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Brandon Routh reveals why a 'Superman Returns' sequel never happened

Brandon Routh as Superman (Warner Bros)
Brandon Routh as Superman. (Warner Bros)

Brandon Routh has broken down exactly why a follow-up to Superman Returns never materialised.

Routh shot to fame in his role as the superhero in the 2006 film, which was initially met with impressive reviews. However, it didn’t fare that well at the box office, grossing £297 million ($391.1 million) from a budget of around £169 million ($223 million).

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During his recent conversation with Geek House Show, Routh said that “the intention was to do do a sequel” to Superman Returns, but then when its gross ended up being so low things quickly began to unravel.

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“At the end of the day, the studio, Warner Brothers, decided it was too much of a gamble for them to do a sequel,” Routh said.

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“The creative entities, the writers and the directors were on to other things. Certain people at the studio who were excited about Superman had left to go on to other projects at other studios.”

This meant that the “passion and the interest” that had originally surrounded Superman Returns and its potential sequels quickly began to disappear.

Cast member actor Brandon Routh attends the world premiere of "Superman Returns" at the Mann Village theatre in Los Angeles June 21, 2006. The movie opens in the U.S. on June 28. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni (UNITED STATES)
Routh attends the world premiere of "Superman Returns" at the Mann Village theatre in Los Angeles, California, June 21, 2006. (Reuters/Mario Anzuoni)

Routh has still gone on to reprise his role as Superman, though, appearing in The Flash and Legends Of Tomorrow.

He even told Geek House Show that he’d love to return as him once again in the upcoming movie The Flash, especially since it has been alleged that Michael Keaton will once again be playing Batman in the film, which is reportedly going to explore multiverse versions of different DC characters.

We’ll find out if that’s actually the case when The Flash is finally released in November 2022.