths of mockery and turned it into one of the highest grossing of all time. And that’s exactly what Warner has done, by beginning development of a new Superman film, with Christopher Nolan serving as a “mentor” on the project. Whatever that means. He’s not writing the film, nor is he directing, presumably, so I’m not entirely sure what mentoring entails. Producing? Visiting the set? Craft service table? Your guess is as good as mine.

I may sound like a cynic, but I’m not. I think having Nolan involved is better than not having Nolan involved; he is an incredible director, and frankly one of the most interesting visual storytellers working today. It completely makes sense for Warner to want his involvement. Before Batman Begins, DC’s characters weren’t exactly drawing great reception, even compared to Marvel’s stinkers.

While the report – which was broken by Deadline Hollywood’s Nikki Finke and Mike Fleming – has no information on the actual movie (it is in the most infantile of beginnings) it’s fairly certain that this new Superman film will not be a sequel to any of the previous films, or Bryan Singer’s film which did follow the previously established cannon. This will be an entirely new take on the Man of Steel, something that the franchise so desperately needs. That being said, director Bryan Singer and actor Brandon Routh are not completely out of the picture, legally anyways. To be fair I see the odds of their return being slim to none.

I’m excited about a new Superman film franchise. I’ve often poo-pooed the character in discussion, having not really explored or understood the character until recently. I think with the right direction, and if the film is given the proper context, we could have something really special (and really epic) on our hands. The one thing that scares me is the idea of taking the “dark, gritty and realistic” approach, a trend among comic-book superhero films at the moment. In order to translate an amazing Superman film, you can’t stray from the tone and essence of what makes it appeal. That being said, lose the retro-modern kitsch and update the characters. Give me something new, something to sink my teeth into, and something we haven’t seen yet.

It’s a tough formula to come up with; Warner Bros. definitely have a challenge on their hands, but with the right cooks in the kitchen, hopefully we’ll see a valiant ressurection in the near future.

More on the Superman reboot as it develops.