DC'S GREGORY NOVECK, PART 2: "MAN OF STEEL" & "JUSTICE LEAGUE"

by Edward Gross

With an announcement of casting reportedly coming within the next couple of weeks, director George Miller’s take on Justice League should be in front of the cameras in Australia early next year for a 2009 release. In the second part of our interview with DC’s Gregory Noveck, we discuss the power of the Justice League script written by Kiernan and Michele Mulroney, as well as the fate of Bryan Singer’s sequel to Superman Returns, Man of Steel. Look for Noveck’s views of the new line of made-for-DVD DC animated movies, particularly Justice League: New Frontier, in the next issue of Movie Magic magazine (on sale December 17^th) and, at about the same time, on this site.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: There are so many rumors on the Internet, including that Bryan Singer’s Man of Steel is not happening. Is that film still on the table?

GREGORY NOVECK: Oh, yeah, absolutely.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: Well, the word is that it’s been put on “indefinite hold” because of Justice League.

GREGORY NOVECK: That’s not true. The reason that Justice League is powering forward first is because the script came in and it was phenomenal.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: It’s really that good?

GREGORY NOVECK: It is, and that very rarely happens in Hollywood on a movie of this scale, and when it does you have no choice but to say, “We’d better catch lightning in a bottle and go!” All of a sudden, six months later, who knows what’s going to happen? You want to hold on to those writers, you’ve got massive interest from directors, you land someone like George Miller, so you go. And in the middle of it all, you’ve got Bryan going off to make another movie, which was a passion project of his. When he comes back, we’ll dive right in to Man of Steel. We’re scripting and it’s going to happen. We’re not going to make it until the script is great, but we’ll get there one way or the other and it’s not going to take nine years.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: I think Bryan has said this himself, but the difference between Superman Returns and Man of Steel needs to be the difference between Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Wrath of Khan.

GREGORY NOVECK: I think that’s accurate, absolutely. But I think what Superman Returns did was that, at the very least, it brought the character back to the forefront and got people talking about him. The thing with Batman is that Batman will always be cool because he’s an iteration of your Id. He a cool, dark character who has the cool toys, has no remorse and yet there’s a moral line that he won’t cross. Plus he’s got a great, tragic back story. You never have to worry about Batman going out of style because of those elements. With Superman there’s always that thing that he’s not cool anymore, he’s got the blue suit and the red cape and he’s such a product of his era. How do you update it? But I think one of the things that Bryan was really successful at conveying in the movie, is that you don’t need to update that. It’s iconography that’s so universal at this point, that you just have to maintain it. Now does that mean you can have a more action-packed story and play up the relationships? Of course, but it doesn’t mean let’s have Versace design the cape.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: And you don’t have to, as Jon Peters tried to do for 10 years, get him out of the costume or depower him.

GREGORY NOVECK: No, because I think the minute you do that, you’ve screwed up and it’s no longer Superman. That was the problem with so much of the development of the project for years.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: I liked Superman Returns, but like I said, I should have loved it and I couldn’t.

GREGORY NOVECK: Look, I totally understand the criticism. For me, it was such a struggle to get to that point and I thank God every day that Bryan said, “I want to do it,” because he at least came in with a respect for the character.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: Earlier you mentioned how strong the Justice League script was, which I’m glad to hear, because, again, the Internet is alive with people screaming that given the speed at which it’s coming together, there’s no way it can be good.

GREGORY NOVECK: No, we’re rushing it because the script came in so good. There was no mandate that we had to go and make this movie. What created the mandate was you had a strong script with all of these characters and there’s a window, so you go and do it.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: I was just surprised because these writers seemed to come out of nowhere.

