How would you restart the Superman movie franchise?

[Stick Figure]

I think if they’re not going to go in a really unique direction like casting Michael B Jordan then just give the character a rest. I just don’t think the time is right for a traditional take on the character. That’s tough for me to say as I loved MOS! I’m just not sure a Superman film would mean much to the general audience.

[DrNewGod]

...- Cavill was awesome as Superman...

I was satisfied with Cavill as Superman, but not as Clark. We need to see if anybody can capture something similar to Reeves take on the dual characters.

[Celgress]

A fresh start - A full reboot with a new continuity, no connection to the DCEU.

[stargazer01]

The problem with a full reboot is that it can't happen any time soon because other DC characters like Wonder Woman and Aquaman are having big success with their movies.. it's messy, though Aquaman proved audiences just want great movies that entertain. It's not like they cared so much about Arthur or the DCEU after JL.

[Flash Gordon]

It's really not that hard. It's the same Superman, just a new adventure. He still knows Batman and Aquaman and Wonder Woman, we're just moving forward with him. It can be Cavill or a new guy, but it's the same Superman just on a different day.

[OpaqueGiraffe17]

I’m not gonna vote. But i will say that if I wasn’t a massive fan of the character, I’d probably look at his current track record and the poor foundations Snyder set up for him in the movie universe, I’d probably think it’d be best to give the character a good long break before rebooting again. But the fanboy in me wants a soft reboot with a lighter tone and more charismatic Superman.

[DrNewGod]

The problem with a full reboot is that it can't happen any time soon because other DC characters like Wonder Woman and Aquaman are having big success with their movies.. it's messy, though Aquaman proved audiences just want great movies that entertain. It's not like they cared so much about Arthur or the DCEU after JL.

Unless...nobody gets too uptight about any of that Man of Steel-Justice League stuff as history. Much the same way that audiences don't have a problem fitting Bana-Norton-Ruffalo Hulks together, even though the three films are basically taking a square-shaped character and pounding it through a round hole, and then a star-shaped hole under that.

We as comics fans tend to forget that Everybody Else isn't as hung up on the continuity rules as we are. The Ticket-Buying-Public swallowed the Bat-Transitions without a belch, and the tonal and story/contextal differences between Keaton-Batman, Clooney-Batman, and Bale-Batman were more vast than the distance Voyager has traveled.

You don't need something like Crisis on Infinite Earths to make this work. Restart Superman. Afterward, put him in a movie with Gadot-Wonder Woman and Momoa-Aquaman, et. al. If written, acted, and directed well, it will be okay.

[Vordan]

I’d prefer a full reboot. Keep him in the DCEU like with Batman but throw out the Snyder movies. Start it off with Superman’s first year in Metropolis, drawing on Morrison’s Action Comics run. The Kents died in a car accident on Clark’s prom night. He’s working as a journalist for the Daily Star and is dating Lana Lang who is working for STAR Labs as an engineer. Lois is Clark’s rival with the Daily Planet. Clark is at his Golden Age/New 52 Power levels, and his enemies are General Sam Lane and Metallo. It ends with Supes recovering his rocket from the military, creating the Fortress of Solitude, ditching the t-shirt and jeans look for the Reborn suit, and teasing Brainiac who has been alerted to Clark’s existence by Earth’s media whom he has been monitoring.

[Doctor Know]

MOS sequel.

A reboot would run the risk of running stale. People already know Supes' origin. Just like they know Batman and Spider-Man's.

Best way is to make a sequel and grow the tent of the DCU on the big screen. You have a cast, you have the villains, you have the mythos, you just need a goal post for the character to work towards. A tangible accomplishment and accolade that people can get behind. Simple to do. I've come up with a great accolade to feather Supes' cap.

It wouldn't reach the highs of The Dark Knight, but with some polishing it would come close.

Just look at the X-Men (every film after X3), Fast and Furious (4-8) and Mission Impossible movies (3-6) and how they rebranded themselves and took their stories in a new direction. How you start doesn't matter. Just correct and ride the wave as high and as long as you can.

[Vordan]

I think if they’re not going to go in a really unique direction like casting Michael B Jordan then just give the character a rest. I just don’t think the time is right for a traditional take on the character. That’s tough for me to say as I loved MOS! I’m just not sure a Superman film would mean much to the general audience.

We never really got a traditional take though. And I think you have it reversed: I believe changing Superman up dramatically would cause more backlash than a traditional take. People want a traditional take, it’s why WW and Aquaman did so well why BvS flopped.

[stargazer01]

MOS sequel.

A reboot would run the risk of running stale. People already know Supes' origin. Just like they know Batman and Spider-Man's.

Best way is to make a sequel and grow the tent of the DCU on the big screen. You have a cast, you have the villains, you have the mythos, you just need a goal post for the character to work towards. A tangible accomplishment and accolade that people can get behind. Simple to do. I've come up with a great accolade to feather Supes' cap.

