Concept Art Revealed For Aborted ‘Superman’ Films By J.J. Abrams And Bryan Singer
One of the first pieces of online film journalism to truly legitimize the profession wasDrew McWeeny’sSeptember 2002 evisceration of aJ.J. Abramsscript for a film eventually referred to asSuperman: Flyby. McWeeny, then working forAin’t It Cool Newsunder the name “Moriarty,” ripped apart Abrams' script so completely, and in such a public forum, that he is widely credited for killing the film. To this day, the pieceis a fantastic read.
This was before Superman returned and before Batman began. At the time, Warner Brothers was hoping to reinvent their superhero franchises with filmmakers likeMcGandBrett Ratner.They couldn’t know that the man who would eventually revitalize Batman wasalready working for themor that their Superman screenwriter would do the same for Paramount andStar Trekyears later. This wasn’t the J.J. Abrams ofMission: ImpossibleorLost. This was theAliasandFelicityJ.J. Abrams.
Years later, we’ve got a tiny glimpse at what might have been if Abrams' script got made, as well as another huge “almost” in Superman movie lore. Special effects guruSteve Johnson, who was responsible for revealing theTim Burton costume testsfor a failed late NinetiesSupermanreboot, posted agallery on his Facebookwith concept art for different Superman costumes as well as some sketches of Doomsday, who apparently was being considered as a villain if directorBryan Singergot a second crack at the Man of Steel afterSuperman Returns. Check them out and more after the break.
First up is the Doomsday concept art. For anyone who isn’t aware,Doomsdayis a character that was basically created to kill Superman in 1992 in the famousDeath of Supermancomic arc. I think these drawings look great and I’d still love to see Superman meet his match on film.
Next up are a series of drawings for costumes that were originally designed for the Abrams' movie, then slowly progressed along to Bryan Singer’sSuperman Returnsbefore getting scrapped for what you eventually saw in the finished film. Check them out.
The one thing to remember is that concept art is just that – a concept. Chances are there were a million different versions of the Superman suit that were drawn just so who ever eventually signed on to do the project would have options. The amount of steps that it would have taken to get one of those costumes approved is insane. That said,costumes like thisdid make it to the test phase so anything is possible.
What are you thoughts on Doomsday in a Superman movie and the concept drawings above?
