Superman: The Man of Steel was the title of the ultimately unproduced sequel to Bryan Singer's 2006 film Superman Returns, a continuation/homage to Superman: The Motion Picture Anthology started in 1978.
Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey were all contracted to return for future films as Superman, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor respectively. The plot was to be a more action driven film than Superman Returns and Singer said it would have been "world destroying" with the film's main villain being Darkseid.
Due to a disappointing financial return from Superman Returns the production stalled early. Singer used the gap to film Valkyrie and by the time it was completed, Warner Bros. lost interest in continuing the series. They ended up completely rebooting the franchise in 2013 with Zack Snyder's film Man of Steel.
Brandon Routh later reprised his role for the Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths.
| Films | |
|---|---|
| Released films | Superman • Superman II • Superman III • Supergirl • Superman IV: The Quest for Peace • Superman Returns |
| Alternate cuts | Superman: The Movie - Special Edition • Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut • Superman the Movie: Extended Cut |
| Unproduced films | Superman V: Reborn • Superman: The Man of Steel |