A vision for how they should have adapted DC Comics heroes in the 2000

[Airwings]

Back in August 2005, the string of new DC adaptions got its first sequel.
The character is the third most successful so far. The first film's numbers made a second one possible.
It's time to pick up that bow and arrow again.

This time, Black Canary is there from start. She didn't get her cry before the final scenes in the previous. This could be seen as the first DC superhero duo in the new millenium.

Cruise tried to get Brian De Palma again. Maybe the director would have changed his mind because Green Arrow had made it big last time. But no, it wasn't enough. It's still some way to go before the genre can be accepted, even the more serious characters like Green Arrow.
But actors like being in this kind of films. It's evident from the last few ones.
It gives them exposure and sometimes it's a challenge to play these roles. It's also fun to be a part of this.
Doing action scenes is demanding and the sequel have plenty.

Like last time, it's an MGM film under the Orion banner.
Both companies were satisfied with the cast.

Green Arrow 2: The Emerald Archer (Orion, 2005)

Directed by John McTiernan
Written by Andrew Bergman, Eric Luke, Willard Huyck, Jonathan Lemkin
Music by John Barry (incl new arrangement of Kamen’s main theme)
Costume design: Robert Blackman

Oliver Queen/Green Arrow: Ewan McGregor
Dinah Drake/Black Canary: Franka Potente

Clock King: Tom Berenger
Ra’s Al Ghul: Ray Liotta

Roy Harper/Speedy: Austin O'Brien (Kartheiser from the first film felt he had grown out of the role)

Originally, Brad Renfro had been cast for the sequel. Orion felt that he was suited for portraying Harper's personal issues
It caused problems because the actor was on a downward spiral. Harper is too big of a character here to let this continue. They needed to recast the role.
Since Johnny Depp had been a favorite for an Academy Award for his Batman (he lost to Sean Penn), maybe they could get someone with good talent here.
Golden Globe nominee Kieran Culkin was approached but he wanted to focus on stage work at that point.

UPDATE: Paul Hogan cameos as an Australian business leader who visits Star City and meets Oliver.
Ryan O'Neal as the mayor of Star City

 

[Airwings]

I think you're probably right in that fans would backlash and say , " Edward Scissor hands is Batman?!".In the end though, I think Depp would have proved doubters wrong .

I also really dig Ken Adams work from The Spy Who loved me and I think he could make a great Batcave and even a legion of doom lair.

And people here backlash when I've picked Depp for Bruce Wayne. Nobody could imagine themselves taking it seriously in this day..
2003 was a different time and it would've worked for a darker film. Too bad it never happened.

Ken Adam is an incredible designer. It would also be interesting to see him create Black Widow's base.
The result would be impressive, but perhaps not very scary.

 

[Airwings]

The last film of 2005 is also a sequel.
It's been five years since Man of Steel was re-invented for the big screen.

Cruise had decided to leave the role and stay behind the camera. He wanted to focus on only one of his characters, Ethan Hunt, and keep evolving the M:I franchise. It would be too time consuming to do both.
Superman could survive without him.

He remained involved to a degree. Superman was one of his heart projects.
The character had regained his status as an icon and was now an active part of contemporary pop culture again. He's worthy of a director that can lift the "Superman mythos" up on the big screen. The same applies to the composer. A classic orchestral sound was wanted.

Zemeckis, Spielberg and Ron Howard were eyed for this. They are the right kind of directors.
As last time, Spielberg had not much interest and suggested another project for Cruise.
Zemeckis only did animated films by then. He said there have been too many Superman adaptions and it has become boring. So he went on to make A Christmas Carol instead.
Howard felt too busy with a couple of other projects, ("maybe another time").

This time, the story is set around New Year's Eve. The threats are no longer Earth-based but of cosmic origin.
As a gift to comic book fans, there was a Supergirl easter egg hidden in the film

Cruise looked through the old Burton/Smith scripts and decided to include one idea:
*Superman loses his powers during the film and has to build a power suit with Kryptonian technology.
He liked the possible title Superman Lives too. They went with that to point out that Superman indeed could live on with another actor.

Then who was the lucky guy?
An Aussie actor named Hugh Jackman, somewhat known for being a musical man. Because X-Men never happened in this altered reality.
Jackman could also do more serious acting, like in Swordfish.
He had played a monster hunter in a pretty bad 2004 film and there was a risk this knowledge could bring bad vibes to him playing Superman. In his defense, he was cast as Supes before Van Helsing was released.

The whole cast was pretty much changed. But it's the same continuity.
Warner Brothers knew about the talks that James Bond is going to be rebooted. They made sure to get the Lex Luthor actor to do a cameo and also include some other references to the first film.
This is not a reboot, it's the same Superman.
Just like three different actors played Batman in the 1990s.

It's no longer the suit from the Fleischer cartoons. Superman should have his real suit this time.
To upgrade it from previous film, they looked for some inspiration. Some basic ideas to start from.

Then there were those pics of Cage donning the costume. That look was in fact very good. The design, the same kind of shiny material and the same vibrant colors, was a big influence for the film. That's how a 2000s Superman should look!!!

The hired costumer designer was told to do something very similar as above but also to alter it in some other ways too.
For instance, they should darken the red in a certain red-burgundy shade to have it more fantasy-like. Like the dress jacket here

Kal-El is also given a set of regular Kryptonian clothing in the film which he wears at Fortress of Solitude, when out of costume. It could be similar to this.

A certain cosmic wild west esque villain appears, and he's also altered in a certain way. It would be a strange combination, but imagine a typical cowboy outfit tweaked towards something like this

And last, the power suit is also from when Cage was involved with Superman.
You know, the transparent glowing disco one. A new similar one was created, with enough differences to avoid getting sued for stealing designs.

Now, could they actually get Cage in the film? A villain role maybe?
Let's see

Superman Lives (Warner Brothers, 2005)

Directed by Barry Levinson (luckily, he was available and willing)
Produced by Kathleen Kennedy
Written by John Sayles, Mark Rosenthal, Michael Piller, Herman Wiegel

Music by Bill Conti (incl re-arr of Bernstein’s main theme)

Costume design: Diemut Remy, Robert Fletcher (consult only)
Set designs: Harold Michelson, Richard Reams

Clark Kent/Kal-El: Hugh Jackman
Lois Lane: Kate Beckinsale
Perry White: Craig T Nelson
Jimmy Olsen: Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Mister Mxyzptlk: Richard Dreyfuss
Terra-Man: Patrick Swayze

Cameos
Lex Luthor: Kyle MacLachlan
Mayor of Metropolis: Steve Guttenberg
President of United States: Richard Chamberlain

 

[Airwings]

Set design ideas for Superman Lives

Fortress of Solitude, where Kal-El learns about Krypton

View on Krypton

 

[Airwings]

Highest grossing films 2005, in my reality.
(every real-world DC/Marvel film is never made, including Constantine)

1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
4. War of the Worlds
5. Superman Lives
6. King Kong
7. Madagascar
8. Mr. & Mrs. Smith
9. Green Arrow: The Emerald Archer
10. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
11. Hitch
12. Chicken Little
13. Wedding Crashers
14. Robots
15. Star-Spangled Heroes
16. Flightplan
17. Kingdom of Heaven
18. Zatanna
19. Fun with Dick and Jane
20. The Pacifier

 

[Frodo]

The last film of 2005 is also a sequel.
It's been five years since Man of Steel was re-invented for the big screen.

Cruise had decided to leave the role and stay behind the camera. He wanted to focus on only one of his characters, Ethan Hunt, and keep evolving the M:I franchise. It would be too time consuming to do both.
Superman could survive without him.

He remained involved to a degree. Superman was one of his heart projects.
The character had regained his status as an icon and was now an active part of contemporary pop culture again. He's worthy of a director that can lift the "Superman mythos" up on the big screen. The same applies to the composer. A classic orchestral sound was wanted.

Zemeckis, Spielberg and Ron Howard were eyed for this. They are the right kind of directors.
As last time, Spielberg had not much interest and suggested another project for Cruise.
Zemeckis only did animated films by then. He said there have been too many Superman adaptions and it has become boring. So he went on to make A Christmas Carol instead.
Howard felt too busy with a couple of other projects, ("maybe another time").

This time, the story is set around New Year's Eve. The threats are no longer Earth-based but of cosmic origin.
As a gift to comic book fans, there was a Supergirl easter egg hidden in the film

Cruise looked through the old Burton/Smith scripts and decided to include one idea:
*Superman loses his powers during the film and has to build a power suit with Kryptonian technology.
He liked the possible title Superman Lives too. They went with that to point out that Superman indeed could live on with another actor.

Then who was the lucky guy?
An Aussie actor named Hugh Jackman, somewhat known for being a musical man. Because X-Men never happened in this altered reality.
Jackman could also do more serious acting, like in Swordfish.
He had played a monster hunter in a pretty bad 2004 film and there was a risk this knowledge could bring bad vibes to him playing Superman. In his defense, he was cast as Supes before Van Helsing was released.

