Mark Millar wants a shot at 'Superman' on screen

Comics writer Mark Millar (who brought the world "Wanted," "Superman: Red Son" and Marvel's "Civil War") is a big fan of Richard Donner's 1978 film "Superman."

How big?

Well, he has one of Christopher Reeve's capes from the movie hanging in his home in Glasgow and (this is not a joke) he bought the stuffed and mounted corpse of Frisky, the stranded cat that Superman plucks from a tree in the movie. He recently got a chance to meet Donner and giddily compares it to "meeting Gandhi."

Millar was in Los Angeles visiting Golden Apple and he chatted with Blair Butler of G4's Fresh Ink for an interview and the subject turned to the future of Superman on the screen, which is quite the hot topic right now. It turns out that, a while back, Millar hatched an idea for a trilogy of films about the Last Son of Krypton and, after some recent conversations with an unidentified director, he thinks it might be gaining some traction.

Go to about the five-minute mark of the interview to hear the discussion about the still-protean project. "I've had this plan for like 10 years for a big three-picture Superman thing, like a 'Lord of the Rings' epic, starting over from scratch again with a seven-hour Superman story. One to be released each year."

He says there's nothing firm yet but he hopes that over the next couple of weeks there will be some sort of decision. He was optmistic and excited enough to tell Butler that filming might begin as soon as next summer. Well, we'll see. I'm a Millar fan and the adaptation of "Wanted" (directed by Timur Bekmambetov, written by Michael Brandt, Derek Haas and Chris Morgan) was a hit (pulling in almost $260 million worldwide), so he has some buzz around him in Hollywood right now. But there are an awful lot of "Superman" proposals whizzing around town. I've heard about more than a half-dozen with notable names involved...

-- Geoff Boucher

Photo of James McAvoy from "Wanted," courtesy of Unviersal Pictures. The June 2008 release was based on the comics of writer Mark Millar and artist J.G. Jones.

Photo of Christopher Reeve in the "Superman" title role from the Los Angeles Times archive and courtesy of Warner Bros.

Comments

[Charles]

Mark Millar might have the edge on the other proposals, he's been touting his idea for a new franchise for some time, the big name director is still a mystery; but despite the buzz surrounding Wanted and his own penchant for self promotion he says it's this director who has the real weight with the WB suits.

That's why I'm hoping one the big comic book names is the idea man behind the script, be that Morrison, Waid or Millar - because only someone who gets the evolution of the character's key strengths can deliver a relevant and modern film that's true to the core values of hope, and justice.

[AmbroseKalifornia]

I'm all for it. I LOVE Bryan Singer, but I HATED Superman Returns. And, if this does well, everyone in Hollywood will realize what a genius Millar is and then we'll get an Utimates movie. Ultimate Cap FTW.