Remember the Superman movie from 2006 starring Brandon Routh? Superman Returns was meant to set up a new trilogy, but they never ended up making a follow-up film. It’s kinda weird considering how much potential the sequel had.
Director Bryan Singer said he wanted to up the stakes in the next one. He hinted at using Darkseid, one of Superman’s most dangerous villains, for a world-ending plot. That would have been epic!
But Superman Returns didn’t actually make as much money as the studio wanted. Plus, Singer got busy with other projects which stalled things. Then the rights to Superman got all tangled up in legal issues too.
Warner Bros. was also worried the sequel would cost too much. They wanted to rein things in budget-wise. So when Brandon Routh’s contract ended a few years later, that was pretty much it for continuing his Superman story.
Christopher Nolan eventually took over to reboot it with Man of Steel in 2013. But you have to wonder how things might have gone down if the Singer sequel happened.
Weirdest of all, famous director Quentin Tarantino is a HUGE fan of Superman Returns. He said he was working on a 20-page review of it! So at least it has a passionate cult following.
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Legal problems, money issues, and busy schedules all played a role. But I still think there could have been an awesome movie in a Superman Returns sequel. It’s a bummer we’ll never get to see Bryan Singer’s vision fully realized.
