Pitch ideas for Superman solo

[Vaibow]

SUPERMAN
directed by J.D. Dillard
written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
produced by J.J. Abrams

Clark Kent / Superman: Stephan James, 27

FULL CAST



PLOT SUMMARY

In my opinion, the only choice is Clark Kent as Superman—even if Coates & Abrams add in elements of Calvin Ellis’s story or use Val-Zod’s costume to further differentiate this version of Clark from past adaptations.

Use Mark Waid’s Birthright and Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale’s Superman For All Seasons as the base of the plot with elements of Grant Morrison’s Calvin Ellis story from Action Comics #9. And just a pinch of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Secret Origin.

Clark Kent aspires to be an investigative reporter, blogging his travels as he exposes injustice around the world—fighting for truth, justice, liberty and equality. The assassination of a political revolutionary in Qurac propels Clark to chase a lead back to Metropolis where he will become Superman.

He finds a kindred spirit in intrepid reporter Lois Lane and the two develop a friendly, albeit competitive, relationship in the Daily Planet newsroom. From Intergang busts to exposing corruption in city government, Lane has made a reputation of taking on the powerful. And next on her list? Metropolis' favorite son, Lex Luthor.

The LexCorp CEO is the main antagonist, seeing Superman’s arrival in Metropolis as a challenge to his power and the status quo. Luthor tries to use the press to turn the city against Superman after revealing that he’s an extraterrestrial, and “not one of us.”

Luthor discovers and then later perverts Kryptonian technology—in essence, Clark’s very culture/heritage/identity—to create an elaborate “alien invasion” to justify his state-of-the-art security force led by Sgt. John Corben to patrol the skies of Metropolis and watch over its citizens.

As in Superman for All Seasons, the story should bounce between Metropolis and Smallville with Clark seeking guidance from the his parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent—especially after Lex Luthor calls him an alien—and still pining after his high school sweetheart, Lana Lang.

During his assault on Metropolis, Luthor uses the Kryptonian technology to transcend space and time to contact the dying planet seeking cosmic knowledge. As Superman finally wins the day and saves the city, he sees his birth parents Jorel and Lara for the first time. In their final moments, the doomed scientists hear their son’s voice through the signal transmission: “Mother, Father...I made it.”

Hope rewarded.

The film is still pure Superman, and a skillful writer like Ta-Nehisi Coates can couch Luthor’s anti-Kryptonian rhetoric in the real-world racism and discrimination that Black Americans face every day in an eloquent & powerful way. Couple that with a security police force—directly funded by Luthor, the 1%—that is created to target beings like Superman and Coates has more parallels to draw from to further make this film stand out & really resonate with audiences.

COMIC SOURCES / CONCEPT ART

this is very, very good... the last paragraph loses me though... and it will lose a lot of people too, I don't want to watch a superman movie that focuses on 'how bad white people are to black people' subtext... it's way too obvious and on the nose.

"let's swap his skin colour and make it about racial politics"

Is there an important message to share, of course. Is there racism out there, of course... can we all do better, most definitely.. but we are all moving forward together.

I would focus more on class, communities and wealth and how media manipulation stems that division - have Lex be a black man, an adopted black man, so that the comparisons are there between the two and one Is about abusing the lower classes, of all colours, ethnicities and creeds, in the name of money and greed and power whilst the other, is their champion.

Which is what superman, has always been about.

 

[BobJM]

^^

Dude, I love that pitch. Genuinely. If that was made into a movie right now, I would 100% watch it. If the new film is at least a quarter of what your pitch is, I think it could be good.

Also, the great thing about the stand-in for the LexCorp building is that an “L” could easily be superimposed over the top structure with CGI, along with the rest of the logo, on top of the building. That just seems like something your version of Lex would do. Just one big, giant d**k of an “L” pointing to the sky.

Thank you!

Comcast is the big business in the city of Philadelphia, so it just seemed such an obvious pick as LexCorp. The Comcast Tower I selected is actually the 2nd tower--just recently built in the past few years to be the tallest skyscraper in the city. Just another thing that struck me as very Lex Luthor. Wherever you are in the city, you can see that tower looming over...

 

[BobJM]

this is very, very good... the last paragraph loses me though... and it will lose a lot of people too, I don't want to watch a superman movie that focuses on 'how bad white people are to black people' subtext... it's way too obvious and on the nose.

"let's swap his skin colour and make it about racial politics"

Is there an important message to share, of course. Is there racism out there, of course... can we all do better, most definitely.. but we are all moving forward together.

I would focus more on class, communities and wealth and how media manipulation stems that division - have Lex be a black man, an adopted black man, so that the comparisons are there between the two and one Is about abusing the lower classes, of all colours, ethnicities and creeds, in the name of money and greed and power whilst the other, is their champion.

Which is what superman, has always been about.

Sorry the end lost you, but I think race is a part of our everyday lives in America--like it or not. This doesn't mean Superman now becomes a political drama or full-on social commentary, but superhero films (or just films in general) can find ways to incorporate loftier themes into their overall narratives / plot.

Race is built into the divisions in class, communities, & wealth, and is especially a factor in media representation too; I feel like you're helping make my original vision even more compelling and layered

Think of The Dark Knight tackling surveillance & privacy debates that were centered around the Patriot Act / War on Terror. Or The Dark Knight Rises presenting its own take on 'Occupy Wall Street.'

 

[Vaibow]

Sorry the end lost you, but I think race is a part of our everyday lives in America--like it or not. This doesn't mean Superman now becomes a political drama or full-on social commentary, but superhero films (or just films in general) can find ways to incorporate loftier themes into their overall narratives / plot.