The whole cast was pretty much changed. But it's the same continuity.
Warner Brothers knew about the talks that James Bond is going to be rebooted. They made sure to get the Lex Luthor actor to do a cameo and also include some other references to the first film.
This is not a reboot, it's the same Superman.
Just like three different actors played Batman in the 1990s.

It's no longer the suit from the Fleischer cartoons. Superman should have his real suit this time.
To upgrade it from previous film, they looked for some inspiration. Some basic ideas to start from.

Then there were those pics of Cage donning the costume. That look was in fact very good. The design, the same kind of shiny material and the same vibrant colors, was a big influence for the film. That's how a 2000s Superman should look!!!

The hired costumer designer was told to do something very similar as above but also to alter it in some other ways too.
For instance, they should darken the red in a certain red-burgundy shade to have it more fantasy-like. Like the dress jacket here

Kal-El is also given a set of regular Kryptonian clothing in the film which he wears at Fortress of Solitude, when out of costume. It could be similar to this.

A certain cosmic wild west esque villain appears, and he's also altered in a certain way. It would be a strange combination, but imagine a typical cowboy outfit tweaked towards something like this

And last, the power suit is also from when Cage was involved with Superman.
You know, the transparent glowing disco one. A new similar one was created, with enough differences to avoid getting sued for stealing designs.

Now, could they actually get Cage in the film? A villain role maybe?
Let's see

Superman Lives (Warner Brothers, 2005)

Directed by Barry Levinson (luckily, he was available and willing)
Produced by Kathleen Kennedy
Written by John Sayles, Mark Rosenthal, Michael Piller, Herman Wiegel

Music by Bill Conti (incl re-arr of Bernstein’s main theme)

Costume design: Diemut Remy, Robert Fletcher (consult only)
Set designs: Harold Michelson, Richard Reams

Clark Kent/Kal-El: Hugh Jackman
Lois Lane: Kate Beckinsale
Perry White: Craig T Nelson
Jimmy Olsen: Jonathan Taylor Thomas
Mister Mxyzptlk: Richard Dreyfuss
Terra-Man: Patrick Swayze

Cameos
Lex Luthor: Kyle MacLachlan
Mayor of Metropolis: Steve Guttenberg
President of United States: Richard Chamberlain

Interesting cast !

I actually think Jackman could pull of the Clark Kent/ Superman role with ease. I could totally see Jackman play a more mild mannered and shy, but good hearted Clark Kent while also playing an older regal , noble Superman.

The latter pic is from an SNL sketch since I couldn't find any manips of Jackman as Superman.

I thought his name was rumored for the Superman role during the production of SR , but it obviously didn't come to be.

I liked the sets you chose as well.

 

[Airwings]

Interesting cast !

I actually think Jackman could pull of the Clark Kent/ Superman role with ease. I could totally see Jackman play a more mild mannered and shy, but good hearted Clark Kent while also playing an older regal , noble Superman.

The latter pic is from an SNL sketch since I couldn't find any manips of Jackman as Superman.

I thought his name was rumored for the Superman role during the production of SR , but it obviously didn't come to be.

I liked the sets you chose as well.

Thanks. I had to make an effort to find a good replacement for Cruise
That pic you found of him in costume is GREAT!!!!

To get just the right actors for each of the characters is crucial, and I hope I succeed for every film.

I wanted the sets to be inspired by old sci fi, hehe, and it's even the same designer here.

Btw, what do you think about all these cameos?
There are so many of them. I also added John Ritter to the first Superman after you've already read it.

 

[Airwings]

Cruise tried to get a Vixen film happen because of her relation to magic, but she was too obscure of a character. He kinda ran into a wall there. No worries though, there are others to adapt.

This time it's from the same studio as the Atom film. It was bought by Paramount almost right after the release of the film I will describe below.

Who's the hero this time?

I can reveal that the character is a Swedish descendant in the film and it's explained as the reason behind the colors of the costume.

Dr Fate it is, then

The film opens with archeologist and adventurer Sven Nelson and his son Kent at an archaeological excavation in Mesopotamia, sometime during late 1970s
The father gets exposed to a lethal gas.
Heartbreaking, teary death scene follows
The boy is all alone but is taken care of by a local deity who teaches him about magic and divine realms.
Many years later, Kent Nelson returns to America and uses his powers for good.

It's a bit serious in tone to avoid the most obvious pulp elements.

Doctor Fate (DreamWorks, 2006)
filmed in Mesopotamia and Minneapolis

Directed by Joe Dante
Produced by Mark Damon
Written by Robert Easton, Phil Joanou, Albert Pyun
Music by Klaus Doldinger & Shirley Walker (incl a theme)
Costume design: Judith Brewer Curtis

I'll start with cameos.
Michael McKean appears as Kent's cousin in modern day, a character written exclusively for the film
Omar Sharif as a Mesopotamian villager in the opening
James Cromwell as a retired police detective

Then the cast!

Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate: Bruce Greenwood

Nabu: Luke Goss

Here's a pic I found of Nabu in DC Comics

Wotan (villain): Peter Stormare

Sven Nelson: C Thomas Howell




Young Kent: Aaron Johnson

Next hero up, Steel.
Or maybe not?

 

[Frodo]

Thanks. I had to make an effort to find a good replacement for Cruise
That pic you found of him in costume is GREAT!!!!

To get just the right actors for each of the characters is crucial, and I hope I succeed for every film.

I wanted the sets to be inspired by old sci fi, hehe, and it's even the same designer here.

Btw, what do you think about all these cameos?
There are so many of them. I also added John Ritter to the first Superman after you've already read it.

I dig the the cameos. John Ritter is one of my favorite actors from my childhood, so you can never go wrong with Mr. Tripper, I mean Ritter.

I also think Kyle as Lex is very interesting given that he can play sleazy very well even though he has that kinda boy scout Look about him . So, I could see him presenting an earnest and noble façade like he's done as Agent Dale or in Blue Velvet while secretly being manipulative and a bit power hungry.

 

[Frodo]

Cruise tried to get a Vixen film happen because of her relation to magic, but she was too obscure of a character. He kinda ran into a wall there. No worries though, there are others to adapt.

This time it's from the same studio as the Atom film. It was bought by Paramount almost right after the release of the film I will describe below.

Who's the hero this time?

I can reveal that the character is a Swedish descendant in the film and it's explained as the reason behind the colors of the costume.

Dr Fate it is, then

The film opens with archeologist and adventurer Sven Nelson and his son Kent at an archaeological excavation in Mesopotamia, sometime during late 1970s
The father gets exposed to a lethal gas.
Heartbreaking, teary death scene follows
The boy is all alone but is taken care of by a local deity who teaches him about magic and divine realms.
Many years later, Kent Nelson returns to America and uses his powers for good.

It's a bit serious in tone to avoid the most obvious pulp elements.

Doctor Fate (DreamWorks, 2006)
Directed by Joe Dante
Produced by Mark Damon
Written by Robert Easton, Phil Joanou, Albert Pyun
Music by Klaus Doldinger & Shirley Walker (incl a theme)
Costume design: Judith Brewer Curtis

I'll start with cameos.
Michael McKean appears as Kent's cousin in modern day, a character written exclusively for the film
Omar Sharif as a Mesopotamian villager in the opening
James Cromwell as a retired police detective

Then the cast!

Kent Nelson/Doctor Fate: Bruce Greenwood

Nabu: Luke Goss

Here's a pic I found of Nabu in DC Comics

Wotan (villain): Peter Stormare

Sven Nelson: C Thomas Howell

View attachment 43311


Young Kent: Aaron Johnson

Next hero up, Steel.
Or maybe not?

Another great cast and intriguing project. Bruce Greenwood also another actor I like alot and he's done pretty good as the voice of Batman in a few of the Batman animated films.

I could certainly here his voice and his timber coming through that Fate mask. I don't know Dr. Fate as well as alot of the other DC heroes but I'd certainly be up for a Dr. Fate film .

 

[Airwings]

I dig the the cameos. John Ritter is one of my favorite actors from my childhood, so you can never go wrong with Mr. Tripper, I mean Ritter.

I also think Kyle as Lex is very interesting given that he can play sleazy very well even though he has that kinda boy scout Look about him . So, I could see him presenting an earnest and noble façade like he's done as Agent Dale or in Blue Velvet while secretly being manipulative and a bit power hungry.

One certain thing about the cameos. It's the studio(s) that want to have as many known faces as possible in the film(s), and the actors are willing to do it also

I agree that Kyle could work as Lex. He's a better than actor than what he gets credit for.
This version actually have real hair. He's not even wearing a wig. A new take on Lex there. He's not just a genius, he's a handsome and debonair man too.
Maybe he's even more dangerous then?

