Dan Gilroy talks about Superman Lives; Clark Kent would have been in therapy

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Writer-director Dan Gilroy has opened up about his script for Tim Burton’s Superman movie, SUPERMAN LIVES. Gilroy must be walking on air these days considering his first directorial effort NIGHTCRAWLER is a major critical success (94% on Rotten Tomatoes, 10/10 review from our own Chris Bumbray). Thankfully that doesn't mean he will shy away from talking about the past and what might have been. In a recent interview Gilroy revealed that a few interesting points about Burton's Superman movie like how it would feature both Braniac and Doomsday. It would have had a different take on the Man of Steel's origins and "a Superman for the ages.”

Speaking with IndieWire he explained:

"Kal-El was not told by Jor-El, before he got put in the little spaceship, who he was or where he came from, so poor little Kal-El, when he winds up on earth, he has no freaking idea where he came from. His biggest fear is that he's an alien."

Gilroy revealed that Clark Kent was in therapy at an early age and in a relationship with Lois Lane that he can’t commit to:

"Our Superman was in therapy at the beginning of the film. He's in a relationship with Lois Lane and he can't commit. Or he was maybe in couple's therapy. But he can't commit because he doesn't know who he is or what is going on with him. He's hoping that he has some physiological condition that gives him these powers but that he's still human."

He went on to explain that early in the script however, things begin to clear up when Lex Luthor uncovers the remnants of the spacecraft and “he suddenly realizes – 'Oh my god, I'm an alien.' It was all about the psychological trauma of it. I loved it."

Gilroy’s puts the blame for the films demise on the studio's internal woes:

"And unfortunately, while we were working on the script, Warner Bros was haemorrhaging. Every big movie that was coming out was bombing and failing and when it came time to step up and bankroll our script, they didn't have the financial wherewithal or desire. Which is a shame because Tim would have knocked it out of the park. And Nic Cage, oh my god! I was so ready for that."

What might have been we will never know; as years pass this story seems to become more intriguing I must say. Last year director Jon Schnepp used Kickstarter to raise funds for a documentary looking into what happened with the film and what could have been and raised $115,000 dollars.

THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN LIVES: WHAT HAPPENED? is now on track for release early 2015.