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See the $10m Unused Superman Returns Opening

July 27, 2011 By 3 Comments
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I enjoyed Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns but can see why it received a thorough critical kicking on its release, and now there’s a little more of Singer’s Supes to enjoy/hate.

For all it did right, and I hold to the opinion that it did quite a lot of things right, it disappointed a lot of people and I doubt this rediscovered opening sequence would have held any sway with them. Available on the Superman Anthology Blu-ray set this sequence would have preceded the events we saw in the film and I’m guessing would have been our first introduction to Routh’s Superman, which seems like a poor beginning to such an iconic role.

Apparently this sequence cost $10m and is available to watch in full HD below. Several of the commenters on the Youtube video claim to have been involved with the production of this sequence which was excised during the production and taking them at their word it must be something to have your work finally make it out into the world.

This comes to us from CHUD and Youtuber ColmanReese whose other videos are all about Bernard Manning. I see no correlation.

Title: See the $10m Unused Superman Returns Opening
Reviewed by Jon Lyus on Jul 27
Rating:

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  • huskerdu

    The opening sequence is sans music, which doesn’t help, but the main thing is that the context of this opening scene is all out of whack. This would have come after a very different opening credits sequence to the one we got (lots of context about Superman’s past and the ‘why did he leave’ stuff) and it would have flowed into this rather brilliantly.

    Warners biggest mistake was to not greenlight a sequel to this pretty much off the bat.  If they’d done that they could have launched other superhero franchises in and around this and Nolan’s Bat-films and had some of the pie that Marvel’s been feasting on since 2008. But no, they had to pull the plug, try and launch a JLA movie, then end up bottling out of that and instead go and back something like Green Lantern, which’ll end up grossing about a third of what Superman Returns earned. Way to go WB!

    Oh, and as for the films critical ‘kicking’. That’s simply not true. It generally got very
    good reviews. It was the shrill voice of the internet that squealed
    louder and then loudest about what they didn’t like about it. Bizarre.

  • http://twitter.com/g0_f1sh Jordan Crossfield

    Loved this film, thought it got a lot of undeserved flack. Seriously glad this scene was abandoned though, doesn’t hit the right tone and seems slightly aimless. 

  • Dave Roper

    Fascinating, but rightly excised. The final version of the film kicked things off just right – a loud bang and then into John Williams’ matchless score.
    I really like Superman Returns and will defend it to the hilt. I think the only mis-step was showing Superman hoisting a kryptonite encrusted continent into space with a shard of the stuff in his back. His battle with kryptonite was never a will-power issue – it debilitates him, full stop. Other than that, cannot praise the film enough and despite some revisionist history from some critics now, it was well-received at the time by most. Empire, for example, gave it 5 stars and I think rightly so.