Sandy Collora's World's Finest

[Local Hero]

I don't know if you've heard, but Sandy Collora (creator of the fan film Batman: Dead End, which you can view by clicking on the movie title), was all set to premiere yet another short film at the San Diego Comicon titled "World's Finest". It would have shown both Batman and Superman, and from images I've seen, Lex Luthor as well. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers pulled the plug on the premiere, due to copyright issues I suppose. Or maybe the fact that a guy with a $20,000 budget can pull together a cool superhero movie in a matter of months, while they're so paranoid about creating the "Perfect Movie" that it takes them years to even get started.

Sandy Collora gained notoriety last year when he unveiled Batman: Dead End at last year's comicon. People went nuts, and it spread like wildfire, much to the chagrin of the studio, I'm sure, which had been trying to get a Batman film off the ground for years. People are now expecting a lot from World's Finest, and from the trailer now available I don't think they will be dissapointed. Apparantly Sandy is pals with the owner of CapedWonder.com, who has posted a few production photos of the film shoot. From the look of it, Clark Bartram is back as the caped crusader, but I don't recognize the guy in the red and blue tights.

Download the hi-res version (84MB) by right-clicking here.
Download the lo-res version (25MB) by right clicking here.
You can also download it from TheForce.net (just click normally, this takes you to a download page).

Here are a couple of screen grabs combined into one image. Click on it to enlarge:


I've seen it a couple of times, and I'm still processing it. My first thoughts are that Batman still rocks, but Superman needs some work. Oh, and Lex Luthor? Woah. Overall, it seems like more of a fan-film than Batman: Dead End, but his love of the characters definitely comes through. Anyone who has seen some of Alex Ross' artwork will surely recognise certain images in the trailer as coming straight from Ross' art, specifically in the set up of Clark Kent/Superman. I hope the full film sees the light of day, even if just to show Warner Bros what can be done with a director who cares about his subject and no studio interference, which i'm sure Bryan Singer is, but will Warner's really allow him free reign or will the bean counters and marketing strategists insist on certain inclusions and dilutions in the film.

[Local Hero]

Posted 24/07/2004
Source Superman-V.Com

An Interview with Sandy Collora Part I

A bit of a departure in this latest column, but when there's a chance to interview someone who's as big a Superman and comic book fan as Sandy then we at Superman-V jumped at the opportunity. Sandy is a true artistic talent. His work ranges from directing commercials (Got Milk!), to conceptual art (The Crow, Men in Black), creature design (Dogma) and short films (Archangel). He's also worked industry legend Stan Winston, who you'll all know is helping design the suit for McG's upcoming Superman movie. Unless you've been living under a rock this past year, then you'll have seen his most famous work, the amazing Batman: Dead End. No matter how good Chris Nolan's movie turns out, I'll always remember watching Dead End and it was the first time I had seen the real Batman on screen. His was a walking, living and breathing version of the character I'd grew up on. Read on to see what Sandy has to say about Superman, Batman, and something else that is going to be very special when we all see it this July.

Superman-V: Did you ever expect Batman: Dead End to have the impact it did? Over the period up to release, the anticipation and buzz online was huge. I can't even remember it reaching that level for Spider-Man.
Sandy Collora: No. I knew we had something that was very cool, that the fans would dig, but I never expected it to get THAT out of control, and I expected a lot. The film did exactly what I wanted it to do, on every level. It has transcended the internet and the fans, and garnered the attention of the masses and more importantly the studios, which has put me in a position to direct a feature film. I'm very humbled by it all actually... I really appreciate the fan's reaction to the movie, they're the ones who made it such a phenomenon. I'm amazed that now, almost a year later, the film still is going strong. Articles are still being written, interviews

S-V: Do you think Dead End has influenced Batman Begins in any way? Goyer has mentioned it in interviews.
SC: I don't know, that's hard to say. I think in some ways, it has... It was seen by so many people, and I know for a fact that it circulated around WB because I have a lot of friends who work there. I know it was used as a point of reference for certain things... Goyer and Nolan have seen it, so have all the execs on the Batman project. The bottom line is, I had a miniscule fraction of the 150 million dollar they have for that movie, and I think it made a statement in and of itself, not only because of what it is, but HOW it was done. Who knows, I just did what I felt was right, I made Batman the way I thought he should be, obviously Nolan and WB don't agree with that approach because they did a rubber suit again. I don't think it's fair to say my little film really influenced Batman Begins in a major way.

