SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL.
Story by Alex Ford & J Ellison.
OPENING SEQUENCE.
This is a pre-credit sequence and not meant to take place within the structure of the actual narrative.
EXT. GENERAL STORE.
This opening sequence is shot in glorious black and white.
A BOY wearing depression era clothes enters the general store.
INT. GENERAL STORE.
The store is empty except for an older CLERK putting out the week's periodicals in front of the register. The BOY passes as the CLERK finishes and moves behind the counter.
The BOY goes directly to a candy shelf and opens a jar, takes a handful of gum balls and heads for the counter.
He passes the periodicals and on the rack among the newspapers and magazines is a color comic book alone amongst the colorless rack. The title reads ACTION COMICS with a 1930s era SUPERMAN lifting a car above his head and smashing the front end into the ground.
Enamored by it, the BOY stares and in a DREAMLIKE STATE the CAMERA cuts between BOY, COMIC, and slowly panning in on each of them. Finally, the BOY looks up at the CLERK who's been patiently waiting for him.
The BOY looks a last time at the book on the shelf, then at one handful of gum and the other with a single dime. He looks up at the CLERK who looks like he knows something the boy doesn't.
EXT. GENERAL STORE.
BOY exits with comic book in hand. He takes a seat on the sidewalk outside the store and...
CAMERA OVER SHOULDER shows the BOY slowly opening the front cover with much delicacy revealing the interior to be a VIBRANT COLOR WARNER BROS. LOGO (WB Shield on blue clouded sky).
CAMERA PANS IN OVER THE SHOULDER and the LOGO fills the screen.
Black and white sequence finished. WE ARE IN THE MOVIE.
CAMERA pans upward slowly and the logo slides off the bottom of the screen, the blue clouded sky merges with the infinite reaches of space. Almost unnoticeable in the far off distance is a minuscule green dot.
Without warning, the green dot EXPLODES IN A BURST OF SILENT LIGHT. Several seconds pass as the shockwave from the explosion travels towards us and like a rumble in the distance, bringing a tidal wave of sound with it.
Debris hurls itself in all directions. With it A SMALL SPACECRAFT ZIP towards us, past the explosion and whips overhead. The CAMERA tilts and follows the orange and green craft. The planet's fragments follow the craft.
The debris loses speed and begins to fall behind the ship. Soon, the only thing left in frame from the dead planet is the lone ship hurling through space.
BEGIN OPENING CREDIT SEQUENCE.
Opening credit sequence is displayed while we follow the ship through infinite space. On occasion, the ship radically changes direction like it knows where it's going. Its destination is no accident.
The ship enters our solar system and barrels past familiar planets. In the distance is Earth.
The ship cracks through Earth's atmosphere and its hull ignites in a bright red flame.
SMASH CUT TO:.
EXT. SMALLVILLE, KANSAS - DESOLATE SNOW-COVERED ROAD - NIGHT.
EXTREME CLOSE-UP of a mittened hand holding a misshapen rusty nail.
JONATHAN KENT, a Kansas farmer in his thirties, is holding the nail. Standing in from of him is his wife MARTHA (also in her thirties) with a look is irritation. In the background is their weathered 1954 pickup truck with a flat tire. There is virtually no light on this country road. MARTHA What now, Jonathan?
JONATHAN's face bends with an "I don't need this" smirk. The night lights almost like day and there is a tremendous crack as the ship breaks the sound barrier.
In the background, the flaming craft crashes into a field digging a charred crevice several hundred feet long and a trail of steaming melted snow.
JONATHAN and MARTHA, in total disbelief, slowly move towards the wreckage as if they are unconsciously drawn to it.
In the background is the distant cry of a baby.
ROCKET POV, JONATHAN and MARTHA peer into the crater with confusion and then turn to each other for an explanation neither of them has. They simultaneously look at the rocket then to the sky. The CAMERA looks upward with them and keeps going until there is nothing but space.
END OPENING CREDIT SEQUENCE ON NIGHT SKY.
CUT TO:.
EXT. METROPOLIS SKY DAY.