 

[Airwings]

Another great cast and intriguing project. Bruce Greenwood also another actor I like alot and he's done pretty good as the voice of Batman in a few of the Batman animated films.

I could certainly here his voice and his timber coming through that Fate mask. I don't know Dr. Fate as well as alot of the other DC heroes but I'd certainly be up for a Dr. Fate film .

Thank you

Greenwood has a unique combination, being both everyman and leading man. He can be charismatic but also more bland to blend in with the crowd.

I would have liked to Doctor Fate too. Atleast this version.
Which of the superheroes so far appear best to you? I would guess Superman, with Batman as the second.

By now, I've done about 1/3 of the films in my planned vision.

 

[Airwings]

At the end of 2002, all the coming superhero films for 2004 were in different stages of pre-production.
With The Caped Crusader's release in 2003, the first three CBMs of 2005 were planned.
After that, every premiere of a superhero film was usually followed by the announcement of 1 more. Sometimes two
Things were moving fast.

Let's look at the latest. We've now come to 2006

The magic element in superhero films that started with Zatanna continues, sort of.
There have been different kinds and levels of magic in three of the previous.
Can it be bigger?
Well, maybe the magic itself can expand so much it develops a consciousness of its own? It does sound far-fetched. Maybe you are thinking "there's no such thing in DC Comics!".
Yes there is. One just have to look at it from from a different perspective.
We can actually ask ourselves, what is magic?"

This is Cruise's last film where he consulted the studios about writers, designers and directors for the various superhero adaptions. Because it was the last one that had started pre-production before he got another role in the ongoing process of getting DC up at the big screen.
It's not bad to get out with a bang, which this actually is. The bang is as loud as thunder.

The origin story is the usual one. Barry Allen is a police scientist who gets his powers after being struck by lightening and chemicals.
He's a huge comic book nerd as well, and have been so since childhood.
His superhero alias is taken from his favorite superhero, The Flash.
It's even shown in flasbacks how the boy made the Garrick costume for himself. He tended to get lost in his superhero fantasies and was sometimes late for school. This has continued into adulthood, pre-Flash, he's known for being late.

At the end of the film, Jay Garrick actually shows up in person.
Barry is stunned and gasps “You’re real!!?”
It's revealed Jay was behind the lightening bolt that gave Barry his powers, when he tried to catch the dangerous Reverse-Flash. He's been chasing him for years.
Cue to a possible sequel here LOL - because there are other villains for the first film

Don't expect the mother to have been killed and the father in jail. They went with an older Flash version. Henry Allen is still a free man, Nora is alive and well.

The film was shot during 2005 and used Kansas City as the setting for Central City. Because both are the biggest city in Missouri.

Paramount was hesitant to make the film since Zatanna didn't get enough satisfying numbers. Cruise was the one who talked them into greenlighting it and explained in details how this one will hit big. He claimed the creative team is better than ever.
He's got a talent with words, like a salesman.
The studio however, asked Amblin (which did Elongated Man) to step in as the main force behind this Flash adaption.
Then they rushed with the filming (script was already written)

The Flash (Amblin, 2006)
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Written by Raynold Gideon, Daniel Waters, Stuart Gordon
Produced by Howard G Kazanjian
Music by Giorgio Moroder & Jay Gruska (incl. a theme)
Costume design: Darryl Levine

Cast

Iris West: Alyson Hannigan (Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't want the role, a hero's love interest and maybe a damsel in distress)
Professor Ira West: William H Macy
Chief of police: Matt Frewer
Mayor of Central City: Paul Sorvino

Captain Boomerang: Eric Bana
Trickster: Martin Short
Jay Garrick: Matthew Modine
Young Barry: Dylan Patton

cameos
Wally West: Joseph Mazzello
Henry Allen: William Petersen
Nora Allen: Lena Olin

Wait! Didn't I forget something? Oh, yes, Barry Allen is supposed to be the main character, isn't he?
The actor they eyed for the role was the last to be cast because he was so unsure of doing a CBM. Having the other cast and the director onboard helped a little.
And of course, all the actors involved in previous year's Star Spangled Heroes made it seem legit to appear in a superhero film. He went to see that at the opening and was almost convinced by it. "Yeah, I could do that!".
But it's the costume thing. He's not keen on dressing in spandex. It looks incredibly dorky.
Then there's character itself. In the actor's eyes, The Flash 1990s series appears to be an amalgam of Supes and Bats that's directed by Woody Allen. Not a good thing for a superhero that's supposed to save the world.
(Not that the actor did look down on Woody Allen, he's worked with him)

Cruise and Ewan McGregor (Green Arrow) started to put pressure the actor about it too.
"Do it, or else they will go with Jude Law or Matt Damon!"

Soooo
I'll give you...

Barry Allen: Leonardo DiCaprio

Catch him if you can!!!

 

[Frodo]

At the end of 2002, all the coming superhero films for 2004 were in different stages of pre-production.
With The Caped Crusader's release in 2003, the first three CBMs of 2005 were planned.
After that, every premiere of a superhero film was usually followed by the announcement of 1 more. Sometimes two
Things were moving fast.

Let's look at the latest. We've now come to 2006

The magic element in superhero films that started with Zatanna continues, sort of.
There have been different kinds and levels of magic in three of the previous.
Can it be bigger?
Well, maybe the magic itself can expand so much it develops a consciousness of its own? It does sound far-fetched. Maybe you are thinking "there's no such thing in DC Comics!".
Yes there is. One just have to look at it from from a different perspective.
We can actually ask ourselves, what is magic?"

This is Cruise's last film where he consulted the studios about writers, designers and directors for the various superhero adaptions. Because it was the last one that had started pre-production before he got another role in the ongoing process of getting DC up at the big screen.
It's not bad to get out with a bang, which this actually is. The bang is as loud as thunder.

The origin story is the usual one. Barry Allen is a police scientist who gets his powers after being struck by lightening and chemicals.
He's a huge comic book nerd as well, and have been so since childhood.
His superhero alias is taken from his favorite superhero, The Flash.
It's even shown in flasbacks how the boy made the Garrick costume for himself. He tended to get lost in his superhero fantasies and was sometimes late for school. This has continued into adulthood, pre-Flash, he's known for being late.

At the end of the film, Jay Garrick actually shows up in person.
Barry is stunned and gasps “You’re real!!?”
It's revealed Jay was behind the lightening bolt that gave Barry his powers, when he tried to catch the dangerous Reverse-Flash. He's been chasing him for years.
Cue to a possible sequel here LOL - because there are other villains for the first film

Don't expect the mother to have been killed and the father in jail. They went with an older Flash version. Henry Allen is still a free man, Nora is alive and well.

The film was shot during 2005 and used Kansas City as the setting for Central City. Because both are the biggest city in Missouri.

Paramount was hesitant to make the film since Zatanna didn't get enough satisfying numbers. Cruise was the one who talked them into greenlighting it and explained in details how this one will hit big. He claimed the creative team is better than ever.
He's got a talent with words, like a salesman.
The studio however, asked Amblin (which did Elongated Man) to step in as the main force behind this Flash adaption.
Then they rushed with the filming (script was already written)

The Flash (Amblin, 2006)
Directed by Ivan Reitman
Written by Raynold Gideon, Daniel Waters, Stuart Gordon
Produced by Howard G Kazanjian
Music by Giorgio Moroder & Jay Gruska (incl. a theme)
Costume design: Darryl Levine

Cast

Iris West: Alyson Hannigan (Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't want the role, a hero's love interest and maybe a damsel in distress)
Professor Ira West: William H Macy
Chief of police: Matt Frewer
Mayor of Central City: Paul Sorvino

Captain Boomerang: Eric Bana
Trickster: Martin Short
Jay Garrick: Matthew Modine
Young Barry: Dylan Patton

cameos
Wally West: Joseph Mazzello
Henry Allen: William Petersen
Nora Allen: Lena Olin

Wait! Didn't I forget something? Oh, yes, Barry Allen is supposed to be the main character, isn't he?
The actor they eyed for the role was the last to be cast because he was so unsure of doing a CBM. Having the other cast and the director onboard helped a little.
And of course, all the actors involved in previous year's Star Spangled Heroes made it seem legit to appear in a superhero film. He went to see that at the opening and was almost convinced by it. "Yeah, I could do that!".
But it's the costume thing. He's not keen on dressing in spandex. It looks incredibly dorky.
Then there's character itself. In the actor's eyes, The Flash 1990s series appears to be an amalgam of Supes and Bats that's directed by Woody Allen. Not a good thing for a superhero that's supposed to save the world.
(Not that the actor did look down on Woody Allen, he's worked with him)

Cruise and Ewan McGregor (Green Arrow) started to put pressure the actor about it too.
"Do it, or else they will go with Jude Law or Matt Damon!"

Soooo
I'll give you...

Barry Allen: Leonardo DiCaprio

Catch him if you can!!!