GREGORY NOVECK: To the greater populatce the Mulroneys seemed to come out of nowhere, but they were fairly accomplished within Hollywood and they were responsible for a lot of great stuff in Mr. and Mrs. Smith. What’s great about Kiernan and Michele is that they came in – Kiernan was a comic reader as a kid, but hadn’t followed it for a long time – and approached it with an understanding that the characters are characters that deserve some reverence. They are very much character writers. All of the conflict and everything else has to come from a place of character, and the action is second. The movie is action-packed, there’s a ton of stuff, but it’s not like the typical Hollywood blockbuster where it’s, like, “Oh, big action sequence. And why do we care?” I think part of the reason that so many responded so strongly to the script is because you just have these wonderful interactions between the characters. And this apart from the plot, which is strong and makes sense and tracks and people, when they see the movie, will be able to say, “Okay, I totally understand how all this can happen within this world.” I think part of the reason you go is that you want to see Superman and Batman have a conversation. And what is that conversation? You want to see how all of these men react when Wonder Woman first walks on screen. If you’re a normal, red-blooded male or even a Martian-blooded mail, what does it mean to be confronted by this goddess?

VOICES FROM KRYPTON It’s like Ursula Andress coming out of the water in Dr. No.

GREGORY NOVECK: Exactly. And the Mulroneys really understood that each one of these characters automatically changes the dynamic of the room as soon as they walk in, because they all have such different powers and back stories. They approached each one of these characters as an individual and as a unique character that influences everything else around them.

FOR PART ONE OF THIS INTERVIEW, JUST CLICK HERE.

CHECK OUT OUR SISTER SITE JUSTICE LEAGUE ON FILM, BY CLICKING HERE.

Comments

[Brian]

this sounds like a studio fluff piece from a guy who's towing the company line. If SR wasnt dead, we'd be talking about it now instead of this horrid JLA film. They're not gonna delay a franchise that they feel is successful b/c they got a "hot script." They'd go with the proven commodity and save the hot script for another day. It's not like it could go to another studio since WB owns the characters anyway.

[Van Banoovong]

Brandon Routh may not play Superman in the Justice League movies, but I'm glad that the Superman sequel is still on track. As for the Justice League movie, I'm hoping it would be epic and not kiddy-like. As far as I'm concerned, Brandon Routh is Superman of the 21st Century.

[gogogo]

Something seems fishy.
Why risk having a new actor go in and do a BETTER job of superman? it will ruin your other series if you try and bring routh back in.

(i think they just saw the success of Xmen, and the potential for spinoffs...you're gonna see: JLA: Batman in 2013)

[Jonathan]

Yea, I agree Brandon, as well as Christian, should be in the JL movie.

Aw well, good to hear that Brandon will be in Man of Steel!

[Ty]

I love your site. Thank you for getting to the bottom of the rumors about the cancellation of "The Man of Steel." As a huge fan of "Superman Returns," I think this is great news.

It also will allow me to get excited about "Justice League" rather than seeing it as the movie that destroyed the "Superman Returns" sequel.

I agree that it would be ideal for both Routh and Bale to resume their roles for JL, as then the movie franchises could work together as one big whole. That's the work of three directors and creative teams, though, so I can see why they may decide against that route.

[Keith]

"But I think what Superman Returns did was that, at the very least, it brought the character back to the forefront and got people talking about him... With Superman there’s always that thing that he’s not cool anymore, he’s got the blue suit and the red cape and he’s such a product of his era. How do you update it?"

Noveck sounds like he's never heard of a show called "Smallville." If I'm not mistaken, that show is what brought Superman back to the forefront. No one else has done a more successful job of making Superman relevant to the current generation than the folks behind that show.

If nothing else, the bad buzz and cool reception Superman Returns received undid a lot of the good that Smallville accomplished. On Smallville, Clark Kent's greatest ability is belief in humanity. In Superman Returns, Superman is a selfish being who see himself ABOVE humanity. People wonder why audiences have such a hard time identifying with a character like Superman. Fortunately, on Smallville, viewers don't have that problem. The main reason I believe a Superman movie based on the characterizations established in "Smallville" would succeed is because the creators of the show get how to portray Clark Kent. Just like Chris Nolan understood Bruce Wayne is just as important as Batman, so do Gough & Millar understand that Clark Kent is as essential as Superman.

[Mike]

I prefer there not be another Superman movie, unless they get another director. If they do keep Bryan Singer, they should set him straight regarding the way Superman should be done. Superman Returns lacked action (the plane scene was good, but that was it) It was very slow at times. They should also do away with the kid and change Superman's costume back to the way it should be. Now the Justice League Movie, I am definitely excited about.