It wouldn't reach the highs of The Dark Knight, but with some polishing it would come close.

Just look at the X-Men (every film after X3), Fast and Furious (4-8) and Mission Impossible movies (3-6) and how they rebranded themselves and took their stories in a new direction. How you start doesn't matter. Just correct and ride the wave as high and as long as you can.

This. Another origin too soon is unnecessary and could be seen as been there, done that by general audiences. Just give us a new adventure without mentioning much from previous movies. A lighter tone but make the villain very threatening. Superman needs more confidence and optimism. If Cavill is not available, recast with a charismatic and solid actor who looks the part. Someone around 30.

We definitely need a more traditional Superman portrayal this time. But not campy humor or goofy Clark please. Mild-Mannered. He needs to act a bit different than Superman. That's stuff is fun. oh and bring back Jimmy Olsen. Ignore BvS.

[Ascended]

I voted for a MoS sequel with the same cast but no Snyder. Only because I believe Cavill and co. deserve a chance to return and WB doesn't seem willing to go really wild with their films and are keeping most of them in a shared continuity still, even if the "shared" aspect is going to be played down.

But my absolute ideal would be a Golden Age Superman movie set in the 40's; totally stand-alone and self-contained. HBO meets Tom DeHaven's "It's Superman!" novel fused with the old cartoons, Morrison's opening Action arc, and the original Golden Age material itself. That would be a dream for me.

But Cavill deserves his shot and I think a lot of the things Snyder was trying to do could still generate strong returns, narratively, if it was played right.

[superduperman]

I feel like I need to justify the reboot idea. First of all, I don't like the idea of Batman being 20 years older than everyone else. I feel like there are a lot of story opportunities being given up just so Snyder could do DKR. If you keep the DCEU, there is no way around this. Second of all, there are just too many problematic elements associated with their Superman as is. That just a good sequel wouldn't fix. You can say the guy who got shot wasn't Jimmy but the very fact that you have to do that is part of the problem. He still killed Zod, after they both wiped out half a city. Pa still told him to let a bus full of kids drown. The entire DCEU Superman mythos is problematic. As for Aquaman and Wonder Woman...the short answer is, I honestly don't know. The question is what do you think is best for Superman and this is what I think is best for Superman. Snyder never should have been let anywhere near Superman. I don't know what's wrong with the management at WB. Why they can't just do a straight version of Superman without gimmicks. We haven't gotten a "traditional" version of Superman since 1987.

[Flash Gordon]

Unless...nobody gets too uptight about any of that Man of Steel-Justice League stuff as history. Much the same way that audiences don't have a problem fitting Bana-Norton-Ruffalo Hulks together, even though the three films are basically taking a square-shaped character and pounding it through a round hole, and then a star-shaped hole under that.

We as comics fans tend to forget that Everybody Else isn't as hung up on the continuity rules as we are. The Ticket-Buying-Public swallowed the Bat-Transitions without a belch, and the tonal and story/contextal differences between Keaton-Batman, Clooney-Batman, and Bale-Batman were more vast than the distance Voyager has traveled.

You don't need something like Crisis on Infinite Earths to make this work. Restart Superman. Afterward, put him in a movie with Gadot-Wonder Woman and Momoa-Aquaman, et. al. If written, acted, and directed well, it will be okay.

This! Agree 100%.

[Flash Gordon]

I feel like I need to justify the reboot idea. First of all, I don't like the idea of Batman being 20 years older than everyone else. I feel like there are a lot of story opportunities being given up just so Snyder could do DKR. If you keep the DCEU, there is no way around this. Second of all, there are just too many problematic elements associated with their Superman as is. That just a good sequel wouldn't fix. You can say the guy who got shot wasn't Jimmy but the very fact that you have to do that is part of the problem. He still killed Zod, after they both wiped out half a city. Pa still told him to let a bus full of kids drown. The entire DCEU Superman mythos is problematic. As for Aquaman and Wonder Woman...the short answer is, I honestly don't know. The question is what do you think is best for Superman and this is what I think is best for Superman. Snyder never should have been let anywhere near Superman. I don't know what's wrong with the management at WB. Why they can't just do a straight version of Superman without gimmicks. We haven't gotten a "traditional" version of Superman since 1987.

Cast a James Olsen, no need to mention that scene from BvS again.

Pa Kent never said to let those kids drown, he said he wasnt sure. More importantly Clark saved them. I'm sure Pa Kent said other things.

The Zod stuff will have to sit, but use it to show growth in Superman. He will never let that level of destruction happen again.

Alexander Luthor was the son of the real Lex Luthor.

We can either use the fact that Superman died and came back, and use it to tell better stories or we can just leave it behind- I can see good stories coming from either.

Everything else doesnt matter, just move the needle forward. Leave almost all of JL behind.

Superman has been around since 1938. I've lived through tons of awful Superman stories AND lots of good ones. There's nothing keeping a good writer and director from coming and just making a good Superman flick.