“Now that all the licensing deals have been done, all the filmmakers need is a shooting script. Last year, Kevin Smith, the writer/director of the acclaimed indie films Clerks and Chasing Amy, was commissioned to provide his take on Supes’ newest screen adventures. This past spring, however, when Tim Burton took the helm of the megabudget project, Smith was unceremoniously booted from the project, and writer Wesley Strick (The Saint) began re-working the Superman Lives screenplay.”

“Eventually Jonathan Lemkin [Screenwriter] was replaced on the project by Kevin Smith. Peters’ decision to hire Smith surprised many people, particularly the writer/director himself. Last year Smith jokingly wondered, ‘Did [Peters] see Clerks and say, ‘Hey, big-dick jokes–this guy has to write Superman?” The script that Smith produced, which is loyal to the recent storylines in DC Comics, has some sparkling banter, but the battles are underwhelming. It is apparently Peters’ hope that Wesley Strick will pump up the film’s action quota.”

“At one point Jon Peters [producer] was talking about a character named the ‘Eradicator having an ‘Eradicator Stick’ because he had images of posters and toys coming out of it.”