Superman Returns VS Man of Steel

Superman Returns director Bryan Singer has spoken about his regrets concerning the 2006 superhero film.

Singer told Empire magazine that he wishes he had rebooted the Superman franchise and turned Superman Returns into an origin story.

Asked how he feels about the film being considered one of the worst superhero movies, he said: "Half of that I understand and half of it I never will.

"It was a movie made for a certain kind of audience. Perhaps more of a female audience. It wasn't what it needed to be, I guess.

"I think I could lop the first quarter off and start the movie a bit more aggressively and maybe find a way to start the movie with the jet disaster sequence or something. I could have grabbed the audience a little more quickly.

"I don't know what would have helped. Probably nothing. If I could go again, I would do an origin. I would reboot it."

He also revealed that the sequel to Superman Returns - originally scheduled for release in 2009 before being scrapped - also had the title Man of Steel.

"That was the title. Actually, my buddy, one of my two best friends, came up with that," he said.

"We did explore it a little. Just hammering out ideas. I think Darkseid was going to be the villain. It was pretty world-destroying, actually."

The planned sequel was abandoned after Singer was given the opportunity to make Valkyrie.

"I think the studio lost interest at that point," he said. "I can't say it was all the studio's fault and I can't say it was all my fault. It just fizzled out."

The Superman franchise was rebooted in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel last year, with Henry Cavill replacing Brandon Routh in the lead role.