6 Superman Movies That Never Came to Life

By Scott Meslow

If you've somehow avoided the constant barrage of ads and promotions, Man of Steel—Zack Snyder's massive Superman reboot starring Henry Cavill—hit cinemas last weekend. However, beyond the many Superman films released since the glory days of the Christopher Reeve era, several directors have tried and failed to revive the iconic hero. Over the past twenty years, what are the untold stories behind the unusual, captivating (and sometimes disastrous) Superman movies that never saw the light of day? Here's your guide.

1. Superman V (1991)

While 1978's Superman and 1980's Superman II are universally considered classics, the series began to falter with the underwhelming Superman III and the outright dreadful Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Comic book writer Cary Bates—who pitched a script for a potential fifth Superman movie in 1991 that nearly got the green light—claims his concept could have revived the franchise. His idea was designed "to bypass Superman III and especially IV, and bring the series back to the excellence of Superman I and II."

The vision was "to create a fully realized, high-octane science fiction narrative, where Superman and Brainiac clash in a one-on-one battle," Bates shared with Newsarama. In this version of Superman V, the alien android would land on Earth, shrink Metropolis, and bottle it as part of his collection of miniature cities. Brainiac would then discover that Superman was trapped in the miniature city and, shrinking himself to match the size, would engage the Man of Steel in an intense battle. This would lead to a devastating fight where Superman dies long before a similar plotline was explored in the comics. Ultimately, Superman would be reborn in Kandor—the capital of Krypton, which Brainiac had also bottled. After reconnecting with his origins, Superman would escape and resume his fight against the villain.

So what happened? According to Bates, producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind—who owned the rights to Superman at the time—decided to put Superman V on pause in favor of focusing on their other project, Christopher Columbus: The Discovery. By the time they were ready to revive the Superman franchise, Warner Bros. had launched the TV series Lois & Clark, effectively putting an end to any other Superman film endeavors. In hindsight, Bates believes it was probably for the best: Given the early state of CGI, his screenplay was "likely too ambitious and ahead of its time for the modest budget that was projected." For those still intrigued, fans can read an original draft of Bates' script on the Superman Homepage

2. Superman Reborn (1993)

Producer Jon Peters, who made waves with Batman in 1989, devised his own plan to bring Superman back to the screen after the Reeve era. When Warner Bros. regained the rights to Superman, Peters brought in screenwriter Jonathan Lemkin to pen a reboot that heavily drew inspiration from the 1992 comic event The Death of Superman. In Lemkin's version of Superman Reborn, Superman would have faced off against the deadly intergalactic creature Doomsday, resulting in both of their deaths. In his final moments, Superman would have confessed his love for Lois Lane, which mysteriously led to her pregnancy with a superbaby. For reasons that were never fully explained, the baby would have aged rapidly and assumed his father's mantle as the new Superman.

Warner Bros. rejected the original draft of Superman Reborn—which was undeniably outlandish—and hired screenwriter Gregory Poirier to rewrite it. Poirier's version revised the script to introduce new villains, including Brainiac, Silver Banshee, and Parasite. Though it still featured Superman's death, the plot discarded the magical pregnancy and superpowered baby angle, replacing it with a government experiment that resurrected Superman. Meanwhile, Kevin Smith, who had his own ideas for the franchise, expressed his dislike for Poirier's version and pitched his own vision for the reboot.

3. Superman Lives (1997)

So what exactly was Kevin Smith's vision for Superman? The script, titled Superman Lives, also included Brainiac as a villain and featured Superman's death and resurrection as key plot points. Unfortunately, that's where the similarities with earlier ideas ended. In a detailed monologue at a fan event, Smith revealed that his screenplay was subject to some truly bizarre demands from producer Jon Peters.

