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Kevin Smith Reveals Superman Movie Story WB Originally Pitched Him

Kevin Smith revealed the pitch Warner Bros. sent to him regarding a Superman movie back in 1996. Smith has long been associated with the iconic superhero, going back to the beginning of his career. Not only has he mentioned his love of the DC superhero in his movies multiple times, but he was also attached to write a script for Superman Lives, which eventually turned into Tim Burton and Nic Cage's canceled 1990s Superman movie.

An anecdote about his experience working with Jon Peters on developing that script went viral after telling it in the early 2000s. He was also an integral part of the 2015 documentary The Death of Superman Lives, detailing how the project fell apart. Smith has since gone on to work on several CW shows featuring DC characters, including Supergirl, but he hasn't been involved with the DC Extended Universe as a writer or director. Instead, he spends his days hosting his podcast and directing his independently-funded movies.

Smith revealed the full contents of a letter he got from WB in 1996 asking him to write their Superman movie on the latest episode of his podcast, Fatman Beyond. Smith says he found the letter while going through some old cabinets and details the movie's pitch, which involves Superman losing everything, including Lois Lane and his superpowers, and working to rebuild his life while also fighting off Brainiac. Smith shows off the letter, which has a date of May 15, 1996. You can read his full comments from the podcast, including the entire contents of the letter, below:

I've been cleaning my office and I found some s--t and I just wanted to share this with you all. This is from Warner Bros. and it's from, I don't know if you can see the date there, the date is May 15th of 1996. What I hold in my hand is a 24-year-old Warner Bros. letter. May I read it to you? “It's time for the rebirth of a hero. As you know, we are making a new Superman film, taking the world's most famous superhero into the 21st century. The enclosed collection of comic books forms the basis of the take outline. We would love to discuss this with Kevin Smith at his earliest convenience.” This was the storyline that I was handed. Ready? “Alienated from the world he protects, convinced his relationship with Lois Lane is doomed, Superman is suddenly defeated and left for dead by the villain Brainiac, an intergalactic genius intent upon collecting the best DNA in the universe. Superman is secretly nursed back to health by his mentor Cadmus only to discover he has lost his superpowers. As Lois mourns the loss of her love and Brainiac frantically searches for Superman's body, the Man of Steel returns, disguised, using a high-tech bodysuit to fight while he attempts to regain his superpowers. While battling Brainiac's henchmen Parasite and Banshee, Superman rediscovers his powers and his love for Lois Lane. In a final showdown, Superman destroys Brainiac and saves the world that he has come to call home.”

Smith's stories about the tortured pre-production process on Superman Lives are legend, including his most famous tale, which involves Superman fighting a giant spider. However, this is the first time the public has heard Warner Bros. plans for the movie in full detail. The unmade film is the subject of endless debate, with many saying its weird approach, plus Burton and Cage's presence may have made it the most interesting Superman movie to date.

Smith has famously said he'd love to see his script made into an animated movie. However, that's unlikely to happen, but it would be interesting to compare the finished product with the outline detailed in the letter from WB. Honestly, the best way to experience this version of Superman is via the late Jon Schnepp's The Death of Superman Lives documentary. Schnepp's masterpiece details the whole ordeal and even includes a look at some Brainiac concept art. Interestingly, despite Brainiac being pitched in the 90s, the villain has never appeared in a Superman movie.

Wonder Woman 1984 Chinese Box Office Plummets 92% In Second Weekend

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Wonder Woman 1984 fell 92% at the Chinese box office during its second week in theaters there. The film debuted in China on December 16, nine days before its stateside premiere on HBO Max and select theaters. After its release, fan reviews on ticketing apps complained about the film's lack of action. The critical reaction mirrored the film's reception in the US.

Initially, Wonder Woman 1984 was well-received. Even though critical reception has fallen in the US since, that did not stop the film from having the highest-grossing weekend for any film during the pandemic. That box office even boosted movie theater stocks and helped revitalized fatalist views on the state of the exhibition industry. Still, it looks like the box office outside of the US is less than promising.

According to THR, the film's box office take in China dropped a whopping 92% in its second weekend. In total, Wonder Woman 1984 took in $1.5 million, bested by Hong Kong actioner Shock Wave 2. The film, which cost roughly $200 million, is now sitting at a total of $23.9 million in China. 2017's Wonder Woman grossed $90.5 million in the country, but the sequel isn't expected to gross much more than what it already has.

One tricky thing about early reviews - studios will typically invite people who are particularly excited to see the film early, potentially inflating initial reception. This could account for the film's lukewarm reception once it was available to general audiences. Wonder Woman 1984 also lost its Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating a stark difference between early reactions and the general public's response.

The fall at China's box office is particularly worrying. Word of mouth drives the Chinese box office more than it does the US box office. If people don't like a film, it's likely they will make it known. With China being the second-largest box office market in the world, Warner Bros. was hoping the theatrical release there could make up for the thousands of theaters closed in the US. Now that it's clear that the Chinese box office won't be making up the difference, Warner Bros. will have to put all their hopes into recouping as much profit as they can through PVOD. Wonder Woman 1984 is still in its first week of release in the US - it has about three weeks left on HBO Max. Once it's done there, it will likely move to PVOD at a premium price, giving Warner Bros. the potential to make up for the losses.

Cardi B Threatens Peppa Pig For Teaching Her Daughter To Jump In Puddles

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Cardi B ignited a new feud -- with none other than Peppa Pig. Cardi, real name Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, is no stranger to celebrity beef or a viral moment. The rapper rose to fame via social media, specifically Vine and Instagram, before being featured on VH1’s reality series Love & Hip Hop: New York. In 2017, she released her breakout single "Bodak Yellow," and went on to win a Grammy Award for her debut album Invasion of Privacy. In 2020, she once again proved her staying power with her Megan Thee Stallion collab WAP. But she also made some famous enemies along the way, most notoriously feuding with fellow rapper Nicki Minaj.

Meanwhile, Peppa Pig is the main character in the beloved British animated children’s series of the same name. The show began airing in 2004 on Channel 5 in the UK, and now also runs on Nick Jr. in the US. Peppa has never won a Grammy, though she has feuded with a rapper before. Peppa's album came out on the same day as Iggy Azalea’s in 2019. At the time, Azalea jokingly demanded a collaboration, “or you’ll end up a breakfast special Peppa.”

Somehow, Peppa has found herself back in the frying pan after this latest complaint from Cardi B. On Tuesday, Cardi took to Twitter to blame the character for her daughter Kulture stomping in puddles. The rapper claimed that watching Peppa Pig has led to the toddler "f**king up her uggs," and warned the cartoon pig to "COUNT YOUR F**KIN DAYS!"

A bit more generously, she followed up the threat by retweeting a fan edit of Kulture’s face and Cardi’s voice into a clip of Peppa and her family stomping in puddles. In the video, as the family falls into the puddle together, Cardi’s WAP can be heard. She responded to the video with the comment, "Soooo bute [sic] lols."

Of course, Peppa might not be solely to blame for Kulture’s new puddle-stomping habit. After all, she is only two years old, and sometimes toddlers just like to splash in puddles. Toddlers do tend to absorb a lot of what they see and hear, however, and Cardi certainly wouldn’t be the first parent to blame television for her kid’s bad habits. Still, Peppa's a powerful pig with a huge following, so perhaps Cardi would be better off pivoting to invite the famous animated pig to collab. Most likely, puddle jumping and Peppa Pig will be a phase that Kulture soon grows out of, and this feud will quickly fade into the background.

Source: Cardi B/Twitter