Superman Returns

Superman Returns is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Bryan Singer and written by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris from a story by Singer, Dougherty and Harris, based on the DC Comics character Superman. It is the sixth and final installment in the original Superman film series and serves as a homage sequel to Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), while ignoring the events of Superman III (1983), Supergirl (1984), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). The film stars Brandon Routh as Clark Kent / Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, with James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint and Parker Posey in supporting roles. The film centers on Superman as he returns to Earth after a five-year absence, whereupon he discovers that his love interest, Lois Lane, has moved on with her life and that his archenemy, Lex Luthor, is plotting a scheme to kill him and reshape North America. After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Superman on the big screen following the critical and financial failure of The Quest for Peace, Warner Bros. Pictures hired Singer to direct and develop Superman Returns in July 2004. The majority of principal photography took place at Fox Studios Australia, Sydney while the visual effects sequences were handled by a number of studios, including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues, Framestore, Rising Sun Pictures and The Orphanage; filming began in March 2005 and ended in November of that year. Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its visual effects, storyline and Singer's direction, but criticized its screenplay and runtime. While the film was one of the biggest films of the year, earning over $391.1 million on a budget of $204–223 million and becoming the ninth highest-grossing film of 2006, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the worldwide box office return and cancelled a sequel set for release in 2009 as a result. The Superman film series was completely rebooted in 2013 with Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder, starring Henry Cavill as Superman, and launching the DC Extended Universe. Routh later reprised his role as Superman in the 2019 Arrowverse crossover "Crisis on Infinite Earths". Plot