Race is built into the divisions in class, communities, & wealth, and is especially a factor in media representation too; I feel like you're helping make my original vision even more compelling and layered

Think of The Dark Knight tackling surveillance & privacy debates that were centered around the Patriot Act / War on Terror. Or The Dark Knight Rises presenting its own take on 'Occupy Wall Street.'

Your idea totally should be layered and appeal, resonate with many... that's the angle I was aiming for.. I don't just want it to be one dimensional black oppression at its core... that to me would be better served to tell via a black character... not a race swapped character with changes. Black panther hit home, it wouldn't have been the same if it was tried to e told via Falcon taking on the shield. Anyways, I enjoyed reading your ideas.

Superman was a personal story, based on two immigrants experiences growing up in America, so many can relate to that, all over the world....

 

[Alien Anal]

I feel lame for repeating my self but I put a lot of time and money into this and there is still so much to be told but this is what I want to see for a one off Superman movie. I would for some people to read it and share their thoughts.

SUPERMAN: SOLITUDE

 

[BobJM]

I feel lame for repeating my self but I put a lot of time and money into this and there is still so much to be told but this is what I want to see for a one off Superman movie. I would for some people to read it and share their thoughts.

SUPERMAN: SOLITUDE

Love the presentation; I'll give this a read & get back w/ some thoughts!

 

[Alien Anal]

Love the presentation; I'll give this a read & get back w/ some thoughts!

Thanks mate. I had all the comic pages commissioned which ended up being around 2k all up. A shame for it to go to waste. It was just getting too big and costly.

 

[BobJM]

Thanks mate. I had all the comic pages commissioned which ended up being around 2k all up. A shame for it to go to waste. It was just getting too big and costly.

Your artwork is great--the scenes w/ Old Clark & the bear have an almost renaissance Disney-era feel to them. And the panels with Young Clark & his father racing were a fun read too.

To be honest, I think the use of Old Clark at 110 years old is a really fresh idea, and perfectly goes with the title 'Solitude,' -- I like the idea of exploring Clark's extended life; it's not something we typically see. Maybe this treatment would be better suited for a mini-series so you can really delve into each era of Clark's life

 

[Alien Anal]

Thanks a lot for reading it! There is a whole bunch more that I haven't got around to writing yet because I'm working on another comic that I can hopefully actually publish and get out there.

As for SOLITUDE I was inspired by movies like Forest Gump and Big fish for the story telling aspect. I really wanted to make it somethign of my own all the while keeping to What I believe Superman is about.

I want to put more emphasis on how Clark came to be the loving and caring guy that he is.

 

[Jericholyte]

SUPERMAN
directed by J.D. Dillard
written by Ta-Nehisi Coates
produced by J.J. Abrams

Clark Kent / Superman: Stephan James, 27

FULL CAST



PLOT SUMMARY

In my opinion, the only choice is Clark Kent as Superman—even if Coates & Abrams add in elements of Calvin Ellis’s story or use Val-Zod’s costume to further differentiate this version of Clark from past adaptations.

Use Mark Waid’s Birthright and Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale’s Superman For All Seasons as the base of the plot with elements of Grant Morrison’s Calvin Ellis story from Action Comics #9. And just a pinch of Geoff Johns and Gary Frank’s Secret Origin.

Clark Kent aspires to be an investigative reporter, blogging his travels as he exposes injustice around the world—fighting for truth, justice, liberty and equality. The assassination of a political revolutionary in Qurac propels Clark to chase a lead back to Metropolis where he will become Superman.

He finds a kindred spirit in intrepid reporter Lois Lane and the two develop a friendly, albeit competitive, relationship in the Daily Planet newsroom. From Intergang busts to exposing corruption in city government, Lane has made a reputation of taking on the powerful. And next on her list? Metropolis' favorite son, Lex Luthor.

The LexCorp CEO is the main antagonist, seeing Superman’s arrival in Metropolis as a challenge to his power and the status quo. Luthor tries to use the press to turn the city against Superman after revealing that he’s an extraterrestrial, and “not one of us.”

Luthor discovers and then later perverts Kryptonian technology—in essence, Clark’s very culture/heritage/identity—to create an elaborate “alien invasion” to justify his state-of-the-art security force led by Sgt. John Corben to patrol the skies of Metropolis and watch over its citizens.

As in Superman for All Seasons, the story should bounce between Metropolis and Smallville with Clark seeking guidance from the his parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent—especially after Lex Luthor calls him an alien—and still pining after his high school sweetheart, Lana Lang.

During his assault on Metropolis, Luthor uses the Kryptonian technology to transcend space and time to contact the dying planet seeking cosmic knowledge. As Superman finally wins the day and saves the city, he sees his birth parents Jorel and Lara for the first time. In their final moments, the doomed scientists hear their son’s voice through the signal transmission: “Mother, Father...I made it.”

Hope rewarded.

The film is still pure Superman, and a skillful writer like Ta-Nehisi Coates can couch Luthor’s anti-Kryptonian rhetoric in the real-world racism and discrimination that Black Americans face every day in an eloquent & powerful way. Couple that with a security police force—directly funded by Luthor, the 1%—that is created to target beings like Superman and Coates has more parallels to draw from to further make this film stand out & really resonate with audiences.

COMIC SOURCES / CONCEPT ART

I really love this idea! I always, being a bit of a Donner fanboy, loved the idea of Superman's main problem being acceptance by Earth and finding his place in it, why I love what he wanted to do with Superman 2 so much. I also love how Donner and Mankiewicz would never have Superman touch issues like nuclear proliferation / world hunger etc so with that in mind I'd go even a step further than yours.

Have the global, Conservative 1% turn on him and try to turn the public against him. No matter what he does the media publishes bias articles, highlighting issues Superman could have stopped. Headlines like, "Where is Superman when YOU need him?" etc and build it up as him being this force for great social change, a symbol for the masses against the 'old money' in power across the globe.