S-V: How much of a challenge is it to bring a comic book character to life on screen and make them real?
SC: You know, I don't think it's conceptually that hard, honestly. Just read the comics and stick to the source material, it's all there. Granted, it takes a certain degree of talent and know how to bring anything to life, true to your vision in a motion picture, but what I feel is voluminously more important for the comic book filmmaker to have is an intimate knowledge and love of the subject matter. I've always felt that heart makes a project what it is, and is more of a force in any creative endeavor.

S-V: What do you make of Batman Begins so far?
SC: Hard to say... I like most of the script. However, I have not been impressed with what I've seen of the costume at all. They just went with the sculpted rubber suit again. That's been done to death, I thought they'd really explore something different and cool, but I guess not. I think it's going to be more of the same of what we've already seen, nothing too groundbreaking or innovative. The suit looks very bulky, and the cowl actually has sculpted "cheekbones" added to it because Bale's jaw line is so narrow. It just looks FORCED to me... There's nothing natural, or organic about it. Bale's a tremendous actor, and I'm sure he'll be great, but the Batman suit just doesn't cut it for me. Time will tell.

S-V: Many argue that Frank Miller defined Batman with Dark Knight Returns. Which version of Superman defined the character for you?
SC: Live action - without question, Christopher Reeve in the first superman film. That's about as perfect as it's going to get. Art wise, Alex Ross for sure. He gets it. His work is breathtaking...

S-V: Do you think the new Superman movie should keep the 'Truth, Justice and The American Way' slogan? It's such an iconic phrase but can he really get away with it in this day and age?
SC: Yes, it most certainly should...

S-V: Have you seen much of Smallville? What are your thoughts on the show?
SC: I've seen quite a bit of it. I like it, it's well done and I like Tom Welling, but it got old quickly for me, I lost interest and stopped watching because you never see Superman or anyone in costume... It's all kind of a big tease. It's superhero LORE to me, not an actual superhero series.

S-V: What did you think of the aborted Superman Lives project? Did you feel Nicolas Cage was a good choice for Superman and Tim Burton for director?
SC: I LOVE Tim's work, and Nic Cage is brilliant, but neither one of them, I thought was appropriate respectively for the Man of Steel. I saw the prototype suit they made for Cage, it was all black and had a silver S on it. I think we would have wound up with Tim's interpretation of Supes, instead of the classic, more traditional hero we all know and love. Very similar to what he did with Batman, which I felt was not an accurate depiction of the character at all. I could see giving him Batman because he's a darker, more withdrawn character, like Tim himself, but Superman... Uh... No.

S-V: Warner Bros. seem reluctant to hire a visionary filmmaker for Superman. Are there any directors you admire that you think would make a great Superman movie?
SC: Warner Brothers is reluctant to do a lot of things they should be doing. They're a great studio, with a rich history and a library of films and characters that is without equal. I absolutely LOVE the Harry Potter films, and I'm a big Matrix fan as well. They own DC Comics for Christ's sake -- They should be utilizing all the artistic talent and knowledge that a company like DC can bring to the table, and be making the most amazing, mind blowing, superhero films based on their incredible library of characters, but for some reason, one that I cannot figure out, the decisions they make regarding those characters and films seem inexorably incongruent to the source material that made those characters what they are. Maybe all that will change someday soon... Who knows. I've been working in Hollywood for over 15 years, and I can't even come close to understanding how or why things they way they are in this town. All I know is I love movies, and I love being a filmmaker. One thing you have to understand however... Though I, personally do not agree with the choice of director for this new movie, McG, like any other director, has his own vision and approach to the character just like a comic book artist would, and he should be entitled to that and respected for it. I may not like the way a certain artist like Mike Turner draws Superman, but LOVE the way Alex Ross draws him, It's all in what you like. It's really hard to say who'd make the perfect director for Superman, there's so many talented filmmakers out there. To me, personally, for what my opinion is worth, I'd like to see Steven Spielberg do Superman, it lends itself to his Norman Rockwell-esque, Americana, family values style of filmmaking; But then again, he's kind of evolved past that now, he's making more quirky, different kinds of films... I think WB should give 20 different directors a modest budget and ask them to do 5 minutes of a Superman movie, and see what everyone comes up with, then they could release them all on the web and let the fans decide... Talk about mayhem.

