Before Bryan Singer's 2006 film "Superman Returns", J.J. Abrams was originally scheduled by Warner Bros. to reboot the franchise. He did complete a screenplay, which I had the pleasure of reading after I found it on www.simplyscripts.com. Perhaps it was too many liberties he took from the source material that made them reject it. Nevertheless, I found the plot very original and compelling.
Probably the biggest problem they had with his take is that Krypton is not destroyed in this story. Instead, the home planet of DC's greatest hero is plagued by civil war. A rebellion under the leadership of Jor-El's brother Kata-Zor wreaks havoc upon the Kryptonians, forcing Kal-El's parents to send him to Earth to be safe. From here, Jonathan and Martha Kent adopt the young child and give him the name Clark. Keep in mind, his biological parents are still alive, with the script actually including an encounter between the Kents and Jor-El later on.
What I really liked though was how Abrams developed Clark's character. We see him as a young boy struggling to control his powers, and continue to have difficulties as an adolescent in Smallville. One scene features him as a young boy lash out and beat up his parents' landlord with little to no effort, after the man sexually harassed and attacked Martha Kent in the middle of a parking lot. This moment comes to scar him, as he realizes how dangerous he is.
The story continues, and when he discovers the red and blue suit in his basement, Jonathan and Martha Kent realize they must tell him the truth. Hearing that he's from another planet is overwhelming to say the least, and he does nothing but hide his powers over the next decade or so. After briefly meeting incoming Freshman Lois Lane his senior year in college, her determination to become a reporter for the Daily Planet helps him choose a career path.
Years later, he reunites with her his first day on the job. He also meets a homosexual Jimmy Olson (this was a little weird and unnecessary), and the classic, grumpy old Perry White barking orders at him as soon as they face one another. In Metropolis, the charismatic, yet mysterious Lex Luthor announces his plans to seek out alien forms so as to protect Earth from extraterrestrial threats. Although he meets a great deal of opposition from Lane and many government agencies, he has allies nonetheless. Not long after his introduction, Superman is forced to reveal himself to the world in order to save a helpless Lois Lane when her plane breaks down (this scene is very reminiscent of that in the 1978 Richard Donner film). The next portion of the script is what we expect. The world marvels at the heroic feats Superman is able to accomplish, and no one is more entranced with him than Lane. However, the moment of Superman's first strike is followed by the death of Jonathan Kent.
Yet while the humans glorify the Man of Steel, Krypton is flooded with tyranny under Kata-Zor's totalitarian reign. After receiving news of Kal-El's heroism, the tyrant is beyond delighted to discover his whereabouts, and sends his son Ty-Zor to do the honors of killing the Prince of the ancient Kryptonian prophecy. A great battle follows, and the mighty Superman does fall. What comes next is quite interesting. Jor-El committs suicide upon the knowledge of his son's death, and he and Kal-El meet for the first time in the afterlife. It is this moment when the hero discovers his true destiny, and resurrects upon receiving his father's touch. We then watch him return to defeat his menachial cousin, as well as bring Luthor to justice (who actually turns out to be Kryptonian, another plot aspect I wasn't fond of). The script concludes with Kal-El leaving behind his home on Earth to return to Krypton.
Hence, there's definite originality in this piece. I found myself incredibly compelled by the uniqueness of Abrams' work, and I'm quite disappointed this one was not produced. Nonetheless, you can still read this script online, which I would recommend any comic book movie lover to do.
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