Another great entry Airwings! Leo would make a great Barry Allen!

I also really like the supporting cast with Peterson, Olin, and Hannigan . Erica Bana and Martin Short also make an interesting combo since Bana can play menacing and psycho ala Star Trek 09, while Short can be a very funny and could probably pull of being creepy.

 

[Airwings]

Another great entry Airwings! Leo would make a great Barry Allen!

I also really like the supporting cast with Peterson, Olin, and Hannigan . Erica Bana and Martin Short also make an interesting combo since Bana can play menacing and psycho ala Star Trek 09, while Short can be a very funny and could probably pull of being creepy.

Thanks! I think so too.
It's also an in-joke because he's already played a character who called himself Barry Allen.

Bana surprised me in the Trek reboot. One could hardly see who it was the first time.

I think Reitman would have made a really good Flash adaption. Think of it as a slightly less childish version of Ghostbusters.

 

[Airwings]

As I mentioned in a previous post, Cruise was back in late 2004 given the role of "godfather of superhero films".
He had to overlook everything, pull all the strings.
That wasn't easy because he also had to remain as consult for six other upcoming CBMs that were in various stages of production and expected to hit cinemas during the next 1,5 years.

But now, mid-06, came the first actual Cruise superhero film where he was in charge of every aspect. That means very little studio interference except for budget reasons. No input on the creative side of it. Cruise could do almost what he wanted as long as the result wasn't totally a failure.
Cruise himself didn't really involve himself to the extent of preventing a vision to be fullfilled. He hired the people he wanted though, behind and in front of the camera. The studio had no say in those matters.
And Cruise had enough trust in the chosen people to not interfer with their work. He just read scripts, looked at storyboards and designs, was present at the auditions that were held (but in most cases, the cast was directly picked without a time-consuming casting process).

What is "his" first film then? I'll give you a hint!




It appears to have something to do with a certain red planet

There haven't been that many non-Earth elements so far. It's about time!

Welcome, Martian Manhunter!!!

Richard Donner had made us believe that a man can fly. This time we, as the audience, face the fact that there's life on Mars. While still being fiction, it's handled as a realistic idea in the film. Like this is a fact. And we can thank Cruise and the studio for that.

It's was decided that, post-9/11, international organized crime would be a good threat for the hero because it could be connected to a kind of terrorism. And also because the civil war on Mars also had some ties to that, a scenario with where the "terrorists" had won and taken over the whole planet with a tyrannic rule.
Too much of a political metaphor? Well, the idea with old-fashioned evil/mad scientists aren't always working. The goal was to freshen up the genre a little here.

In the film, J'onn J'onzz happens to be beamed from his homeplanet by earthly scientist Dr Saul who experiemented with tech inventions. He ends up at Earth, which martians refer to as Terra
Later, he disguises himself as a detective, working mostly night-time because he has troubles with adjusting to our bright sun (he's vulnerable to fire).
Before long, he hears about a mysterious crime cartel called Vulture and starts to look into it.

There were some difficulties finding an actor willing to star.
Laurence Fisburne, Djimon Hounsou, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding jr, Samuel L Jackson, Ving Rhames, Michael Clarke Duncan etc etc were all suggested
First choice was Denzel Washington. They really wanted him, and he was about to rock the same detective look for a coming film.
Sadly he was too busy.

They had to start shoot the film as soon as possible and not many actors could sign on with such short notice. They went with one actor from Star Trek films who was available.

The creative crew was mostly of the old fashioned sci fi adventure 70s/80s/90s type as always. Cruise wanted to bring something else to the table this time, to bring in other perspectives.
Some meetings were held.
For the film, a blaxploitation inspiration could work.
The "visitor from Mars" angle could bring some 50s sci fi themes into today.
The character himself was written with both Humphrey Bogart's noir detective and John Shaft in mind.
We get views from Mars as well. It has the look of a dirty steam punk civilization in ruins after wars. There's also a 1968s Planet of the Apes feel there.

All in all, it's a sort of summary of Hollywood history.
Martian Manhunter is a studio movie. But with Cruise kinda making it on his own terms, it could be seen as an independent film, albeight more expensive.
The director is firsthand known for comedy, but he's done rare ventures into other genres and that was pointed out here. It has action, there's some thriller too.
This made the film turn out as a superhero sci fi thriller with some drama added to it.

The filming was in Arizona (due to the similarities to the martian landscape) and Monaco.
The city settings were in Phoenix (an in-joke)


Martian Manhunter (20th Century Fox, 2006)

Directed by John Landis
Produced by Gary Kurtz, Tom Cruise
Written by John Landis, Ronald D Moore, Sandra Berg, John Fasand
Music by Le Holdrige (incl a theme)
Costume design: Louise Mingenbach
Set design: Joanne MacDougall, Julie Kay Fanton, Paul Peters

Cast
J'onn J'onzz/John Johns: Michael Dorn
Dr Saul Erdel: Chevy Chase
Mister V/Faceless, the leader of Vulture: ?? (Who is this?)
Playboy Marco Xavier: Antonio Banderas

Cameos
White Martian war general: Brian Dennehy
Monte Carlo casino owner: Roger Moore
Middletown fireman: Brian Austin Green

 

[Frodo]

As I mentioned in a previous post, Cruise was back in late 2004 given the role of "godfather of superhero films".
He had to overlook everything, pull all the strings.
That wasn't easy because he also had to remain as consult for six other upcoming CBMs that were in various stages of production and expected to hit cinemas during the next 1,5 years.

But now, mid-06, came the first actual Cruise superhero film where he was in charge of every aspect. That means very little studio interference except for budget reasons. No input on the creative side of it. Cruise could do almost what he wanted as long as the result wasn't totally a failure.
Cruise himself didn't really involve himself to the extent of preventing a vision to be fullfilled. He hired the people he wanted though, behind and in front of the camera. The studio had no say in those matters.
And Cruise had enough trust in the chosen peole to not interfer with their work. He just read scripts, looked at storyboards and designs, was present at the auditions that were held (but in most cases, the cast was directly picked without a time-consuming casting process).

What his "his" first film then? I'll give you a hint!

View attachment 43509


It appears to have something to do with a certain red planet

There haven't been that many non-Earth elements so far. It's about time!

Welcome, Martian Manhunter!!!

Richard Donner had made us believe that a man can fly. This time we, as the audience, face the fact that there's life on Mars. While still being fiction, it's handled as a realistic idea in the film. Like this is a fact. And we can thank Cruise and the studio for that.

It's was decided that, post-9/11, international organized crime would be a good threat for the hero because it could be connected to a kind of terrorism. And also because the civil war on Mars also had some ties to that, a scenario with where the "terrorists" had won and taken over the whole planet with a tyrannic rule.
Too much of a political metaphor? Well, the idea with old-fashioned evil/mad scientists aren't always working. The goal was to freshen up the genre a little here.

In the film, J'onn J'onzz happens to be beamed from his homeplanet by earthly scientist Dr Saul who experiemented with tech inventions. He ends up at Earth, which martians refer to as Terra
Later, he disguises himself as a detective, working mostly night-time because he has troubles with adjusting to our bright sun (he's vulnerable to fire).
Before long, he hears about a mysterious crime cartel called Vulture and starts to look into it.

There were some difficulties finding an actor willing to star.
Laurence Fisburne, Djimon Hounsou, Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding jr, Samuel L Jackson, Ving Rhames, Michael Clarke Duncan etc etc were all suggested
First choice was Denzel Washington. They really wanted him, and he was about to rock the same detective look for a coming film.
Sadly he was too busy.

They had to start shoot the film as soon as possible and not many actors could sign on with such short notice. They went with one actor from Star Trek films who was available.

The creative crew was mostly of the old fashioned sci fi adventure 70s/80s/90s type as always. Cruise wanted to bring something else to the table this time, to bring in other perspectives.
Some meetings were held.
For the film, a blaxploitation inspiration could work.
The "visitor from Mars" angle could bring some 50s sci fi themes into today.
The character himself was written with both Humphrey Bogart's noir detective and John Shaft in mind.
We get views from Mars as well. It has the look of a dirty steam punk civilization in ruins after wars. There's also a 1968s Planet of the Apes feel there.

All in all, it's a sort of summary of Hollywood history.
Martian Manhunter is a studio movie. But with Cruise kinda making it on his own terms, it could be seen as an independent film, albeight more expensive.
The director is firsthand known for comedy, but he's done rare ventures into other genres and that was pointed out here. It has action, there's some thriller too.
This made the film turn out as a superhero sci fi thriller with some drama added to it.

