Superman has a long and distinguished history. He first appeared in Action Comics #1 in 1938. In addition to defeating cartoon nemeses, he also played a roll in the 1950’s fall of the infamous Klu Klux Klan through his radio show (for reference read Freakonomics). Superman made his debut on the Silver Screen in 1978’s Superman: The Movie staring Christopher Reeve.

While Superman has been a staple of American culture for the better part of a century, my big question is whether or not we need another installation of this wonderful symbol of all that is supposed to be great about America. My initial sense is that there is no way that any actor could be accepted in this role after Christopher Reeve, especially given what happened at the end of his life.

But thinking about it further, 1978 was an awfully long time ago now. Anybody 30 years younger (please note: this covers the some of the major target advertising demographics) didn’t have any direct experience with the disco era, much less the reign of the original Superman. Sadly, this entire generation (myself included) remembers Christopher Reeve more for the last few years of his life than as Superman. 

As a result, I think that this resurrection of Superman is going to be successful. With no cultural memory of the original Superman, the recent success of other comic book-based movies and some high powered stars around a no-name actor, there is a chance for this movie to be a blockbuster. In particular, I’m excited about seeing Kevin Spacey as Lex Luther. If for nothing else, I will look forward to seeing that in the movie, but I wouldn’t be surprised to come out liking the new son of Krypton.