According to Smith, during his initial meeting with Peters, the producer revealed that he wanted Sean Penn to play Superman because he imagined the hero as "a violent, caged animal—a f--king killer." Peters also set three strict rules for the script: Superman could not wear his iconic red-and-blue suit, Superman could not fly, and Superman had to battle a giant spider in the third act. After reviewing Smith's first draft, Peters requested that a sidekick for Brainiac, resembling a "gay R2-D2," be added, along with a Chewbacca-like character, all to capitalize on the success of the recent Star Wars re-releases.

Eventually, Batman director Tim Burton agreed to helm Superman Lives, with Nicolas Cage cast as Superman. Burton tossed Smith's script in favor of a new version written by screenwriters he'd personally selected. Locations were scouted, and Cage even did a costume test, but the production faced numerous delays due to creative and logistical challenges. Burton exited the project in 1998, and Cage followed suit in 2000.

4. Batman vs. Superman (2002)

After a series of failed attempts by various writers and directors to bring the next Superman film to life, one script stood out: Batman vs. Superman, written by Andrew Kevin Walker. In a 2002 interview with Variety, director Wolfgang Petersen shared his excitement about the project: "It is a clash of the titans. They complement each other so perfectly. [Superman] represents everything that's noble and good, while Batman embodies the dark, obsessive, and vengeful side. They are two sides of the same coin, and that makes for incredible drama." Petersen also predicted that the entire genre would be permanently changed after the events of 9/11.

In this version of the film, a retired Bruce Wayne's wife would be murdered by the Joker during their wedding, leading Wayne to seek vengeance and uncover a conspiracy involving Lex Luthor. Batman would eventually turn against his old ally, Superman, before they joined forces again to take down Luthor. Petersen initially suggested that Matt Damon would be the type of actor he was looking for, though it's unclear whether he meant Damon for the role of Batman or Superman. Reports suggest that other potential candidates for the two leading roles included Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, James Franco, Jude Law, and Paul Walker.

5. Superman: Flyby (2002)

In the end, Warner Bros. decided to put Batman vs. Superman on hold in favor of another competing script that focused entirely on the Man of Steel: Superman: Flyby, written by J.J. Abrams. (The Batman franchise, which also went through its own prolonged development process, eventually saw a reboot with Batman Begins in 2005.) Superman: Flyby offered a full franchise reboot, exploring the far-reaching effects of a Kryptonian civil war between Superman’s father, Jor-El, and his uncle, Kata-Zor, which eventually reached Earth. As in many Superman stories, the hero dies and is resurrected, with the movie ending with Superman leaving Earth to return to Krypton, setting the stage for a sequel.

Throughout its tumultuous development, several actors were considered for the role of Superman in Superman: Flyby, including Josh Hartnett, Jude Law, Paul Walker, Ashton Kutcher, James Marsden, and Brendan Fraser. After months of delays and false starts, director Brett Ratner dropped out of the project, only to be replaced by McG, who later left when Warner Bros. insisted on shooting in Australia to cut costs. (Ironically, McG later admitted that he was afraid of flying.) While Abrams offered to direct, Warner Bros. ultimately hired Bryan Singer, who went on to release the long-awaited Superman film in 2006: Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh.

6. Untitled Superman Returns sequel (2006)

Sadly for all involved, Warner Bros. was less than thrilled with the response to Superman Returns. (Given the movie's decade-long development cycle, perhaps this was a somewhat understandable reaction from the studio.) With the decision to take the franchise in a new direction, plans for a sequel to Superman Returns were already underway. In a 2010 interview, screenwriter Michael Dougherty revealed that the sequel would have introduced other Kryptonians, although he wouldn't specify if they'd be villains. He also teased that Brainiac might make an appearance. Despite the upcoming Man of Steel reboot (then still in pre-production), Dougherty thought there was a reasonable chance Brandon Routh would reprise his role. (Unfortunately, Brandon.)

And here we are, more than twenty years after Reeve's iconic Superman, with Man of Steel finally making its way to theaters. Will it be the ultimate Superman blockbuster that filmmakers have been striving for all these years, or does the Man of Steel have yet another reboot on the horizon?

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