Spontaneous Director Wants to Make An All-Star Superman Movie

Brian Duffield, writer and director of the sci-fi horror romantic comedy Spontaneous, has expressed interest in directing a Man of Steel sequel based on the All-Star Superman line of comics. Screenwriter Duffield made his directorial with the October 2 release of Spontaneous, in which teenage eccentrics Mara (Katherine Langford) and Dylan (Charlie Plummer) find love as students all around them start spontaneously exploding at random. Though the film began production long before the coronavirus pandemic, its poignant setting in the midst of an indiscriminate pandemic is exceedingly relevant.

Opposite an independent high school comedy, Superman is another world of cinema entirely. One of DC’s most recognizable heroes, the Kryptonian, has appeared on the big screen for decades, starring in action-packed blockbusters since the 1970s when Christopher Reeve launched the first modern saga. Though the first film was widely lauded, its three sequels progressively worsened until Reeve threw in the towel for good. Since then, Superman sequels have been ever elusive. Henry Cavill is the latest to don the red cape and boots, debuting in 2013’s Man of Steel and portraying Clark Kent/Kal-El in the DCEU films. Despite rightful praise for Cavill’s portrayal, Man of Steel has yet to receive a proper sequel, owing to past catastrophes and the difficulty in finding engaging new challenges for an all-powerful superhero.

Speaking to ComicBookMovie.com, Duffield presented his own idea for a Superman sequel based on the All-Star series of comics. Though he confirms he has not spoken to anyone about heading a Superman flick, Duffield says he believes people are mistaken when they say Superman isn’t an interesting character. He says that what Superman needs is a more down-to-earth rendition rather than the nonstop action that generally defines the Man of Steel’s film outings.

“Now is the time where a really human and hopeful Superman living in this kind of world that we’re in right now could be uplifting and funny and cool in a way. My buddy Mattson [Tomlin] wrote the new Batman movie which is obviously on the darker, and awesome, looking side of things, but I feel with Superman, you could do something not too dissimilar in tone to Spontaneous with it where it’s just a lot of fun, but you’re dealing with bigger issues.”

The All-Star comics exemplified much of what Duffield discusses, a more relaxed and human Superman who carries the air of a man who is essentially impervious to physical damage or discomfort. The enduringly popular DC comics give equal weight to Superman and Clark Kent, emphasizing that though he may be unmatched in skill and strength, he is still a person who must navigate interpersonal relationships and emotional tribulations that he cannot simply trounce in a physical contest. In a Superman film, this theme may just be what a sequel needs, with Duffield at the helm or otherwise.

Cavill has made no secret of his eagerness to return for a sequel, coyly stoking rumors about a future Superman film. His humanizing performance of the character would lend itself well to a film focusing on Clark Kent’s interpersonal relationships, especially one which captures the contemporary zeitgeist. Duffield almost presciently tapped into the fears of our time with Spontaneous, predicting a world in which ordinary people must persist in the midst of a deadly pandemic. The place of an impervious Superman in a directly analogous world presents interesting and sobering narrative questions. How does the Man of Steel combat an enemy he cannot fight and which can affect everyone he knows and loves, but not himself?