Superman Returns, X-Men 3, Batman Begins 2: The Comic Reel Wrap for October 20th

CBR

By Hannibal Tabu

Published Oct 20, 2005

The real reason for Bryan Singer getting the gig may have been psychological, we learn, while there's a whole lot of news coming from Xavier's Academy and Christopher Nolan confirms when -- and how -- he'll return to Gotham City in the week's penultimate look at links, legends and lies.

SUPERMAN RETURNS

According to the World Entertainment News Network, director McG may have lost his shot to helm the film based on his own acrophobia. "Charlie's Angels movie-maker McG passed on the chance to bring Superman back to the big screen because he's terrified of flying. The claustrophobic director was the first choice to make the fifth Superman Returns movie but he refused to fly to Sydney, Australia, to begin work, and The Usual Suspects director Bryan Singer has taken charge of the project, instead. He explains, 'I didn't want to fly down there ... I don't really freak out that we're gonna crash but I freak out (when) everything's great and you're at 40,000 feet and then you realize you're in a steel tube and you can't get out of there and there's nothing but water everywhere when you look down.' Fearing that his flying fears could impact the rest of his career, McG, real name Joseph Nichol, is trying to conquer his fears with private lessons in keeping his cool while in the air. He adds, 'I'm getting better. I mean I try to figure it out and charter a plane and get used to it and do some more flying ... It helped me just figure out what was going on and just get more comfortable.'"

X-MEN 3

There's a story in the Agassiz Harrison Observer that talks about the large crowd drawn by the stunt work for the mutant-minded movie. "Dozens of residents braved chilly weather last week to catch a glimpse of spectacular stunt sequences being filmed along a portion of Lougheed Hwy. for the big-budget superhero film 'X-Men 3.' Through the week of filming, several vehicles were sent airborne in carefully orchestrated explosions and a large black semi tractor-trailer was flipped over on its side."

Meanwhile, XMenFilms is reporting that representatives of actors Eric Dane (reputed to be playing Jamie Madrox) and Dania Ramirez confirmed the casting of both in the film. They also have updates on James Marsden (he'll be back) and Kelly Hu (she won't).

BATMAN BEGINS 2

Director Christopher Nolan gave a couple of choice quotes to BoxOfficeMojo about the planned sequel, which he will tackle after "The Prestige." "Batman is positive, but I believe that, in the first couple of years, he's going to find an increasingly negative response from society, because the truth is that, when you have a powerful, negative city like Gotham, it didn't become corrupt by accident, and those entrenched people are going to respond very vigorously ... that's the point of the final scene. That [fighting evil] is not going to be easy. It's going to get harder."

SLOW NEWS DAY

Here's where you get in on the action. Did you see a link we didn't catch? Have you snuck into a closed movie set, and have inside data? Maybe your cousin is dating somebody who knows something, and they had to tell you? Whatever it is, we wanna know it all -- fire off an email and let us know whether you want your name used or your contributions to geekdom to go down anonymously. Broadcasting live from Los Angeles, this is novelist/reviewer/karaoke host/all-around lunatic Hannibal Tabu saying thanks for your time and indulgence, sorry we're so late but that world record breaking karaoke thing is a kick in the pants, and [tagline sent back to development hell until something hipper can be dreamed up].