Warner Bros. and DC are taking the iconic “Death of Superman” comic storyline and adapting it into two animated films. They just released a sneak peek (above) for the first film, The Death of Superman.
This isn’t the first time DC has adapted the iconic Superman storyline. It was most recently done in Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and was previously done in the animated film Superman: Doomsday. This new iteration is supposed to be much more in line with the tone and storyline from the original comics. In fact, Supervising Producer James Tucker describes The Death of Superman as “the first act of the original move was.”
As you can see above, they’ve also updated the art style to resemble a number of their other animated films like Justice League: War and Justice League vs. Teen Titans.
Co-director Jake Castrena describes Doomsday, “You take all the dangerous elements of Superman, remove the conscious, put it in this vessel that can channel all that rage and power. You have Doomsday. Doomsday is a threat that they’ve never seen before. They’ve never faced before even more so than Darkseid.”
The first part of the movie will focus on Clark and Lois’ relationship and whether or not he will reveal to her that he is Superman. Castrena explains, “Clark, Kal-El, Superman, he’s got this identity crisis kind of going on. ‘Do I stay human? Do I be the hero? Do I let Lois in?'” That’s when Wes Gleason chimes in, “He’s willing to not only admit finally he’s in love with this person and make this connection by revealing who he fully is, but on another level he’s willing to sacrifice all of that.”
Superman, Doomsday, and Lois won’t be the only ones in the movie. The Justice League will also be featured. The members include Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Martian Manhunter, and Hawkman.
Here’s the official description:
“When a hulking monster emerges from an underground resting place and begins a mindless rampage, the Justice League is quickly called in to stop the colossal force of nature. But it soon becomes apparent that only Superman can stand against the monstrosity that has been nicknamed Doomsday. Battling their way throughout America, the two fight to a standstill as they reach the heart of Metropolis. Going punch for punch, Superman finally ends the threat of Doomsday as he throws one last punch and collapses forever.”
The movie will star Jerry O’Connell as Superman, Rebecca Romijn as Lois Lane, Jason O’Mara as Batman, Shemar Moore as Cyborg, Rosario Dawson as Wonder Woman, Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Christopher Gorham as The Flash, and Matt Lanter as Aquaman.
The Death of Superman is expected to be released on Blu-ray, DVD, and digital download sometime this summer. It will be followed up by Reign of the Supermen in 2019.