I dunno man… longer and darker is not what I’m looking for from a Superman movie…
The worst thing that ever happened to WB’s efforts to bring the rest of the DC universe to llife was the unbelievable success and high quality of Nolan’s Batman trilogy. It convinced WB that what fans wanted from DC was relentless darkness and heroes in various shades of grey.
the problem with that is that it’s just not who Superman is.. Superman is the cornerstone of the DC Universe and at its heart, the Superman story is a Jesus Christ allegory. That’s the DNA of the character. And weirdly, that’s how WB sold the original MAN OF STEEL… listen to Russell Crowe’s voice over in what was a brilliant initial trailer…
“You will give the people of Earth and ideal to strive towards… they will race behing you… they will stumble, they will fall… but in time, they will join you in the sun.”
What a shame that’s not the movie WB actually made.
UPDATE: The Marlon Brando voiceover from the original Richard Donner SUPERMAN movie was even more overt…
“They can be a great people, Kal-El, they wish to be. They only lack the light to show the way. For this reason above all, their capacity for good, I have sent them you… my only son.”
Ironically DC had the reputation for being vanilla when I was a kid and Marvel comics were gritty and real.