SAN DIEGO -- Despite being flogged by Johnny Depp's Pirates, the Man of Steel will return. Maybe.
Director Bryan Singer says he wants to make a Super-sized sequel for release in 2009. But what the follow-up would be about -- Singer hints at more action, "scary sci-fi" and alien villainy -- is anyone's guess, as is whether Warner Bros. will ultimately go ahead with the project.
The mega-budgeted Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh as the titular hero, has fallen short of box office expectations, grossing less than $200 million US in North America so far. By comparison, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has already amassed a staggering $300 million US.
Speaking to the Sun following his Comic-Con appearance alongside Richard Donner, director of the 1978 Superman, Singer admits he's frustrated Superman Returns is having a tougher-than-expected time finding an audience.
That's understandable, given the rave reviews it's received from critics and filmgoers who might ordinarily resist seeking out a comic-book adaptation.
"That was kind of the goal, to make a movie for people who don't go to superhero movies, to have them be surprised and go, 'Wait a minute, it's a love story."
Still, Singer is quick to point out the film is far from a financial failure, citing better-than-predicted box office overseas.
For the less-than-record-shattering reaction, Singer suggests a number of culprits are to blame, from the film's marketing to its heady competition.
"It's a complicated thing, getting people to see your movie in the forest of Pirates and The Devil Wears Prada. There, you have two key demographics I want to see (Superman). They won't see it tomorrow, but they eventually will. We're getting there."
As for Internet and Hollywood-based naysayers, who've deemed the movie a disappointment, Singer doesn't pay attention.
"I look at the data very pragmatically, because I'm a producer as well as a director. I look at success and failure and certain aspects of domestic marketing results, and I analyse that stuff.
"How am I to react to some blogger? I always appreciate it when someone says they enjoyed the film and I have a beautiful letter from my idol (Donner). I'm confident it's a good movie."
By the time the DVD comes out "a great many people will have seen it, enough to warrant doing another one, which I hope to do."
Having directed three comic-book adaptations now (Superman and the first two X-Men films), Singer says he's developed a thick skin.
"I'm the kid who got picked on all his life in the playground. I'm the guy who had this bad (preliminary) Wolverine costume years ago show up on the Internet. Anyone who can deal with that reaction can deal with anything."
And he hasn't lost his sense of humour. Asked by one fan at the Comic-Con presentation if there are other superheroes he'd like to bring to the big screen, Singer responds, "Like Aquaman?" referring to the fictional blockbuster from HBO's Hollywood satire Entourage.
"I've been watching Entourage, but I'm also living it. It's messing with my head."