The filming was in Arizona (due to the similarities to the martian landscape) and Monaco.
The city settings were in Phoenix (an in-joke)


Martian Manhunter (20th Century Fox, 2006)

Directed by John Landis
Produced by Gary Kurtz, Tom Cruise
Written by John Landis, Ronald D Moore, Sandra Berg, John Fasand
Music by Le Holdrige (incl a theme)
Costume design: Louise Mingenbach
Set design: Joanne MacDougall, Julie Kay Fanton, Paul Peters

Cast
J'onn J'onzz/John Johns: Michael Dorn
Dr Saul Erdel: Chevy Chase
Mister V/Faceless, the leader of Vulture: ?? (Who is this?)
Playboy Marco Xavier: Antonio Banderas

Cameos
White Martian war general: Brian Dennehy
Monte Carlo casino owner: Roger Moore
Middletown fireman: Brian Austin Green

Sounds Awesome as usual Airwings!. Michael Dorn or Denzel Washington would make excellent Martian Manhunters. They both bring their own thing to it , but I could totally see either one of them in the role and making the role amazing.

 

[Airwings]

Sounds Awesome as usual Airwings!. Michael Dorn or Denzel Washington would make excellent Martian Manhunters. They both bring their own thing to it , but I could totally see either one of them in the role and making the role amazing.

Thanks! I try my best everytime.
I seem to have a knack for getting the right cast
I use my gut feeling and my knowledge about actors. But for several roles, I had to do research about birth year, type of career and stuff.
I think I'm good with directors too.

Sometimes I doesn't get everything out from my head in time, or forget things.
For instance, should Cruise have been thinking about Robert Wise or Blake Edwards for possibly directing the first Superman? These legends did their last work around the turn of the century.
Or actor matter, should I have had Jonathan Brandis for the first Jimmy Olsen?
John Ritter for Jor-El??

 

[Airwings]

Here's the next DC adaption, from

Well, actually it's Columbia , but under the TriStar banner.
The first superhero film from Columbia, one of the big Hollywood studios. They jumped on the bandwagon too

Now, look at the pegasus. Can you guess what hero it is this time?

Yes, it's the Amazon Princess' turn.
Now that Cruise was completely in charge, a bigger property like this was possible.

Writers were hired and Cruise told them how he would like to see the character on screen.
When the script was finished during the early spring 2005, it turned out too light-hearted. It wasn't "superhero" enough.
They needed to go back and add more action. Wonder Woman should use her lasso more often and show how powerful she is. Her bracelets can deflect bullets when she fight criminals, that must be included.
So yeah, those elements were added to spice up the otherwise fun stuff.
The story could also be quite romantic at times.

Several greek gods appear. Some of them are unexpected choices for a mythology-based film. However, it makes sense in the story.
They're treated as actual greek gods here, unlike 1981s Clash of the Titans where the Olympians were nothing else than people dressed up in plain robes, acting like they're on a theatre stage. That was quite dull. It shouldn't be any doubts that we we see the greek gods. It's something about these characters that's godly. Their appearance in itself is unmistakable "above humans".

Cruise visited Robert Altman in May 2005. He had already sent him an early version of the final script. He knew the director was preparing for a film that could be his last. He just wanted to get some advice for how to do a little untraditional superhero film since Altman always had walked his own path outside the studio system and.infused satire in his works.
They talked for about an hour, leading to the script getting another polishing.
For this, Altman was thanked during the end credits.
The legendary director died the week after the opening of Wonder Woman. Cruise paid homage by speaking out about the director's impressive body of work, his neverending inspiration and that he wished he had worked with him.

This Wonder Woman adaption used the 1950s technicolor palette. The overall tone is partly inspired by the grand later films by Cecil B DeMille, partly by 1940s screwball comedies. And the advice Altman gave is taken good care of.
Themiscyra, and the gods’ realm which we also see, were influenced by the sets in Italian silent movie Cabiria because that had a such epic look.
Crete is used for the filming location of Themiscyra. Athens is also visited during the film. We see its people and streets. The city isn't showed from the most glorious side. A little trace of Italian neorealism can be noticed. It's some of the films more serious parts.
How was the Diana/WW character written then? Think of Audrey Hepburn! Think of Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra. Maybe not true to the comic books but what an actress combo!
Of course one can’t impersonate those legends right off. One has to do bring something more to the table when playing the role.

Brooke Shields was first in mind for the lead. She had developped a natural charisma during her career since The Blue Lagoon. But even already back then, she was in the early stages of becoming a kind of wonder woman.
Before the film was cast, she was approached by journalists who asked about a possible rumour. She said she hasn't been approached yet but would love to take on Wonder Woman.
There was others who could be interesting too. For example, Asia Argento. She was younger and had a raw energy to her. It would have been fitting to go with an Italian actress for the character, because she's tied to Greece.
But then, the greatest candidate came from left field. Unexpected. It was someone who hadn't really been thought of. But she looked like she had the wisdom of ages inside her. They had found their Wonder Woman.
Some of the other cast members were eye-rising. How did Cruise convince those people to star in this?

Here's how the story unfolds in the film. The action parts are left out. The WW story is tweaked and altered. Hope you don't get disappointed.
At the beginning, it’s the year 1980. Steve Trevor is just a boy. He’s been with his parents on a sailboat they’ve hired. A storm happens, the boat turns over and goes down. The family drowns in a matter of moments among the big waves, or so it appears..
Steve’s body washes up at the shores of the magical Themiscyra.
He’s found by the Diana and a couple of amazons and nurtured back to life with ambrosia.
But he’s unwanted there.
Antiope wants to get rid of the human because no man is allowed at their island. Hippolyta refuses to, because “it’s a kid”.
Steve had gotten a liking for Diana at first sight. He becomes infatuated with her over the next few days. But she can't be with him. He's human, she's not.
While spending time with the amazons, Steve often ends up in troubles or dangers and must be rescued. Usually Diana. This interferes with her training. She gets distracted.

There’s a possible death sentence hanging over him. Some gods are angry because the first law of Themiscyra has been broken, and also because their nectar of life have been wasted on a petty human. Some of the others don’t mind it at all. Olympus is split (like always), This is seen in a scene where Demeter and the minor god Eros argue with Zeus and Hermes.
Diana must run away with the boy before the amazons decide to execute him. They go to the mainland, called “man’s land”.
Surprisingly, his parents are waiting for him at the harbor. They’ve been brought to safety by Diana’s godly uncle, who’s there too. It’s Poseidon in disguise of an older man.
It's a happy family reunion but also devastating for Steve to say goodbye to his rescuer, his love.

Diana is at this point banned from Themiscyra. She stays in Athens and are disgusted with what the city has become since its glory days. Despite looking like a teenager, she's 2000 years old so she would know. There are cars everywere. It’s polluted. And there’s poverty too.
She later heads to a place called Land of Opportunity and arrives in New York. It’s even worse. Heavy traffic, huge skyscrapers, violence. She compares the city to the underworld.

Then to present day, the main part of the film. Steve is a navy officer and climbs the ranks. He hasn’t forgotten about Diana. He had tried several times to locate the place where they met. Without success.
Diana currently live in San Francisco because it is the only us city she can stand. She's grown taller and aged a lot faster outside of Themiscyra and its magic. She's a woman now.
One day, she enters Steve’s life again and explains her origin. He remembers her, he's still head over heels in love with her. Doesn’t matter she’s a demigod.
The gods haven’t forgotten about them. Pan hates that they’ve reunited. Diana and Steve must pay for what they’ve done. He manipulates a woman, Priscilla Rich, to do the job for him. She’s really evil at her core, though not aware of that herself. He gives the woman a magic plant drug that transform her into her true self and also gives her powers. Priscilla changes into Cheetah and starts hunting the couple.
Some gods are on Steve and Diana’s side. We see a few of them show up at various points throughout the film and give advice, show their support etc. They can’t interfere any other way. Diana must raise up to the occasion herself, show her strength.
Maybe this was the plan all along, for some of the gods (while others being against it)? Maybe Diana had to meet Steve so that she could leave Themiscyra? We don’t know. Greek gods work in mysterious ways LOL
This is when Diana becomes the hero from the comic books. No matter how skilled Steve is with his military training, he’s still a lad in distress when he’s together with Diana, for the sake of entertainment.
And you’ll figure out the rest. Wonder Woman must fight the villain and then confront a couple of gods.
The film ends with a kiss at sunset, back at the beach the first met. They are together and assure each other that things are good for now. Because the sky hasn’t fell down yet.
The enormous titan Atlas stands tall with the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. He whispers to himself “Don’t worry! It won’t!”
Fade to black

Wonder Woman (TriStar Pictures, 2006)
Directed by John Boorman
Co-directed by Oley Sassone
Produced by Joe Johnston, Tom Cruise, Ray Harryhausen, Oley Sassone

Written by Bob Dolman, Danny Bilson, Menno Meyjes, Oley Sassone
Music by Joseph Conlan & Philiph Glass (incl. a theme)
Costume design: Jose Fernandez
Set design: Linda DeScenna, Peter Lamont

The cast
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Jennifer Connelly
Steve Trevor: David Wenham
Queen Hippolyta: Maud Adams
Antiope: Jamie Lee Curtis
Priscilla Rich/Cheetah: Miranda Otto
Pan: Christopher Lloyd
Young Diana: Kristen Stewart
Young Steve: Max Thieriot
Steve’s father: Sean Bean
Steve’s mother: Heather Locklear
Poseidon/older man: George Lazenby

Other gods appear too

Dionysus: Rutger Hauer
Hestia: Claudia Cardinale
Aphrodite: Jane Seymour

Cameos at Olympus:
Zeus: David Warner
Demeter: Sophia Loren
Hermes: Terence Hill
Eros: Michael J Fox
Ganymede, the cup-bearer: Elijah Wood

Then there’s
Atlas: Bud Spencer

 

[Frodo]

For instance, should Cruise have been thinking about Robert Wise or Blake Edwards for possibly directing the first Superman? These legends did their last work around the turn of the century.
Or actor matter, should I have had Jonathan Brandis for the first Jimmy Olsen?
John Ritter for Jor-El??