The CAMERA pans down from space through the clouds and merges with a beautiful blue sky, which is disrupted by a massive "L" shaped state-of-the-art skyscraper made of steel and glass. The roof is slanted to make the "L"
visible in the distance.
CAMERA keeps moving down the building for what seems like forever and finally other buildings appear along the skyline, but it's obvious this is "the"
building in the city. A landmark like no other and everything else pales on comparison.
The city in the background bustles with life. She is like no other on Earth.
She is immaculately clean and meticulously engineered. Skyscrapers are everywhere but the city doesn't seem cluttered. Ten million people call her home and with the multilayered highways, subways and elevated trains it never looks congested. She is the most advanced city in the world, the template for all others. Her name is appropriate; this is...
Metropolis.
Still moving down building...
FADE IN, TITLE ON MOVING IMAGE: METROPOLIS.
Still moving down building...
FADE IN, TITLE ON MOVING IMAGE: TOMORROW, SATURDAY, 2:43PM.
Still moving...
The CAMERA nears the bottom panning down huge letters etched in stone on the building side boldly announcing LEXCORP (and beneath it corporation's slogan "Bringing The Future To You Today"). Finally we reach the bottom of the building and pedestrians come into view and the pan ends on the back of a young, business-suited woman staring up at the menacing tower. She nervously gathers herself, builds her confidence and enters.
INT. METROPOLIS, LEXCORP HEADQUARTERS DAY.
WOMAN enters the lobby. There are dozens of people bustling about. She approaches one of a two dozen receptionists behind a massive marble counter all of whom are all assisting others. The RECEPTIONIST she has chosen is finishing up a telephone call on her headset/telephone. Several receptionists down is another woman who appears to be arguing with a receptionist and with someone on her cell phone at the same time, although the details can't be heard. The woman is dressed in a suit carrying a briefcase. She looks like she is about to explode. RECEPTIONIST #1 (Finishing her call) Hello. Welcome to LexCorp. May I help you?
WOMAN.
(Startled) I'm here to see Mister Luthor.
RECEPTIONIST #1.
And what time is your appointment?
WOMAN.
I don't have an appointment.
RECEPTIONIST #1.
(disappointed) Oh. I'm sorry. Mister Luthor only sees guests by appointment.
WOMAN.
It's very urgent. A matter of life and death.
RECEPTIONIST #1.
(sympathetic) Let me see if I can fit you in.
RECEPTIONIST #1 begins checking appointments in the computer when the arguing woman hears this and flips out. She barges past several people between them, pushing them out of the way to get to the sympathetic RECEPTIONIST.
The woman is LOIS LANE.
LOIS.
(furious) What?! I have been waiting here for three hours and I have an appointment!
(Beat) Does he know Lois Lane from the Daily Planet is here?
RECEPTIONIST #2.
(Under her breath) That's probably why he's not coming down.
LOIS shoots her a nasty look.
LOIS.
(To RECEPTIONIST #2) The parking garage. You and me, sister. I hope your medical is all paid up.
RECEPTIONIST #1.
(to WOMAN and ignoring LOIS) I can fit you in Tuesday.
WOMAN.
I'd have to wait until next Tuesday?
RECEPTIONIST #1.
(apologetic) Tuesday the twenty-third...
WOMAN.
That's three weeks from now.
RECEPTIONIST #1.
(Slightly embarrassed) ...in September.
The woman looks blankly at her examining her options.
RECEPTIONIST #2.
(calling) Miss Lane?
LOIS returns to RECEPTIONIST #2.
RECEPTIONIST #1.
If you have a business card or something, I'd be happy to leave it for him.
WOMAN.
(Shakes off her daze) No. I don't have anything.
(long beat, building nerve) Oh wait, I do have this.
RECEPTIONIST #1 stands to retrieve her card and WOMAN opens her jacket revealing a bomb strapped around her mid-section. RECEPTIONIST #1 swoons and faints. LOIS, on her cell phone in the background...
LOIS.
(into cell phone) Gotta go!
She turns her back to the woman and starts punching buttons frantically.