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Superman vs. Hollywood: How Fiendish Producers, Devious Directors, and Warring Writers Grounded an American Icon (Cappella Books)
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Product Description
Superman has fought for nearly seven decades to conquer radio, television, and film—but his battles behind the scenes have proved a far greater threat than any fictional foe. For the first time, one book unearths all the details of his turbulent adventures in Tinseltown.
Based on extensive interviews with producers, screenwriters, cast members, and crew, Superman vs. Hollywood spills the beans on Marlon Brando’s eccentricities; the challenges of making Superman appear to fly; the casting process that at various points had Superman being played by Sylvester Stallone, Neil Diamond, Nicolas Cage, Ashton Kutcher, and even Muhammad Ali; and the Superman movies, fashioned by such maverick filmmakers as Kevin Smith and Tim Burton, that never made it to the screen.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #124564 in Books
- Published on: 2008-02-01
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 352 pages
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Replete with scams, lawsuits, megolomaniacal egos, and neurotic actors, with plenty of juicy gossip. —Library Journal
"Essential for pop-culture collections." —Booklist
"Solid research and crisp prose make this Superman book a winner." —Kirkus Reviews
"The best book yet about the powerful and profitable relationship between superheroes and Hollywood." —Devin Faraci, critic, Cinematic Happenings Under Development
"Fast, smart and uncompromising." —Tom Mankiewicz, screenwriter, director, and creative consultant on Superman and Superman II
"Superman fans, take warning—you will not want to know any of the gut-churning facts contained herein. And you will not be able to stop reading. Good luck." —Patton Oswalt, actor and comedian
"It's a wonderful and often scary look at the silver screen and how it has tried so hard to defeat the Man of Steel." —Ain't It Cool News
"There is so much to discover that Rossen's book should be required reading for all fans of Superman in any medium. . . . It is a film lover's history book that delivers all that we'll ever need to know about the man of steel and his battle against Hollywood." —Mania.com
About the Author
Jake Rossen is a freelance writer who wrote a cover story for Wizard magazine on Superman Returns.
Customer Reviews
Superman Returns
Hands down the most interesting 'behind the scenes' book I have ever read. Despite my thinking I knew alot of the background to the controversial development of the Superman movies this book has so much new information I couldn't stop reading it and knocked it off in 3 days. The history on the Reeves's Serial and Reeve's Film series is incredibly detailed (The 'Dinner with Brando' story is a highlight) while including an interesting commentary on how the charater's portrayal by hollywood relates to the character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. I had no idea the amount of grief they were put through by Warner so it is a very interesting read in terms of the ongoing legal battles between their respective estates and Warner.
The sections on Smallville and Superman Returns are unfortunately brief compared with the other parts of the book but that is a slight criticism on a book that was otherwise thoroughly engrossing. A very welcome addition to my superhero library.
A very informative and tragic look at Hollywood's treatment of Superman
This was a great book and a very quick read! It is also a very scary and eye-opening look into the world of Hollywood in general, not just with Superman. And it seems that anyone who's not a corporation who becomes associated with Superman projects historically gets screwed in some way. Sadly, it began with Superman's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who unfortunately fought for their rights to the character until their deaths. (this was recently ruled in their favor, but sadly it went to their descendants so the two men didn't live to see their life long struggle victorious). Even the Fleischer Studios Superman cartoons of the 1940's came with their share of bad luck for Max Fleischer who was forced to hand over profits made. Then, when George Reeves died mysteriously after participating in 1950's show, The Adventures of Superman, the legend of "The Superman curse" spread. When Richard Donner created his memorable Superman movies ,they were already mired in conflict with the studios which is why they degraded in quality until Superman IV killed the franchise for 20 years. And for all those Superman Returns nay-sayers, there was a whole load of crap that could have been made during those years, so I have a new appreciation for that movie. Overall, a great book which also goes into Smallville (for those of you who still watch).
If you read one book ....( make it this one)
This was one of the most enjoyable books about a comic icon that I have ever read. I won't bore you with what I liked as others posting reviews have done so already and much more thoroughly than I ever could...If you are a Superman fan, read this book. I am sure you will find many things you did not know. It was very hard to put it down. Enjoy
