Kal-El of BORG

So just thought I would share the nightmare that we as a comic loving public were silently spared some years ago in that of the failed 1998 Warner Brothers “Superman Lives” motion picture.  It not only did not see the light of day aside from script and preproduction materials, but the major reason this little gem was never introduced to the mass audience was simple, they would have rioted in the streets in a fit of rage, or walked out of the theater to forget that the franchise ever existed for fear recognition of the brand may bring night terrors.

So why was there no movie made at a time comic fans had been craving a new Superman flick?  Well I had forgot myself until my brother sent me a link to www.kal-el.org where I was reunited with the terrifying vision of superman complements of Tim Burtons vision of the franchise.  In the production images there are several examples as to why this movie was not made and why fans would have been completely pissed off with this “interoperation” of not only a classic iconic character altered in to a half corpse half man and marketable toy, it would have been a horrible end to the franchise as loyal fans ran screaming confused and shocked at the Borg Corpse like imagery that the concept sketches offer up, not only in Superman himself, but in buildings, skull space ships etc. 

I say WTF Tim Burton and Warner Brothers for letting things get as far as they did.   I am thrilled with the fact this movie was never made leaving an untarnished movie franchise with fans hungry for an amazing movie that does the character justice in 2006 with Superman Returns.   It is just fun to reflect on what could have been.  It also makes the whole Kevin Smith / Tim Burton cold war very understandable as Smith knows that Corpse Bride like images and classic Burton Goth / morbid factor had no place in this classic comic icon’s flick and had him no doubt pulling his hair out as a consultant / writer on the project.

Let us be thankful for the focus group that crapped on this Warner Brother / Burton match made in Beatle Juice’s personal hell for all eternity, and may nothing so weak ever be taken seriously in the realm of comic movies ever again after flicks like Batman Begins and Superman Returns have raised the audiences bar for what a comic book movies should be.