Wise or Edwards would be good for Superman. Jonathan Brandis would have made a good Jimmy Olsen, and I actually Think Ritter could make a very good Jor El. Even though he's known mostly for his comedy work, he was actually also a first rate dramatic actor .

I don't think he gets enough credit for it , but there were several episodes of Three's Company in which he played more serious and tender moments very well. So I could see him being a good Jor El or Johnathan Kent depending on what part of his career a given Superman project was made.

 

[Frodo]

Here's the next DC adaption, from

Well, actually it's Columbia , but under the TriStar banner.
The first superhero film from Columbia, one of the big Hollywood studios. They jumped on the bandwagon too

Now, look at the pegasus. Can you guess what hero it is this time?

Yes, it's the Amazon Princess' turn.
Now that Cruise was completely in charge, a bigger property like this was possible.

Writers were hired and Cruise told them how he would like to see the character on screen.
When the script was finished during the early spring 2005, it turned out too light-hearted. It wasn't "superhero" enough.
They needed to go back and add more action. Wonder Woman should use her lasso more often and show how powerful she is. Her bracelets can deflect bullets when she fight criminals, that must be included.
So yeah, those elements were added to spice up the otherwise fun stuff.
The story could also be quite romantic at times.

Several greek gods appear. Some of them are unexpected choices for a mythology-based film. However, it makes sense in the story.
They're treated as actual greek gods here, unlike 1981s Clash of the Titans where the Olympians were nothing else than people dressed up in plain robes, acting like they're on a theatre stage. That was quite dull. It shouldn't be any doubts that we we see the greek gods. It's something about these characters that's godly. Their appearance in itself is unmistakable "above humans".

Cruise visited Robert Altman in May 2005. He had already sent him an early version of the final script. He knew the director was preparing for a film that could be his last. He just wanted to get some advice for how to do a little untraditional superhero film since Altman always had walked his own path outside the studio system and.infused satire in his works.
They talked for about an hour, leading to the script getting another polishing.
For this, Altman was thanked during the end credits.
The legendary director died the week after the opening of Wonder Woman. Cruise paid homage by speaking out about the director's impressive body of work, his neverending inspiration and that he wished he had worked with him.

This Wonder Woman adaption used the 1950s technicolor palette. The overall tone is partly inspired by the grand later films by Cecil B DeMille, partly by 1940s screwball comedies. And the advice Altman gave is taken good care of.
Themiscyra, and the gods’ realm which we also see, were influenced by the sets in Italian silent movie Cabiria because that had a such epic look.
Crete is used for the filming location of Themiscyra. Athens is also visited during the film. We see its people and streets. The city isn't showed from the most glorious side. A little trace of Italian neorealism can be noticed. It's some of the films more serious parts.
How was the Diana/WW character written then? Think of Audrey Hepburn! Think of Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra. Maybe not true to the comic books but what an actress combo!
Of course one can’t impersonate those legends right off. One has to do bring something more to the table when playing the role.

Brooke Shields was first in mind for the lead. She had developped a natural charisma during her career since The Blue Lagoon. But even already back then, she was in the early stages of becoming a kind of wonder woman.
Before the film was cast, she was approached by journalists who asked about a possible rumour. She said she hasn't been approached yet but would love to take on Wonder Woman.
There was others who could be interesting too. For example, Asia Argento. She was younger and had a raw energy to her. It would have been fitting to go with an Italian actress for the character, because she's tied to Greece.
But then, the greatest candidate came from left field. Unexpected. It was someone who hadn't really been thought of. But she looked like she had the wisdom of ages inside her. They had found their Wonder Woman.
Some of the other cast members were eye-rising. How did Cruise convince those people to star in this?

Here's how the story unfolds in the film. The action parts are left out. The WW story is tweaked and altered. Hope you don't get disappointed.
At the beginning, it’s the year 1980. Steve Trevor is just a boy. He’s been with his parents on a sailboat they’ve hired. A storm happens, the boat turns over and goes down. The family drowns in a matter of moments among the big waves, or so it appears..
Steve’s body washes up at the shores of the magical Themiscyra.
He’s found by the Diana and a couple of amazons and nurtured back to life with ambrosia.
But he’s unwanted there.
Antiope wants to get rid of the human because no man is allowed at their island. Hippolyta refuses to, because “it’s a kid”.
Steve had gotten a liking for Diana at first sight. He becomes infatuated with her over the next few days. But she can't be with him. He's human, she's not.
While spending time with the amazons, Steve often ends up in troubles or dangers and must be rescued. Usually Diana. This interferes with her training. She gets distracted.

There’s a possible death sentence hanging over him. Some gods are angry because the first law of Themiscyra has been broken, and also because their nectar of life have been wasted on a petty human. Some of the others don’t mind it at all. Olympus is split (like always), This is seen in a scene where Demeter and the minor god Eros argue with Zeus and Hermes.
Diana must run away with the boy before the amazons decide to execute him. They go to the mainland, called “man’s land”.
Surprisingly, his parents are waiting for him at the harbor. They’ve been brought to safety by Diana’s godly uncle, who’s there too. It’s Poseidon in disguise of an older man.
It's a happy family reunion but also devastating for Steve to say goodbye to his rescuer, his love.

Diana is at this point banned from Themiscyra. She stays in Athens and are disgusted with what the city has become since its glory days. Despite looking like a teenager, she's 2000 years old so she would know. There are cars everywere. It’s polluted. And there’s poverty too.
She later heads to a place called Land of Opportunity and arrives in New York. It’s even worse. Heavy traffic, huge skyscrapers, violence. She compares the city to the underworld.

Then to present day, the main part of the film. Steve is a navy officer and climbs the ranks. He hasn’t forgotten about Diana. He had tried several times to locate the place where they met. Without success.
Diana currently live in San Francisco because it is the only us city she can stand. She's grown taller and aged a lot faster outside of Themiscyra and its magic. She's a woman now.
One day, she enters Steve’s life again and explains her origin. He remembers her, he's still head over heels in love with her. Doesn’t matter she’s a demigod.
The gods haven’t forgotten about them. Pan hates that they’ve reunited. Diana and Steve must pay for what they’ve done. He manipulates a woman, Priscilla Rich, to do the job for him. She’s really evil at her core, though not aware of that herself. He gives the woman a magic plant drug that transform her into her true self and also gives her powers. Priscilla changes into Cheetah and starts hunting the couple.
Some gods are on Steve and Diana’s side. We see a few of them show up at various points throughout the film and give advice, show their support etc. They can’t interfere any other way. Diana must raise up to the occasion herself, show her strength.
Maybe this was the plan all along, for some of the gods (while others being against it)? Maybe Diana had to meet Steve so that she could leave Themiscyra? We don’t know. Greek gods work in mysterious ways LOL
This is when Diana becomes the hero from the comic books. No matter how skilled Steve is with his military training, he’s still a lad in distress when he’s together with Diana, for the sake of entertainment.
And you’ll figure out the rest. Wonder Woman must fight the villain and then confront a couple of gods.
The film ends with a kiss at sunset, back at the beach the first met. They are together and assure each other that things are good for now. Because the sky hasn’t fell down yet.
The enormous titan Atlas stands tall with the weight of the heavens on his shoulders. He whispers to himself “Don’t worry! It won’t!”
Fade to black

Wonder Woman (TriStar Pictures, 2006)
Directed by John Boorman
Co-directed by Oley Sassone
Produced by Joe Johnston, Tom Cruise, Ray Harryhausen, Oley Sassone

Written by Bob Dolman, Danny Bilson, Menno Meyjes, Oley Sassone
Music by Joseph Conlan & Philiph Glass (incl. a theme)
Costume design: Jose Fernandez
Set design: Linda DeScenna, Peter Lamont

The cast
Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: Jennifer Connelly
Steve Trevor: David Wenham
Queen Hippolyta: Maud Adams
Antiope: Jamie Lee Curtis
Priscilla Rich/Cheetah: Miranda Otto
Pan: Christopher Lloyd
Young Diana: Kristen Stewart
Young Steve: Max Thieriot
Steve’s father: Sean Bean
Steve’s mother: Heather Locklear
Poseidon/older man: George Lazenby

Other gods appear too

Dionysus: Rutger Hauer
Hestia: Claudia Cardinale
Aphrodite: Jane Seymour

Cameos at Olympus:
Zeus: David Warner
Demeter: Sophia Loren
Hermes: Terence Hill
Eros: Michael J Fox
Ganymede, the cup-bearer: Elijah Wood

Then there’s
Atlas: Bud Spencer

Awesome cast and story Airwings! It's pretty epic. I like the interaction of the Gods into the story as opposed to just basically one God in the 2018 WW film.