S-V: Stan Winston, someone you've worked with in the past, is onboard Superman to create the new costume. What do you think of that and is there any advice you'd give him?
SC: Stan is a tremendous talent. Any of the work that comes out of his studio is of the highest quality. That being said, in my opinion, he has no business whatsoever making a foam rubber suit for an actor to wear as Superman. NO ONE DOES!!! Cast the right actor, and he won't need a rubber muscle suit. Chris Reeve didn't need a sculpted suit... It just goes against the grain of everything the character is and represents. It's just a bad idea... Period. But then again, when I heard that they were going with that approach, I wasn't really surprised. I'm sure what Stan and his talented crew come up with will be an amazing work of art and impeccably done, but sadly, in my opinion, it will not be RIGHT. People in Hollywood these days seem to be more concerned with what they CAN do, instead of what they SHOULD do. Producers and directors are all way too enamoured with changing things that have already been established to make it "their own", instead of respecting the subject matter and staying true to the simplicity and ingenuity that made the character brilliant in the first place. They don't realize that the audience and the fans will respect them more and be much more receptive to the film if they do that... Look at what Sam Raimi has done with Spiderman, or what Guillermo did with Hellboy. People in this town have a tendency to let their egos get in the way of doing good work, especially regarding what has happened over the years with the Superman project. Superman is classic... timeless, an indelible icon that doesn't need to be updated, over-designed, or re-imagined for this generation or any other. Nuff said.

S-V: We hear you're working on something Superman related. Is this true?
SC: Someone's gotta' give the fans what they want...

That wraps up Part I of our interview with Sandy. Stay tuned, because very soon we'll have more info about Sandy's Superman project!!

LSOK

[Local Hero]

Part I - Addendum by Sandy Collora

Over the past couple of days, I’ve been flooded with emails and phone calls regarding this interview, all of which were overwhelmingly positive and supportive. However, after a friend sent me a link to a web site that actually has a rather interesting discussion going on the subject, I felt compelled to sit down and write kind of an extended footnote or addendum if you will, to the interview in the hope that it would perhaps further clarify, or explain in a bit more detail why I feel the way I do about superhero costumes and other issues that were discussed in the piece…

I love comic books. I grew up with them, they’ve been a part of my life even before I could actually read them, and still to this day, like most of you, I’m at the comic book store every Wednesday, chomping at the bit to get the latest issues of my favorite titles or the newest action figures. Comic books are the last, great, true American art form, but the one thing about comics that a lot of people seem to forget however, is that in order to fully appreciate a comic book for what it truly is, there’s a certain conceit that goes along with reading them that must be accepted before you even open the book. That conceit, is what gives comic books their magic, and why children seem to have an easier time understanding them and have less of a tendency to fight with each other about their favorite hero’s costume.

Of course Clark Kent is easily recognizable as Superman. Of course if the Flash really ran that fast, there’d be a sonic boom that would destroy everything within a 50 mile radius. Of course JLA headquarters could never be on the moon, how do they all get there and back so fast? Then there’s the Hulk… Ever wonder where those purple pants come from and why they don’t rip off his body when he changes? And what about Robin, or any hero for that matter that wears two little diamonds across their eyes? Do you really think that little strip of fabric is going to conceal their identity? Of course not… But who cares!!!

