Superman vs. Hollywood How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon

by Rossen, Jake; Millar, Mark

• ISBN13: 9781556527319
• ISBN10: 1556527314
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-02-01
• Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Summary

Tinseltown's fascination with the comic icon is detailed in this book, encompassing all the behind-the-scenes machinations that helped shape Superman into a screen legendand all the derailed projects that have vilified everyone involved. These newly uncovered stories about the odyssey of bringing the Man of Steel to the big screen include the challenge of making Superman appear to fly, and the many casting processes, which at various points had Superman being played by the likes of Bruce Jenner, Robert Redford, Sylvester Stallone, Neil Diamond, Nicolas Cage, Justin Timberlake, Keanu Reeves, and even Muhammad Ali. Based on extensive interviews with producers, screenwriters, cast members, and crew, this exposespills the beans on all the various TV shows, from the classic The Adventures of Superman to the current hitSmallville; the various animated efforts on both the large and small screens; and the moviesfrom 1979's smash hitSuperman: The Movieto 2006's wildly expensiveSuperman Returns. Also included are the stories about the Superman movies that never made it to the screen, helmed by maverick directors Kevin Smith and Tim Burton, and featuring expenditures on scripts and sets that are even more eye-popping than the films' special effects.

Author Biography

Jake Rossen is a freelance writer who wrote a cover story for Wizard magazine on Superman Returns. He lives in Binghamton, New York.

Jake Rossen is a freelance writer who wrote a cover story for Wizard magazine on Superman Returns.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Test Patterns	p. 1
The Monkey Suit	p. 23
Purgatory	p. 41
Flights of Fancy	p. 56
Cape Fears	p. 74
Metropolis Now	p. 88
Reel Steel	p. 104
Dicked	p. 118
Pryor Motives	p. 133
Girl Power	p. 145
Nuclear Disaster	p. 158
Escape the Cape	p. 174
Krypton by Moonlight	p. 191
Down, Down, and Astray	p. 207
Grounded	p. 222
The Phantom Zone	p. 237
Superboy Redux	p. 250
Fear of Flying	p. 265
Takeoff	p. 281
Epilogue	p. 297
Source Notes	p. 302
Index	p. 316
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.