Jennifer Connelly as WW would have been great!

 

[Airwings]

Wise or Edwards would be good for Superman. Jonathan Brandis would have made a good Jimmy Olsen, and I actually Think Ritter could make a very good Jor El. Even though he's known mostly for his comedy work, he was actually also a first rate dramatic actor .

I don't think he gets enough credit for it , but there were several episodes of Three's Company in which he played more serious and tender moments very well. So I could see him being a good Jor El or Johnathan Kent depending on what part of his career a given Superman project was made.

Maybe I should go back and switch actor for Jimmy? I will be giving it some thought. Jonathan Brandis deserves recognition!

One of the reasons John Ritter could be Jor-El is that he could pass for Tom Cruise's onscreen father. The same goes for Gary Cole, who's taller and more imposing.
But Ritter managed to lift a whole seat out or a car, with a kid in it. He just ripped it out and put it down on the ground. Have you seen that scene? I wonder if that performance alone makes him first choice for Jor-El.

There a bunch of veteran directors that could have done Superman 21 years ago. The question is who had the energy to handle such a big film at the end at their career? It's not exactly a small drama film.
Robert Wise, Blake Edwards or Lewis Gilbert? Or the not really that old Sydney Pollack?
I wanna see all 4 versions, hahaha Let's travel to the different realities where these films happened, and erase our memory after each viewing so that our opinions on the different films don't blend together. All four deserve to be seen with a fresh mind.

 

[Airwings]

Awesome cast and story Airwings! It's pretty epic. I like the interaction of the Gods into the story as opposed to just basically one God in the 2018 WW film.

Jennifer Connelly as WW would have been great!

Thanks
This was a demanding project to create. It's epic and family friendly.
Without Boorman's sensibilities as a director, Diana would have turned out like a Disney princess.

I'm sorry I haven't had time to look at your latest visions yet. I can try to get a look this upcoming weekend.

Here are sets that inspired the WW film

 

[Airwings]

A little shorter summary of the plot this time.

The film deals with the reincarnation version of the character that originated in ancient Egypt:

Young prince Khufu and Chay-Ara, priestess at the royal court, have a secret love affair. It begun as a little shy flirt where they would start to share sideway glances before looking away, blush and bite lips. Cute, but cheesy.
Their feelings are passionate but forbidden. Noble blood is considered holy and shouldn’t mix with lower ranks (a bit of the same theme as in Wonder Woman)
The temple priest Hath-Set, former mentor of Chay-Ara, is jelous beyond reason. He becomes an evil sorcerer, a path that he’s already started. Perhaps under the influence by gods (Set, god of chaos… or Anubis, god of the dead… you can choose).
At the same time, there's talks around the court about having gotten a gift from the gods. Some time prior to the film, a meteorite had crashed in the desert and bird-like armor were found at the site. These items were stored in a chamber, awaiting to be put on display in the throne room. For showing the pharao's might to visitors.
Khufu doesn't really believe in the gods. He find it hard to understand how Egypt, the greatest civilization the world has ever seen, can be so stuck up in the old ways. These beliefs were ancient already then. Priests and science existed side by side at that point. For example, Egypt studied mechanics and laws of nature. The kingdom had astronomers, architects, mathematicians and doctors. It was a very modern society for its time. But all science had to answer to the stronger priesthood. This prevents progression in Khufu's eyes.
Playful as he is, he likes to fool around and put on the "falcon helmet" as he calls it. There's not much excitement in being a prince all day long
One late evening, he invites Chay-Ara to join him. They try on the wings as well and find that they are able to fly. They take a short flight outside, Some people who's still awake believe the gods have returned.

Back at the palace, Hath-Set awaits them. The lovers are killed and cursed with being born again and again, and never be able to live their lives together. As soon as they meet, the curse will get activated.
A montage of them through history follows: Ancient Rome, Medieval Ages, Wild West. Their looks change but they're always ending up as heroes (because the last happy moment they had together was feeling they looked very heroic).
The same dark magic spell had affected the priest too. He' gets reborn too, always as a evil tyrant. He's the one who kills them every time.
In present day, he’s known as Vandal Savage.

Archeologist Carter Hall (still a man of science) currently lives in Egypt. He's made half British in the film, not all American. When he finds the armor in Prince Khufu's tomb, he regains his memories of all past lives. One of the important things to do is to locate his former love. As it’s always been. This time, she’s not what he expected.
And for the first time since they were murdered, the armor is back in their lives. Maybe they have a chance to survive?

I have to add that we won’t see any gods in the film. The thing with Egyptian deities is that they are less human than the Greek ones and more of cosmic forces. They are beyond what we can grasp. But this doesn't make them less real.

The final script was promising. Khufu has a River Poenix vibe to him, Carter more of a Richard Burton/John Wayne element.
Chay-Ara borrowed from Judy Garland and Vivien Leigh, and there are some traces of Ingrid Bergman in her modern day version. But we hardly notice that because she's a real bad ass Hawkgirl.

A problem did arise for the film. How could they possible find an actor that could don the Hawkman outfit and not look totally wrong? Was it even possible to have the hero look like a warrior and not a complete dork?
Gerard Butler was offered the role but he declined. That says something about the difficulty in adapting the character for the big screen.
On the other hand though, Clive Owen showed some interest but he wasn’t wanted.
We can ask ourselves why they could possibly say no to an actor willing to play the hero, and one that even would suit the character’s fierce, yet noble, persona?
The production halted. Cruise had to go with one of his previous co-stars as a final solution, or else the film wouldn’t get made at all.

Hawkman (Universal Pictures, 2007)
Filmed on location in Luxor, London and Detroit

Directed and produced by John Carpenter
Co-produced by Tom Cruise, Bernd Eichinger

Written by Matthew Robbins, Brian Yuzna, Bannon Braga, Craig J Nevius
Additional writing by John Carpenter

Music by Mike Post in a joint with Eric Wurst & David Wurst (incl a theme)
Costume design: Bob Ringwood
Set design: Bo Welch, Dante Ferretti

Main cast
Carter Hall/Hawkman: Dougray Scott
Shiera Sanders/Hawkgirl: Jessica Biel
Vandal Savage: Kurt Russell

Minor cast
Chay-Ara: Marion Cotillard
Prince Khufu: Jack Ryder
Hath-Set: Rupert Everett
Pharaoh Ramesses II: James Woods
Queen Nefertari Meritmut: Nastassja Kinski

Cameos
Egyptologist: Maggie Smith
University professor: Alan Arkin
Museum curator: Kevin Sorbo
Egyptian royal guard: Ryan Philippe
David Thewlis appears as an Egyptian peasant who gets shocked by seeing the flying couple and drops a clay pot. He reprises it in modern day.

Dougray was surprised by the offer. It seemed weird for him. “Shouldn’t I play Batman instead?”

For the easily offended people, it’s a bit cringe-worthy with the lovers’ age difference. Mostly so when it comes to Scott and Biel. It’s an even bigger gap than between Daniel Craig and Eva Green in Casino Royale. But this is ackowledged in-film, it gets pointed out.

In case you wondered why there are different actors for the ancient Egyptian and the modern day settings, It’s to tell the characters apart because they aren’t really the same. It's just the soul, the essence, that is reborn

The reason Carpenter was hired? Look at the two pics below, the mood they have. That's the right energy for a film like this

If you wish, one could also say that there not that much difference between Hawkman and Snake Plissken.
Vandal Savage? A fleshed out Michael Myers who talks and rejoice in the evilness. For a start, he loves his big knife

The film feels epic, especially the flashback.
Granted that there's a love triangle behind the story. But there's so much more present here.
Before the filming started, they looked back at old films such as Battleship Potemkin for inspiration because of its seriousness among the big shots.

I have to really put the light on the set designers a.k.a. production designers in all of the projects I've presented, not just this one.
There’s always a special kind of people brought in when extraordinary locations are a part of my superhero visions. What would the films be without those designs?
This time, the guys had done previous work on The Name of the Rose, Beetlejuice, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Ghostbusters 2, Edward Scissorhands, Batman Returns, Wolf, Kundun, Wild Wild West, and one Hamlet adaption etc. Not a bad resume!

