PROLOGUE
EXT. SUPERMAN COMIC BOOK
Note: This opening montage should be without dialogue and have minimal sound effects - primary emotional weight will be conveyed through the music and visuals.
We open on a live-action comic book, which opens on its own to reveal an animated retelling of Superman's origin story. As the pages flip by themselves, we fade into an animated comic book-style montage of the origin itself:
1) An establishing shot of the planet Krypton, with different people walking, talking, and driving around in flying cars - until the ground starts to shake and the citizens start panicking and running for their lives.
2) Jor-El and Lara, witnessing the chaos from their tower penthouse, rush inside while holding baby Kal-El.
3) Jor-El pushes some buttons and pulls a lever to raise a small rocketship from the floor. Meanwhile, Lara kisses baby Kal-El on the forehead and places her infant son inside the rocket.
4) Jor-El pulls a final lever and launches the rocket ship into space. He and Lara embrace as Krypton's explosion consumes them.
5) Meanwhile, in space, Kal-El's rocket flies off as Krypton explodes behind it. As the pages turn, we see the ship flying towards Earth, the panel fades to white.
6) As the image comes back into focus, we see that Kal-El's ship made a large crater in the middle of a cornfield. From their truck seen in the background, Jonathan and Martha Kent make their way towards the silver spacecraft. The cockpit opens to reveal a giggling, adorable infant, who Martha Kent picks up. As the childless couple smiles, Martha kisses Kal-El's head much as Lara did earlier.
Suddenly, the heartwarming scene is interrupted by a rumbling noise from offscreen. The Kents and Kal-El look towards the horizon to see...a giant robot rampaging through Kansas! Baby Kal-El, with a determined look on his face, leaps out of his mother's arms and runs towards the oncoming danger at super-speed. From there, we go into a rapidly aging Kal-El as he goes through many stages of his life:
1) A little boy running after his dog through a cornfield.
2) An adolescent boy running down the streets of Smallville with a blond boy and a redheaded girl by his side - implied to be Pete Ross and Lana Lang.
3) A teenager playing for the Smallville High football team, effortlessly dodging the offense of the opposing team as he sprints for the touchdown with the ball in his hand.
4) A young adult in a varsity letter jacket, discovering his powers for the first time as he leaps progressively higher, almost to the point of flight.
5) A fully grown man in a prototype Superman costume, facing down the giant robot as citizens scream and run in the opposite direction. He leaps towards the metal monster, only to be caught in the middle of a punch as he is knocked into:
ACT I
EXT. METROPOLIS STREET, MORNING.
As the giant robot punches the soon-to-be Man of Steel into the street, we cut to the city of Metropolis - a shining beacon of hope and prosperity to the world...that is, if it weren't under attack from another supervillain. The giant robot marches through the streets, smashing cars and buildings, as we hear maniacal laughter coming from the person controlling the robot.
Meanwhile, in the crater formed from the robot's punch, we see our hero struggle to get to his feet and keep fighting. This is CLARK KENT, a tall, well-built man of 25 or 26, covered in dirt, rubble, and bruises from his latest skirmish. This is not the Superman we know and love as of yet, but rather the rough draft before the final copy. This can easily be seen by his "costume" - a blue t-shirt with the Golden Age S-shield on the front (still a red S, but a yellow and black shield), well-worn blue jeans, and brown boots, all tied together with the red cape hanging from his shoulders. Though Clark has come far in becoming the destined hero of legend, it is clear he still has a long way to go, resembling more of a rough-and-tumble vigilante than the Man of Tomorrow.
As Clark struggles to get to his feet, we can hear a loud, over-the-top voice coming from a radio in the robot's head.
TOYMAN
(laughing maniacally)
IS THAT ALL YOU GOT, METROPOLIS?! 'CAUSE THE TOYMAN'S READY TO LEVEL UP!
Clark looks annoyed at Toyman's rambling as he stands up and prepares to go back at it.
TOYMAN
WELL, WELL, WELL, LOOK WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR ROUND TWO! COME BACK TO PLAY, MR. SUPERHERO?
Clark flexes his shoulders and cracks his knuckles.
CLARK KENT
(annoyed and ready to finish the fight)
OK, I've had just about enough of you!...
Clark leaps towards the giant robot - it is important to note here that he has not learned how to fly just yet - and starts punching away at the robot with his super-strength. The robot starts punching back and launches a series of missiles from its body, but Superman deflects and dodges them as he runs up to the robot's head and starts punching again.
TOYMAN
NO FAIR! I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO WINS ROCKEM-SOCKEM!
Toyman's robot's eyes start glowing as they start to shoot lasers at Clark. However, as the lasers fade, they reveal a completely unscathed Kent unharmed despite his burned costume.
TOYMAN
WAIT, WHAT?
CLARK KENT
(a little cocky)
Yeah, I know, I'm indestructible, shocker. Though you know what's also cool...
Clark's eyes glow red as he unleashes his laser vision on the robot, burning a hole in its forehead the size of a person. The hole he cut falls away as we see the real Toyman inside the robot - a chubby, middle-aged man in a colorful suit and bowtie desperately pushing buttons and pulling levers.
CLARK KENT
...Turns out I've got lasers too!
TOYMAN
Oh, poop...
Cut to Clark leaping out of the robot with Toyman, landing on the ground and leaving the supervillain tied up.
CLARK KENT
Give me a second.
Clark leaps up once again, propelling himself through the giant robot's chest and ripping out its power core, landing on the other side as the mechanical monstrosity comes crashing down to the city floor.
Cut to Clark walking back over to Toyman as the citizens of Metropolis come out of hiding, wondering if the terrible battle is finally over.
CLARK KENT
OK, now that you're out of the way, I can finally-
Suddenly, Clark is interrupted by the whine of police sirens closing in - as he looks around to see the outlines of people through the smoke and dirt, the amount of collateral damage starts to sink in.
CLARK KENT
(to himself)
Oh, geez...
Clark leaps away, the citizens arriving on the scene only able to see a red and blue blur, launching himself into the sky as the police close in on the remains of the giant robot and the tied-up Toyman.
YOU ARE READING
Superman: The Man of Steel
Adventure(An unauthorized screenplay based on the DC Comics character) A superstar writing team redefines the origin of Superman for a new generation! It's been six months since Clark Kent moved to Metropolis, and he's still struggling to hit his stride in t...
