The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?
| The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jon Schnepp |
| Written by | Jon Schnepp |
| Starring |
Nicolas Cage Tim Burton Kevin Smith |
| Music by | Frederick William Scott |
| Cinematography | Carl Millard King |
| Edited by |
Vice Cooler Marie Jamora Jon Schnepp |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 104 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? is a 2015 American documentary film written and directed by Jon Schnepp. It chronicles the behind-the-scenes events surrounding the cancelled Tim Burton film Superman Lives.[1] Funding for the documentary was partially raised through a successful Kickstarter campaign[2] and premiered on May 1, 2015 and was released through VOD on July 9, 2015.
Synopsis
The documentary is a behind-the-scenes look at the 1996-97 pre-production of Superman Lives, an intended reboot of the Superman film series based on the 1992 DC comic The Death of Superman, that was cancelled only three weeks before filming was set to begin in April 1998. In the film, Schnepp interviews several people involved with the development of the project and features numerous conceptual artwork and designs intended for the visual look of Superman Lives.
Interviews
Director Jon Schnepp interviews the following subjects in the film:
- Tim Burton, director
- Kevin Smith, writer
- Dan Gilroy, writer
- Jon Peters, producer
- Colleen Atwood, costume designer
- Lorenzo di Bonaventura, producer
- Wesley Strick, writer
- Nicolas Cage, actor (archive footage only)
Reception
Critical reception for The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened? has been predominantly positive.[3][4][5] Forbes and The Hollywood Reporter both wrote positive reviews,[6] and The Hollywood Reporter commented that "Fanboys will relish this overstuffed doc about the Superman movie that never hit the screen".[7] IGN awarded it a score of 8 out of 10, saying, "But even if you come out of the documentary thankful the plug was pulled, the personalities involved and the story’s [sic] they tell are worthwhile and offer some great insight into just what a struggle it can be when so many people try to work together to pull off a film of this scope."[8]
See also
- Look, Up in the Sky: The Amazing Story of Superman, 2006 documentary about the history of Superman in comics, film, and television.
- Jodorowsky's Dune, a 2013 documentary about Alejandro Jodorowsky's unproduced adaptation of Dune.
References
- ↑ Toro, Gabe. "See Nicolas Cage As Superman In The Death Of Superman Lives' Trailer". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ "The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?". Kickstarter. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ Leane, Rob. "The Death Of Superman Lives: What Happened? review". Den of Geek. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ "THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN LIVES: WHAT HAPPENED? (2015)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ "Nordling Reviews THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN LIVES: WHAT HAPPENED?". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ Hughes, Mark (2 May 2015). "Review: 'The Death Of Superman Lives' Proves Nicolas Cage Could Fly". Forbes. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ Farber, Stephen. "'The Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 June 2015.
- ↑ "The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? Review - IGN". Uk.ign.com. 2015-07-24. Retrieved 2016-02-08.