I can explain some trivia behind the film. The very first starting point for this DC adaption was Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy in 2004. Cruise had just seen the film and thought Brad Pitt would suit a superhero role. Specifically one that’s rooted in ancient times.
He contacted the actor and told about his idea. Brad Pitt had been the number one candidate from day one. He was the actual Hawkman actor, but he never played the character.

“Brad, I know we haven’t always been on good terms with each other. But I want to tell you that I’m impressed with your performance in Troy. It was really awesome.
Well, as you know I’m involved with superhero movies these days. There’s one particular character that I think will suit you very well, I mean really well. It shares some similarities with Akilles, in fact. There’s a guy in present day who becomes a warrior type in battle armor and a helmet… and there are also a pair of huge wings that makes him able to fly. Brad, I want you to play Hawkman!”

Brad reacted with a second of silence before he laughed really hard and needed to calm down and apologize.
“Hawkman, you say! But Tom, to be honest. I rather play Aquaman”

 

[Airwings]

It's NOT directed by Cameron. There's no Vincent Chase/Adrian Grenier either. I only picked the poster because of the fonts. I like it a lot. That’s the one my Aquaman should go with
.
The Aquaman emblem with the “A” should be like THIS:

Aquaman was actually in production very early. The first scenes were shot BEFORE Wonder Woman and Hawkman. It was during the early summer of 2005, but it had to be temporarily put on hold because Paramount thought their Zatanna was underperforming.
It wasn’t anything major being filmed, just a flashback part of the story.
Rick Berman, known for Star Trek, was at that point set to helm the film. But how could a producer with no directing merits take on something of this size?
After the shutdown, more people were added to the creative process. The script needed polishing. A couple more writers entered the process. Another, shorter, flashback was also added.

It was difficult to make Aquaman.
How do one really make a film out of what's known as one of the least useful heroes, a man who just talks to fish?
We fans already know he’s super strong, and possesses telepathic powers. In the film, he's also almost as fast as a jet plane while in water. But what about the general audience’s view on the hero?
It's important to treat the property seriously. It can still be a fun adventure..

As difficult it was to get the film right, finding actors was really easy.
Some of the cast that looked questionable on paper turned out really good in the film. These knocked it out of the park with their performances.

This adaption took some steps away from the comic books. It goes to “steal” ideas from legendary Georges Méliès. His creations were imaginative and fantastical. That worked well for the Atlantis setting.
The sunken continent is depicted as a retro-futuristic version of ancient Greece. More detailed, it’s a sort of steam punk civilization. A clean one that is. No steam power machinery here (Martian Manhunter went that route instead). The Atlantis technology is instead made from highly advanced clockwork mechanisms and similar stuff. While they still mainly use stone for building, the use of metals and electricity is prominent,
With Atlanteans way ahead of us in science, we hardly recognize it as steampunk anyway unless we can spot it behind what’s seen.
Add the film’s use of the classic wide screen 1950s cinemascope look, and Atlantis surely turns out amazing.

It’s revealed that The Bermuda Triangle is in fact connected to Atlantis. All the stories about the place are true, it does swallow boats and sometimes planes too.
The actual explanation is that it’s simply a powerful airlock that provides Atlantis with fresh air. Despite used to living in the sea, they are still mammals who need to breathe. More about this is described further down.

It's important to get Aquaman himself right. He isn’t a joke.
This is not Superfriends, but the film does pay homage to the cartoon a couple of times. This is done so that we can be wonderstruck by his powers later on.
We meet Arthur Curry at two points during his younger days when he lives in Florida.
First as a kid that likes to splash around in the water. We’re shown that he’s becoming a very skilled swimmer. Here we get a scene that makes fun of the character’s bad reputation. He finds out that he can actually talk to fish. And then he goes and tells his friends about it. They will tease him repeatedly for that. “Arthur talks to fish”.

Some years forward, it's early 1980s. He’s a young surfer dude in Miami. This is a longer flashback that goes on for close to 25 minutes.
He’s likable, carefree, popular with the girls. He’s always seen with a bunch of them around. He doesn’t really get himself emotionally involved with any of them though.
Now and then, he swims with dolphins and have a really great time. His close friends call him Waterboy, Merboy or simply shorten his name to “Art”.
School isn’t hard for him. He learns fast. It seems like his brain is wired different
Can you picture how this Arthur Curry will react when he finds out that Atlantis is real?

Another guy close to his age has started hanging around the beach. A thoughtful type who doesn’t talk much, with a weird aura to him. It seems he’s observing Arthur a bit, which makes him start talking to the stranger. They hang out a bit a couple of times until the nameless youngster suddenly disappears without a trace.
Sometime later, he is approached at the beach by another mysterious person who presents himself as Vulko. What a strange name! Arthur mishears it first as "vulgo"

All that happens before he dons the copper/green outfit in present day.
I decided that they should go with the copper-colored, metallic orange, version for the film. Not the golden one.

When Arthur has become Aquaman, the film gets a bit of the same style as the 1930s family-friendly adventures starring Errol Flynn. The superhero is a swashbuckler too.
Yes, he will ride a beautiful sea-horse at one point. That’s a given!!! Another one of the homages.
His personality isn’t only an adventure-loving guy though, he will meet challenges along the way that affect him. There are some issues with politics in the underwater kingdom. Then there’s injustice in the surface world. His first heroic deed, when he truly becomes Aquaman, is by dealing with modern day pirates outside the coast of Somali.

As in the previous DC adaptions, the works of real-world actors inspire the main character. Other than Flynn, it’s Peter O’Toole, Roger Moore and Burt Lancaster.

Pieces from the vast backstory of Atlantis is explained, mentioned and hinted at during the course of the film
To sum everything up, it was the first and greatest empire ever, during what’s called the antediluvian period. The size of the place was huge. It almost reached Puerto Rico in the west, and The Canary Islands in the east. Those were unpopulated places back then.
When it sunk beneath the waves more than twelve thousand years ago, the refugees fled to Egypt which was one of their colonies. They had lost most of their technology in the disaster and had to live a simpler life. A couple of centuries later, they were fighting off an invading force with another culture. The Atlanteans lost and were driven out. That other civilization built the old Egypt we know today (pyramids and such). Before that, Sahara was a lush place very similar to Atlantis but the wars devastated the region.
Being forced to flee a second time, thery ended up on Crete where they established the Minoan empire.
One day the people of Knossos just vanished, just like in the real world. The reason was that they wanted to return to their lost homeland. A couple of bases were set up by the Mediterranean. By doing this, they would lean on mainland resources to be able to get out in the Atlantic Ocean and locate the sunken island. These towns were meant as tempoary but grew into cities and are known today as Athens and Rome.
That’s right, the major part of ancient Greece and the whole Roman Empire were originally created as bases for the search for Atlantis. To get resources and to fund the mission.
This is how the existence of Atlantis is put into the context of real history.
Historical figures are hinted at being Atlantean to a minor degree, like Pythagoras, Alexander the Great, Copernicus, Galileo Galilei, and Leonardo DaVinci.
Around the 1500s, that’s when the descendants of Atlantis finally found what they’ve been looking for. They tried to retrieve some of the technology there, then slowly rebuild the sunken place to its former glory. During this, their bodies adapted fast to the sea because even their biology is more advanced than that of a regular human. It only took a few generations for them to grow gills and become partly a marine humanoid. A few even got webbed hands/feet
300 years later, they had finally succeeded. A dome of pure energy protected the kingdom from the surrounding water. They could start repopulating the place in a bigger sense. Since then, Atlantis has had an invisible influence on the surface world. That’s why our technology has developed so fast the last centuries.

Aquaman (Paramount Pictures, 2007)
Filming was done in Miami and Alexandria, Egypt
Directed by Mike Hodges
Co-directors: Lawrence Kasdan, Rick Berman

Produced by Rick Berman, Jan Kikumoto, Tom Cruise

Written by Dick Clement, Stephen Tolkin, John Logan, Lawrence Kasdan

Music by: James Horner (incl. a theme)
Costume design: Brad R Loman
Set design: Francesca Lo Schiavo, Robert Christian

Cast
Arthur Curry/Orin: Brad Pitt
Mera: Alicia Witt
Orm/Ocean Master: Clive Owen
Vulko: Kevin Costner
Atlanna: Jessica Lange
Tom Curry: Sam J Jones
Young Arthur: Taylor Hanson
Young Orm: Gaspard Ulliel
Arthur as a boy: Cole Sprouse

Cameos
Goldie Hawn as Arthur’s high school teacher
Dennis Hopper as a marine biologist
Meg Ryan as an Atlantean scientist
Corey Haim as the captain who gets rescued by Aquaman
Josh Hutcherson as Garth (Only Garth, with the purple eyes. No Aqualad here!!!)