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Superman in film
| Adaptations of Superman in film in other media | |
|---|---|
 Actors who have portrayed Superman: (top) Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, John Haymes Newton, (middle) Gerard Christopher, Dean Cain, Tom Welling, Brandon Routh, (bottom) Henry Cavill, Tyler Hoechlin, Nicolas Cage, and David Corenswet. | |
| Created by | |
| Original source | Comics published by DC Comics |
| First appearance | Action Comics #1 (April 1938) |
| Films and television | |
| Film(s) |
|
DC Comics's Superman franchise, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has seen the release of various films since its inception.[1] The character debuted in cinemas in a series of animated shorts beginning in 1941 and was the protagonist of two movie serials in 1948 and 1950. An independent studio, Lippert Pictures, released the first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves, in 1951. In 1973, the film rights to the Superman character were purchased by Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler. After multiple scripts and several years in development, Richard Donner was hired as director, and he shot two films, Superman (1978) (marketed as Superman: The Movie), and Superman II (1980), at the same time, both starring Christopher Reeve. Donner had filmed 75 percent of Superman II before it was decided to finish shooting the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after Superman's release and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish Superman II. Lester returned to direct Superman III (1983). The Salkinds also produced the spin-off Supergirl (1984). They then sold the rights to Cannon Films, which produced the poorly reviewed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights in 1993.
Over the course of 11 years, Warner Bros. developed and cancelled three projects: Tim Burton's Superman Lives, which would have starred Nicolas Cage; Wolfgang Petersen's Batman vs. Superman; and the J. J. Abrams-scripted Superman: Flyby which went between directors Joseph "McG" Nichols and Brett Ratner. In 2004, the studio hired Bryan Singer to take over the films and released Superman Returns in 2006, starring Brandon Routh. Donner's director's cut for Superman II was also released that year. Despite positive reviews, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the financial performance of Superman Returns, and canceled a sequel, which would have been released in 2009. The studio nearly started production of a Justice League film with George Miller directing and D. J. Cotrona as Superman for a 2009 release, but it was shelved in 2008.
The film series was rebooted in 2013 with Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder with Henry Cavill starring as Superman. Man of Steel launched what became known as the DC Extended Universe, a cinematic franchise intended to rival the highly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cavill next appeared as Superman in the DCEU films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) (both again directed by Snyder), and in the director's cut of Justice League, Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021); he then made a cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam (2022). The Flash (2023) featured Superman cameos portrayed by Henry Cavill, Nicolas Cage, George Reeves, and Christopher Reeve. Sasha Calle, along with Helen Slater, appeared as Supergirl in the film.
A new film starring the character, titled simply Superman, is scheduled for release in July 2025. Written and directed by James Gunn, and co-produced by Gunn and Peter Safran, it is intended to be the first live-action film of the DC Universe (DCU) media franchise and shared universe. David Corenswet has been cast as Superman for the film.
- ^ "Superman on Screen: A History of Superman Movies". www.librarypoint.org. March 26, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
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