I think most people, especially those who never read comics, fail to see what is so damn brilliant about them, what makes them so appealing to generation after generation besides the great stories and colorful, dynamic artwork…

Simplicity.

That’s what I loved about William Goldman’s Shazam! script, and why I was so publicly adamant about wanting to direct it. That script was so simple. Like Spiderman, Superman, or any other good superhero story, it was about good versus evil and the hero, being the superhuman being he is, trying to relate to a girl, and balance a relationship with her in the mix of saving the world. It held more magic and wonder than any other script I’ve ever read, period. It was the closest thing I’ve ever read to a comic book that didn’t have artwork in it.

Some Hollywood interpretations of Comic Books on the silver screen fail because they’re trying to make something real that isn’t. They’re too concerned with making it real as opposed to making it right. I don’t know why they feel everything in the film has to be explained and give a reason for why certain things are the way they are, instead of just going with the mythology of the story, trusting that the audience will go along for the ride, and making the movie for what it is… A work of fiction.

Regarding the Batman costume issue, and I’m only bringing this up to illustrate the point I made above about conceit… First and foremost, it’s an artistic choice, period. I like the classic costume. I had an actor who could fill it out and make it look good, which had never been done before. I was really into showing the fans something they’d never seen before. Granted they’d seen the leather and cloth “tights” on Adam West, and in the serials, but no one ever in Clark’s physical condition has donned that costume. That doesn’t mean I don’t like the other versions of the costume either, but I’ll tell you this… For those of you who wish to nitpick and play the “realism” card, okay… Fine. Here’s the real facts: Actual, state of the art, bulletproof, body armor is made of Kevlar. It works, but even it’s most versatile, military applications, is very bulky, very uncomfortable, and is pretty much impossible to fight hand to hand in, let alone use conventional weapons of any kind.
Which brings us to the movie suits, which are made of foam rubber… Why? Because real body armor could never be applied in those configurations and still be functional to the degree that Batman would need it to be. Think about it for a minute, even the foam rubber suits (that are doubling in the film for real body armor) are extremely difficult for the actor to move in, especially his head and neck area, so imagine if it was real armor… Sorry, it’s just not gonna’ work. To even further play devil’s advocate here, you might say, well Bruce Wayne is a multi-millionaire, maybe with all his money, he developed some kind of flexible body armor. Listen, no one has more money than the United States military, and even if Wayne did somehow develop something like in Batman Begins, fine. But it’s not something that is real, or even has the potential to be real. So, if you’re going to suspend your disbelief and go with the fact that the armor Batman is wearing is not, and could never be real, why can’t you suspend that exact same belief in accepting that Batman doesn’t need armor and the traditional costume can work as well? You see what I mean, it’s six of one half a dozen of another. The bottom line is who cares! I accept and enjoy all movies of this nature for what they are… Works Of Fiction.

Believe me, I wish Batman and Superman were real. With all my heart, I really do. Think about all the sorrow, tragedy and strife in the world that could be avoided if they were. But sadly, they aren’t, and that’s okay… That’s why filmmakers like myself strive to create a virtual reality of sorts for the audience where these heroic figures DO exist. A world where the good guys DO win, where old world values of honesty, courage, and might, run rampant through their characterizations, giving kids rock solid role models to look up to other than the myriad of tattooed, foul mouthed, illiterate, excuses for heroes that kids have to choose from today.

After the tragedy of 911, I was at a dear friend’s home who has a 4 year old boy. In the midst of trying to explain what happened on that dark day to the sobbing child, which to say the least, was difficult, the child asked “Why didn’t Superman save them?” At that moment, I was faced with a decision that was more important than any other I’d been faced with in my life. Was it time to tell this child that Superman isn’t real and tell him that some crazed madman decided to destroy the world trade center? Absolutely not.