[Ryan]

I would say let the movie stand on it's own. Honestly it would be insulting to have Bale's great and nearly perfect portrail of Batman next to that of Routh. Routh has the acting ability of a grapefruit and Superman was horrible. Don't muck up a great Batman franchise with Routh. So let JLA be all new people...let them prevail or fail on their own. They don't need Routh or Singers help.

[Bobby Brown]

I also liked SR, but what a wasted opportunity. Sorry Singer, but the ridiculous character plot decisions that were made (having a child) and the Donner worshipping, help destroy what could have been a great movie. I love the 1978 Superman and also feel that it is timeless and iconic, but by trying to stay soooo "true" to it, you pigeon-holed yourself from making it feel current, and honestly, who can replace Hackman or Reeves? You force comparisons like that when you take it in that direction. The only person that can make a Donner movie is Donner. Make your own movie.

Routh was fine, but nothing in the script gave him the opportunity to wow anyone. I’m a big fan of Spacey too, but let Spacey be Luthor, not Hackman’s Luthor. You want him threatening? Make him run for the Presidential office and become the world’s poster child for hope while the Man of Steel was gone. (Yes, it’s from the comics and Smallville has teased us as well.) Hell, make him win at the end of the movie … what a nice cliffhanger that would be. What guilt Superman would feel … Make him the cunning, technological genius worthy of Superman, forcing Superman to have to have out think Luthor, not out muscle him. Hasn’t he learned any lessons in the 1st 4 movies … stop making Luthor an idiot. That might of worked in the 70’s, but audiences now want more … minus the Saw crowd of course. To go with the same 1978 Luthor scheme of killing for real estate is dated, unimaginative, and honestly, non-threatening. Besides, who in the world wants to build a house on that cold, black rock?

Ok, constructive criticisms coming up. The idea of Kal-El flying off for years to look for Krypton? Bit dramatic don’t you think? First of all, he wouldn’t just suddenly abandon earth, his home, if there wasn’t a sense of urgency. Secondly, he’s not that selfish. Superman holds himself to an extremely high moral standard … it’s his greatest strength, and is why he and Batman clash so much. Stay true to the core values of the character please. Anyway, if Singer really wanted him to leave, have him detect a distress beacon from his cousin … later we can find out it was a false signal or was it? Dun, dun, dun!

Ok, more random constructive criticisms coming up. To simply ignore Smallville all together when it was actually at a high pt (5th season I believe) was to ostracize a huge fan base ... at least give them a wink. And what the hell does making the 2nd movie into a Wrath of Khan mean? Sometimes, when filmmakers say that, they mean that there will be a lot more action. Ok, I’m all for that, but if the plot is as bad as SR, then it’ll be no better than the first. Oh, and I love WoK, so you better bring it when you make statements like that. The color scheme was bad too … I know you were going for the loneliness feel, but damn, it was kind of depressing. Get rid of the lady who played Lois … very forgettable … what’s her name? For the love of comics, stop having the villains discover the hero’s secret hideout! It’s a cheap and overused plot device to create problems for the hero and it makes Superman seem incompetent … all that advanced Kryptonian tech and Kal-El’s supermind …

There are some redeeming things about the movie. Routh does looks good as Superman. The airplane scene was pretty cool. James Marsden actually was the most interesting character in the whole movie oddly enough. He was annoying as Cyclops/X-men, but here, he actually steals the scenes. The classic John Williams score is perfect as usual, though there should’ve been a 2nd memorable theme to underline this movie … think Star Wars IV-VI. You kept the costume faithful … I understand the slight changes to fit with Routh’s body type. Oh the flashbacks were memorable.

Yes, everyone likes to be armchair quarterback and criticize movies, even though we’ll never have the chance to actually direct one. Yes, we don’t understand the process or pressures of being in the business. Blah, blah, blah. I’m not saying Singer’s not talented … I loved the Usual Suspects and thought X2 was ok. I just believe he needs to rethink his approach to this character and make his own movie.

[Whitney Houston]

If Singer is going to have more action for the 2nd Superman movie, he should get some help ... all that wire-fu in his Xmen movies either sucked or was ok at best.