Superman Returns

***Superman Returns*** is a 2006 American superhero film directed and produced by Bryan Singer. It is based on the DC Comics characterSuperman and serves as an homage sequel to the motion pictures*Superman* (1978) and *Superman II* (1980),[1][2] ignoring the events of*Superman III* (1983) and *Superman IV* (1987).[1] The film stars Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, Kevin Spaceyas Lex Luthor, with James Marsden, Frank Langella, and Parker Posey. The film tells the story of the title character returning to Earth after a five-year absence. He finds that his love interest Lois Lane has moved on with her life, and that his archenemy Lex Luthor is plotting a scheme that will destroy him and the world.

After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect *Superman* on the screen,Warner Bros. hired Bryan Singer to direct and develop *Superman Returns* in July 2004. The majority of principal photography took place at Fox Studios Australia, Sydney, while the visual effects sequences were created by a number of studios, including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues,Framestore, Rising Sun Pictures, and The Orphanage;[3] filming ended in November 2005.

*Superman Returns* was a box office success, receiving positive reviews from critics praising its story, visual effects and style. However, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the worldwide box office return. A sequel was planned for a summer 2009 release, but the project was later canceled. The *Superman* film series was rebooted in 2013 with the film *Man of Steel*, directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill as Superman.

## Plot

Superman (Brandon Routh) has been missing for five years, since traveling to the location where astronomers believed they had discovered the remains of Krypton. During his absence, Superman's nemesis, mad scientist Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey), was released from prison (due to Superman's failure to appear at Lex's trial) and married an old rich widow (Noel Neill) to obtain her fortune upon her death. Having failed in his quest to find surviving Kryptonians, Superman returns to Earth and, as Clark Kent, resumes his job at the *Daily Planet* in Metropolis. He subsequently learns that Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has won a Pulitzer Prize for her article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman". Meanwhile, Lex travels to the Fortress of Solitude and steals Kryptonian crystals to use for an experiment that causes a mass power outage on the East Coast. The power loss interferes with the flight test of a space shuttle to be launched into space from its piggy-back mounting on an airliner, occupied by Lois Lane, who is covering the story. Clark flies into action as Superman and stops the plane from crashing onto a baseball stadium.

The world rejoices at Superman's return, but he has difficulty coping with Lois's fiancé, Richard White (James Marsden), nephew of *Daily Planet* editor-in-chief Perry White (Frank Langella), and their 5-year-old son, Jason (Tristan Lake Leabu). With Superman distracted by an out-of-control vehicle, a diversion involving Lex's partner-in-crime, Kitty Kowalski (Parker Posey), Lex steals kryptonite from the Metropolis Museum of Natural History. Perry then assigns Lois to interview Superman while Clark investigates the blackout. Lois and Jason inadvertently board Lex's yacht and are captured after Lois decides to investigate the blackout story, which she connects to Luthor's experiment. He reveals to them his latest scheme to grab land and power. By combining one of the stolen Kryptonian crystals with Kryptonite, Luthor can grow a new continental landmass in the Northern Atlantic Ocean, one that will cause sea levels to rise drastically and give Lex the opportunity to get revenge on Superman, as well as kill billions of people, afford him full control of the only available land for the survivors and Kryptonian technology.

Noticing that Jason experiences a slight reaction to Kryptonite, Lex asks who Jason's father really is; Lois asserts that the father is Richard. The crystal begins to create Lex's new landmass, while Lois attempts to escape but is attacked by a henchman. Jason throws a piano at the henchman, killing him and proving that he is actually Superman's son. Meanwhile, Superman is attempting to minimize the destruction in Metropolis caused by the growth of the new landmass when Richard arrives in a sea plane to rescue Lois and Jason from the sinking yacht. Superman soon arrives to help and then flies off to find Lex.

Meeting Lex, Superman discovers the landmass is filled with Kryptonite, which weakens him to the point that Lex and his henchmen are able to beat him. Lex stabs Superman with a shard of Kryptonite which causes Superman to stagger and fall into the ocean. Lois makes Richard turn back to rescue Superman, whereupon she removes the Kryptonite from his back. Superman, after regaining his strength from the sun, lifts the landmass after putting layers of earth between him and the Kryptonite. Lex and Kitty escape in their helicopter; Kitty, unwilling to let billions of people die, tosses away the crystals that Lex stole from the Fortress of Solitude. She and Luthor are stranded on a tiny desert island when their helicopter runs out of fuel. Superman pushes the landmass into space with the crystals trapped on the landmass, but is weakened by the Kryptonite and crashes back to Earth. At the hospital, doctors remove more Kryptonite from Superman's wound, but their surgical tools and hospital machines are either damaged or destroyed when they try to revive him. While Superman remains in a coma, Lois and Jason visit him at the hospital where Lois whispers something into Superman's ear and then kisses him. Superman later awakens and flies to visit Jason, reciting his father Jor-El's (Marlon Brando) last speech to Jason as he sleeps. Lois starts writing another article, titled "Why the World Needs Superman". Superman reassures her that he is now back to stay, and flies off to low orbit, where he gazes down at the world.