The longer that child believes in his heroes, and holds on as tight as he can to what they represent, the better. Every second of his life that child believes Superman is real, he is special. If we as adults could only maintain that degree of innocence and faith throughout our adult lives, the world would certainly be a drastically different place. That is the pure joy of being young, and the exact feeling that I strive to create in my work…

None of us will ever be able to see Star Wars again for the first time, or open your first issue of The Incredible Hulk or your first pack of bubble gum cards, or see Christopher Reeve fly across the fortress of solitude to that familiar John Williams crescendo for the first time (I still get goose bumps every time I see that scene), but those are the kinds of moments from my childhood that inspired me to be a filmmaker.

Realism is fine. I try to incorporate as much of it as I can into my work because the more real it seems, the more an audience will relate to it as believable. But the realism that needs to be put into a comic book or fantasy movie needs to be real for the universe or world that the story is taking place in. A realism that can be achieved by providing the heroes and fantastic characters that inhabit this universe with imperfections and human conditions that the viewer will associate with them being real. In essence, humanizing them.

After all, one thing we all are, without question… is human.

SANDY COLLORA

[Local Hero]

Posted 24/07/2004
Source Superman-V.Com

An Interview with Sandy Collora Part II

We've had a phenomenal amount of feedback for the last column and judging by Sandy’s addendum, so did he! A lot of people are really excited about seeing Sandy's take on Superman and so are S-V. This is the second and final part of our interview with Sandy and all of us at S-V would like to thank him for taking the time to answer our questions. When someone with such respect, love and clarity of vision for Superman is taking a crack at immortalising him on celluloid then we are happy to help spread the word and let people know it's out there.

Along with this interview we have some great stills of Sandy's Superman in a variety of different Super-poses so sit back and prepared to be amazed!

Superman-V: First of all, give us a rough idea of what we can expect to see in this short?
Sandy Collora: Short being the operative word here... Don't sneeze or reach for your drink or chips, you'll miss it. Think of it as a very brief glimpse into a world of Superman and Batman that could be... A little slice out the proverbial pie that is the DC universe. It's kinda like Lethal Weapon with superheroes... Bats and Supes are like Riggs and Murtaugh. They're from different sides of the tracks and have not only drastically different approaches to doing their jobs, but personalities as well.

It's interesting when two characters like that are put into a situation where they have to work together towards a common goal. I think a World's Finest movie would be really cool... Obviously... Or better yet, The Justice League! My friend Nick Alvarez and I wrote a really killer JLA script. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get to make it.

S-V: Who have you cast as Superman and why? Was it harder to cast than Batman?
SC: The man of steel is played by four time Mr. Natural Universe, Mike O'Hearn. He's been in some low budget Roger Corman flicks as well as Battledome and some other TV shows. It was way harder to cast him than Bats... The problem was, the last two guys that played Batman in the movies were not really accepted by audiences as the embodiment of the character. But everyone LOVES Chris Reeve, and rightly so, he was a great Superman. Mike had his work cut out for him, and I personally think he came through big time. Everyone was completely blown away by his performance... He was excellent, and any director's dream to work with. What impressed me the most about Mike was how naturally gifted he is at so many things. He's very similar to Clark (Bartram) in that way. Both of those guys are tremendous human beings, literally and figuratively. I hate to sound cliché, but the two of them together on screen is pure movie magic. I love being around both of those guys, we all train together... It's great working out with them, they love clowning around in the gym and giving me grief about eating candy and not training hard enough.

S-V: You used Alex Ross' artwork as inspiration for Dead End, what inspired the look for Superman?
SC: Mostly just the comics in general. I wanted to do something that had never been done before and put a really big, muscular guy in the suit. Alex, again was an influence, though my Superman is a lot younger than his. His work, especially the Superman stuff, is so majestic and classy, that's the look I like for my heroes. I also looked at a lot of Norman Rockwell paintings for reference, they have a very traditional American look to them, and an incredible color palette. The color scheme for the film was predominantly based on a lot of old Saturday Evening Post covers. If I had the budget, the entire film would have that 1950's, Americana look to it. Anything period is very expensive to do, all I could really afford to do in that style of production design was Clark's apartment. I really wanted at least his world to be of a more pure era, a time when things were simpler. Clark Kent is a very simple guy, his surroundings should reflect that.

