This one is still very much in the rumor stage, so take it with an appropriate-sized chunk of salt. A scooper for AintItCool wrote in to report that during an interview on German television, director James McTeague spilled that the Wachowski Brothers are currently mulling over the possibility of making a Superman trilogy for Warner Brothers. This could happen after the Wachowski’s finally make their long dormant Plastic Man feature.
[McTeague] stated the Wachowski Brothers had been approached to re-boot the franchise as a trilogy and they are currently reviewing their options as its like being asked to take the final play in a superbowl final. Says if they do agree, he will likely either succumb to providing second unit support on the movie or will champion the directorship of Plastic Man – He started to giggle as he stated its [sic] like a young child for the Brothers and they wont give that up easily.
Now there are a few things that buttress this rumor. McTeague has worked for the Wachowski’s as an assistant director on the Matrix trilogy, before going on to helm V For Vendetta and the upcoming Ninja Assassin, both produced by the Wachowski’s. So if there is anyone in a position to know this, it could very well be him.
Of course, the question that remains is why would he be talking about this in public? Don’t say that it doesn’t matter, because its only German television. In this age of near instant communication, people should very well be aware that anything they say in public will make its way around the globe fairly quickly. You can’t say something to the press of one country with the intention that it will never be heard in another.
But let’s speculate for a moment. Can the Wachowski Brothers make a good Superman film or three? I have no doubt that they will be enormously respectful of the source material and craft something that tries to remain true to the character’s seven decades’ history. They were able to do it with Speed Racer this past summer, so I see no reason for them to not be able to do it again. I do have to wonder if they can construct a storyline that will successfully arc across three films. I found the middle film of their Matrix trilogy to be full of padding and extraneous action that didn’t advance the overall narrative. All of this remains idle speculation, though, until such time that Warners makes an announcement of the future of their most famous superhero franchise.
