The DCEU has been on the upswing lately but there are still things that need to change. One of those is Superman, and with Ta-Nahesi Coates' upcoming Superman movie taking a different look at the Man of Steel, it appears that Superman is being made a priority again. However, the multiverse approach that the DCEU is seemingly embracing leaves room for many interpretations of characters.
One interpretation that could definitely cause people to rethink Superman is writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely's Superman opus All-Star Superman, one of the greatest Superman stories ever told. While there are pros to adapting it, that doesn't mean there aren't reasons against it.
10 Should Adapt All-Star Superman: It's Proven That It Can Be Adapted
All-Star Superman has a leg up on a lot of Superman stories in that it has been adapted before, as a DC animated movie. DC's animated movies are some of their best and most popular output outside of comics, adapting some of the publisher's best stories in wonderful ways. This is exactly the case with All-Star Superman, as its animated adaptation was very good.
A lot of stories can be hard to adapt but the fact that All-Star Superman has been adapted works for it rather than against it; it shows it can be done and still tell the story effectively.
9 Shouldn't Adapt All-Star Superman: Leaving Out Too Much Hurts The Point Of The Story
As good as the adaptation is, it does leave a lot out. All-Star Superman was a twelve-issue comic, meaning it had a lot of room to go in all kinds of directions. While movies have gotten longer over the years, especially superhero ones, they can't exactly do as much as a comic can.
Leaving plot lines on the cutting room floor is common with superhero movie adaptations but the problem with that in regards to All-Star Superman is that there's very little filler. Cutting too much takes away from what makes it so amazing.
8 Should Adapt All-Star Superman: It Has Some Amazing Lex Luthor Moments In It
Lex Luthor is widely considered to be Superman's greatest rival and seeing as how All-Star Superman is basically a greatest hits album for the Man of Steel, he's a huge part of the story. His actions are the impetus behind everything that happens in the book and while he doesn't appear in every issue, the ones he does appear in are some of the best.
The highlight of Lex Luthor in the book is the fifth issue, which sees Clark Kent interviewing Luthor in prison as a riot breaks out around them. It's a wonderful issue that gets into Luthor's head in a way so many other stories don't. Beyond that, there are all kinds of great Luthor moments in the story that would be great on the big screen.
7 Shouldn't Adapt All-Star Superman: Besides Luthor, There Aren't Any Other Strong Villains In The Comic
Morrison takes a very different approach to villains in All-Star Superman. While there are a lot of different villains throughout its run, they don't use them in traditional manners. This works well for the comic but might not do as well for a movie; in fact, even Luthor's role in the story is a hard sell for a movie villain.
Superhero movies need strong villains and beyond Luthor, there really aren't any. Morrison took advantage of the episodic nature of comics and that just wouldn't be effective for a movie. Even Luthor, ostensibly the comic's main villain, is hands-off throughout most of the book. This possibly won't work for a movie.
6 Should Adapt All-Star Superman: It's Silver Age In The Best Possible Ways
Morrison is a huge fan of Silver Age DC and they brought that love to All-Star Superman. The comic serves as a love letter to that bygone era in a lot of ways, when a lighter, happier Man of Steel was the order of the day. The Silver Age was a great time for DC and was exemplified by Superman stories of the era, and All-Star Superman played into that.
Morrison and Quitely both use a lot of the trappings of the Silver Age in All-Star, playing with concepts and art styles that are highly reminiscent of that era. Using this sort of thing on the big screen would work very well, as they cherry-picked the best parts of the past to combine with the present to create something very special.
5 Shouldn't Adapt All-Star Superman: Silver Age Stuff Can Be A Very Hard Sell
As cool as Morrison and Quitely make a lot of the story's Silver Age trappings seem, they might not be a hit with big-screen audiences. The fourth issue is a perfect example of this; it's meant to be reminiscent of the Jimmy Olsen stories of the Silver Age but it doesn't always work very well. Same with the Bizarro World story in issues seven and eight; it's a good story that might be hard to sell on the big screen. The entire story also highlights a very powerful Superman, which might not be for the best.
The Silver Age was full of great sci-fi concepts, especially in Superman comics, and All-Star leans into that but that might not be the best thing for a movie.
4 Should Adapt All-Star Superman: It's A Different Look At The Death Of Superman
The mortality of Superman is at the center of All-Star and it's handled brilliantly. The story begins with Superman learning that he's dying and the rest of the comic is all about him coming to terms with that and trying to leave the world a better place. It's an amazing hook for a story that pays dividends.
The death of Superman is one of the greatest tragedies of the DC Universe but All-Star uses it as a jumping-off point. It's a novel approach that works wonders for the story and it would be wonderful to see it on the big screen.
3 Shouldn't Adapt All-Star Superman: The Death Of Superman Is Getting To Be Old Hat
On the big screen, moviegoers got the death of Superman in Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, watching the Kryptonian hero lose his life in battle against Doomsday. It was a moment that fans had been wanting to see in live-action for a long time and it did a good job for what it was.
Going with another Superman story that is very much about the death of Superman again so soon after BvS could seem like going back to the well for a lot of fans and it might not be something they are interested in, even with the DCEU's new multiversal approach.
2 Should Adapt All-Star Superman: It's The Greatest Superman Story Ever Told
There have been thousands of Superman stories in the character's nearly century-long history, with lots of contenders for the best of all-time title. However, when it comes right down to it, none of them hold a candle to All-Star. Morrison and Quitely created something truly special, a story that needs to be shared with the world in the biggest way possible.
It's not just a Superman story but a story about the character and what he means and represents to the world. There's something truly magical about it and putting it on the big screen could go a long way towards redeeming the Man of Steel in the public eye.
1 Shouldn't Adapt All-Star Superman: They'll Never Get It Right
While the animated All-Star was a pretty faithful adaptation, it was missing some things that made the comic so amazing. DC's animated output doesn't have nearly the level of scrutiny of its films and that scrutiny is something that could very easily doom All-Star Superman as a movie. There's so much that can go wrong with the story just because a producer doesn't understand it.
It's for this reason that it may be better to just not even adapt the story. Too many changes would transform it into something else and movie execs have proven in recent years they don't understand Superman, so them getting this right could be a pipe dream.