S-V: What was the budget for this project?
SC: Believe it or not, the budget on this one was a lot less than "Dead End" because we didn't have to make all those Predator and Alien Suits, or build any sets... And there was no rain. It came in at about 12 thousand dollars, and that's with everyone working for free. Keep in mind that I'm working with the smallest fraction of what feature films cost... I do what I can with the money I'm fortunate enough to have. I know a lot of fans say they want to see more and that my films are too short and therefore can't tell a complete story, but they have to understand that what these little films do is provide the smallest peek through a window into a world I could create, and a story I could tell if I had the budget, time, resources, crew, and studio backing of a theatrically released feature film. They're made for a specific purpose, which is to provide a brief glimpse of what a full film would look and feel like, not to compete with or be compared to feature films.

S-V: What powers can we expect to see Superman use, what SFX did you use to create them?
SC: He catches a truck, busts through a metal door, throws Bats off a loading dock -- and he REALLY FLIES. He does a lot of landing in frame,

Flying through downtown Metropolis, (there's a great shot of him flying with Lois in his arms at sunset) and there's even a quick shot of him flying through the frame with Bats swinging on a cable next to him... It's very cool. Scott Leva, my Superman flying coordinator/rigger, Simon and myself came up with a few different ways to fly him -- All of which are practical, with some CG enhancement provided by Ron Brinkmann and Continuity Studios. Again, we didn't have the money to have Supes flying around all over the place, full frame, battling Lex in mid air or anything... Don't expect The Matrix.

S-V: With all we hear about Superman being changedWas there ever a temptation to play around with Superman's mythology, either to modernize him or change something about him?
SC: Not at all. What would be the point of that? As a matter of fact, I went inthe complete opposite direction regarding "modernizing" him... I Researched older film stocks, processes, and looks to use in the piece. I wanted it to look like it was shot in the forties or fifties, with my own style thrown in for good measure to create a very unique look. Sometimes, depending on the subject matter, it's better to look at the past to bring a fresh approach to something, rather than the future.

S-V: This time you have Batman and Superman appearing, was this more of a challenge than Dead End?
SC: In a lot of ways, yes. It has a lot more scope, it's bigger and the world is more defined, the palette's more broad... Though it's shorter, it's A much more vast piece. "Dead End" was definitely more work in pre production, with making all the creatures and sets, this one was harder in different ways. There were more actors, more scenes, and more dialogue. It was also a much lighter piece mood-wise and stylistically. The biggest challenge was still keeping Bats dark and foreboding in Superman's world, especially when I had to shoot him outside, in broad daylight. The other big challenge that really showed itself in post, was cutting a trailer for which there is no full length film. It was very hard to edit this one, we shot so much cool stuff, but I couldn't use all of it because it was always intended to be just a trailer, a taste of what that story, and those characters would be like. Usually, if a trailer runs any longer than 3 minutes, it doesn't feel right. Most trailers are actually just over 2 minutes.

S-V: How do you feel this compares to Dead End?
SC: It's bigger... Has more scope and actually tells more of a story than Dead End. I wanted to concentrate more on the characters and performances this time around, there's less action and fighting. The thing that killed me on this one was not being able to shoot the entire film... Even a short. There was just no time and no money. When you shoot on 35, it gets expensive, besides the cost factor, there's also the time issue... We're all so busy, things are pretty crazy around here right now, my life is like a Godzilla movie, I'm trying not to get trampled by the giant monster amidst a throng of running, screaming people.