## Cast

* Brandon Routh as Clark Kent / Superman: The Kryptonian superhero who disguises himself as a journalist. Stephan Bender portrays the teenage Clark Kent in a flashback scene. Jim Caviezel also expressed interest in the role.[4]However, Singer believed only an unknown actor would be suitable for the part.[5] Routh was chosen from thousands of candidates interviewed at casting calls in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.[6] He had coincidentally auditioned for Clark Kent in the television series *Smallville*, but lost to Tom Welling. Routh had also met director Joseph "McG" Nichol for the role during pre-production of *Superman: Flyby*. Dana Reeve, wife of Christopher Reeve, believed Routh's physical resemblance to her late husband was striking.[7] To obtain the muscular physique to play Superman convincingly, Routh underwent a strict bodybuilding exercise regimen.[8]
* Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane: A reporter who works with Clark Kent at the *Daily Planet*, and former lover of Superman. Spacey recommended Singer to cast Bosworth in the role because she co-starred with Spacey in *Beyond the Sea*(2004) as Sandra Dee.[9] Claire Danes and Keri Russell were reportedly considered for the role.[10] Amy Adams, who would later be cast as Lois Lane in the 2013 reboot *Man of Steel*, confirmed in an interview that she had also auditioned for Lois in 2005. Adams had previously auditioned for Lois in 2003 when Brett Ratner was planning to direct*Superman: Flyby*.[11] Bosworth studied Katharine Hepburn's acting for inspiration, particularly in *The Philadelphia Story*(1940) and *Guess Who's Coming to Dinner* (1967),[10] as well as Julia Roberts in *Erin Brockovich* (2000).[12]
* Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor: An evil sociopath armed with vast resources and an extensive knowledge of science who is Superman's nemesis. Because of his Academy Award-winning performance in Singer's film *The Usual Suspects*(1995), and friendship with the director, Spacey was the only actor considered for Lex Luthor. The writers specifically had Spacey in mind for the part when writing the script.[9] Spacey's version of Luthor has the same comically exaggerated vanity and pompous arrogance of the earlier Gene Hackman version as well as the same strong interest in real estate, but Spacey's version is far less campy and more serious. Spacey later said that director Singer told him to play the character as "darker and more bitter" compared to Hackman and not to use the earlier portrayal as an inspiration.[13]
* James Marsden as Richard White: The nephew of the *Daily Planet* editor-in-chief Perry White and fiancé to Lois Lane. Marsden said Richard acts as an emotional challenge for Superman, since the hero comes back to find that "Lois Lane picks somebody who's very Supermanesque".[14]
* Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski: Lex Luthor's henchwoman. She served as a prison nurse and would give Lex his examinations.[15] The character is based on Eve Teschmacher from the 1978 film, portrayed by Valerie Perrine.[16]Posey was the only actress considered for the role.[17]
* Marlon Brando as Jor-El: Superman's biological father. Brando (who died in 2004) reprises his role from the 1978 film through the use of previous footage combined with computer-generated imagery. This required negotiations with Brando's estate for permission to have his footage used. Singer explained, "We had access to all of the Brando footage that was shot. There was unused footage that had Brando reciting poems, trailing off subject and swearing like a sailor."[18]
* Tristan Lake Leabu as Jason White: The son of Lois Lane and Superman. The question of whether Superman or Richard is Jason's father is initially unclear. He suffers from asthma and other ailments, but it is later revealed that he is the son of Superman, when he displays superhuman strength and discomfort around Kryptonite.

Other cast members include Frank Langella, who plays *Daily Planet* editor Perry White, a role originally attached to Hugh Laurie;[19] Sam Huntington as *Daily Planet* photographer Jimmy Olsen, Eva Marie Saint as Clark Kent's adoptive motherMartha Kent, and Kal Penn as one of Luthor's henchmen, Stanford. Jack Larson, who portrayed Jimmy Olsen in the 1950s television series *Adventures of Superman*, makes a cameo appearance as a bartender. Noel Neill—who portrayed Lois Lane in the television series and the film serials *Superman* (1948) and *Atom Man vs. Superman* (1950) -- appears as Luthor's elderly wife Gertrude Vanderworth. Richard Branson cameos as the engineer aboard the space shuttle. Another of Luthor's henchmen (Riley) is played by former Australian Rugby League player Ian Roberts.[20]