Thu Oct 30, 2008 — by Josh Wigler

Millar Talks 'Superman' Pitch

Reveals Details of his Would-Be Movie

It's no secret that Mark Millar wants in on Warner Bros.' announced Superman relaunch. He'd hoped to write what ended up being Superman Returns, but was held back due to an exclusive contract with Marvel Comics. Recently, Millar put himself back in the mix for Kal El's next adventure, alleging the attachment of a "big Hollywood action director" to his vision.

Empire Online has an interview with the Superman: Red Son writer about his take on the character's film future. Millar hopes to film an eight hour saga, split over three years ala Lord of the Rings.

He unveils details of the would-be film, describing it thusly:

"I want to start on Krypton, a thousand years ago, and end with Superman alone on Planet Earth, the last being left on the planet, as the yellow sun turns red and starts to supernova, and he loses his powers.

"It’s gonna be like Michael Corleone in the Godfather films, the entire story from beginning to end," Millar continues. "You see where he starts, how he becomes who he becomes, and where that takes him. The Dark Knight showed you can take a comic book property and make a serious film, and I think the studios are ready to listen to bigger ideas now."

Millar says he understands what Bryan Singer went for with Superman Returns. "[Singer was going for an] homage to Richard Donner's original vision," he says, "but I think you should pay homage by doing something completely different."

Unsurprisingly, Donner was tickled pink at Singer's tribute to the 1978 Superman. However, in the face of an inevitable reboot, Donner agrees that a comic book writer should tackle the character... just not Mark Millar.

"I'd like to see Geoff Johns take a crack at Superman," Donner told the L.A. Times earlier this month. "I think he would be startling. Did you read his comics? There it is. It's there on paper."

Johns, who previously worked as an assistant to Donner, collaborated with the filmmaker on a string of Superman comic book arcs, including "Last Son" and "Escape From Bizarro World." Clearly, then, he's biased on the situation, but can he be blamed? Johns has written some truly excellent stories in Action Comics, most notably his recent "Brainiac" five parter that re-killed John Kent and leads into the current "New Krypton" arc.

Maybe it is Johns who should tackle the Man of Steel, but by all accounts, it sounds like Millar's first on line. Who do you think would be the better man for the project? Sound off below!

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