S-V: Dead End kicked off a huge craze in superhero fan-films. Have you seen any of the recent fan-films, what advice would you give to filmmakers who want to make a fan-film?
SC: I've seen quite a bit of them actually... Some of them are really good for what they are. Obviously, most of them are shot on video and done very inexpensively, even compared to the tiny budgets I work with, but there's some real talent there. I'm very impressed with anyone who takes it upon themselves to go out there and actually make a film, which is a very time consuming, arduous, and stressful undertaking. I'm particularly Impressed with the work of Aaron Schoenke. What he does for his age, and how ambitious his films are is very inspiring. I'm seeing a lot of growth in his work which is what it's all about. I watch a lot of shorts, I like to spend time on Ifilm or theforce.net when I can, and keep up with all the new fan films coming out. I actually just saw "Grayson" earlier this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it... Great piece. As far as advice... Just follow your heart and do what you feel passionate about. Go out and make your dreams reality... Life's too short. Your life is what you make of it, so are your films. Do the best you can and give a hundred percent all the time, and keep your mind open to learning new things. Try to grow as a filmmaker and a person with each film you make. Express yourself through your work and most importantly... Have fun doing it.

S-V: Are there any other superhero properties you?d like to have a go at? You?ve spoken of your love for Batman, Superman and Captain Marvel, are there any Marvel heroes you like?
SC: Well, I'd actually like a crack at Aquaman... I'm a total water rat. I love to surf, dive, fish and be on the ocean (when I'm not jumping out of planes or off buildings, mind you.) I've shot a bunch of big budget, underwater commercials with "Abyss" and "Saving Private Ryan" underwater camera man, Peter Romano and we've talked about working together on a feature, I think together with my visual FX and stunt team, we'd come up with some pretty amazing stuff and present the Sea King like he's never been seen before... It'd be an interesting challenge. But I'm a pretty loyal DC fan, always have been, but I read a few Marvel titles though... I like Spectacular Spiderman, X men, Captain America, and the Ultimates. JLA/ Avengers is really good too... I'm also quite fond of the old Vision and Scarlet Witch series, that would make a great movie. The new Invaders just came out last week, and I really like that, I loved it when I was a little kid. That was actually one of the first comics I remember actually reading.

S-V: You've achieved something quite unique in actually making a film with Superman! Any tips for Bryan Singer?
SC: Yeah, that kinda says something, I guess... (big smile). As far as tips for Singer... C'mon, who am I to give the director of such awesome films as Usual Suspects and X1 and2 advice? Instead, I'll quote uncle Ben from Spiderman, "With great power comes great responsibility..." I think he realizes what he's dealing with and what it represents not only to the fans, but to the American people. He's certainly got his work cut out for him, and has a daunting task ahead... The writers are fantastic and Brian's an exceptionally talented filmmaker, I'm sure they'll deliver the goods... Not that they need it, but I truly and sincerely wish them the best of luck. If it does actually get made, I'll be the first in line to see that movie!!!

All of us at Superman-V would like to thank Sandy for taking the time to answer these questions. We wish him all the best in the future and hope you all enjoy seeing his take on Superman.

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[Enchantress]

Ok, First off..

AWESOME...FRICKIN AWESOME.

That trailer is my lifelong comic geek movie dream.
I've watched it probably 3 times now and I can't believe it's as good as it looks!
It's my hope beyond hope that this makes it out in the bootleg market and I can get a copy at a convention.

[Local Hero]

I have to agree. As I said I just hope that Bryan Singer sees this and hires this guy, even if it's just to work on the visual look of the film.

[The Mighty Thor]

What impresses me most about this short film is the passion behind it. Comic books have gotten a pretty fair treatment in the past few years from Hollywood. And that is mostly due to the fact that the suits have finally allowed people who care about the stories tell them. Or at least the Marvel films have benefited from this.

Too bad for DC that they are owned by Warner Brothers. Because if they didn't have that noose around their necks constantly, I think they could actually hire somebody like Sandy Collora to bring his vision to their franchise characters. Not that I am disappointed by Brian Singer being brought on board to direct the Superman film. I think he will do a great job. As long as, like I said, the suits stay off the set and let the man do his job. Until then, I will sleep better at night knowing that guys like Sandy Collora are out there giving the fans what they want.