Insightful SUPERMAN: FLYBY Concept Art by Jim Martin

Check out Superman: Flyby concept art by Jim Martin!

Before the blockbuster hit Man of Steel there were many failed attempts to bring Superman back to the screen after the debacle of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. One, known as Superman: Flyby, was a reboot written by J.J. Abrams and was supposed to be directed by McG. It had some major changes to the Superman mythos. For example, in this version, Krypton was not completely destroyed. Kal-El left Krypton to escape his evil uncle Ty-Zor and his father ended up in a Kryptonian prison.

While we'll never know exactly what the film would have looked like, concept artist Jim Martin shared some illustrations on his site that show what some of the major plot points could have looked like. I contacted him and he walked me through some of the designs.

Jim Martin is a professional concept artist who's worked on Hollywood blockbusters like Spider-Man (2002), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).

You might notice that this illustration is eerily similar to the Superman Returns poster.

Krypton

 This is a Kryptonian prison where Jor-El is held before committing suicide.

This is the home where Lara (Superman's birth mother) hides from Ty-Zor before being killed.

Metropolis

 This is from a scene where Superman saves the President and Air Force One.

If you're interested, you can read a 2003 draft of the script at Superman Homepage.

See more of Jim Martin's fascinating portfolio at http://jimmartindesign.co/

Click on the links if you want to see more of Jim Martin's work or Superman: Flyby on my blog.

What do you think of the concept art\storyboards? Do you think Superman: Flyby could have been good?
 
Unofficial Superman: Flyby Description
Superman: Flyby was an origin story that included Krypton besieged by a civil war between Jor-El and his corrupt brother, Kata-Zor. Before Kata-Zor sentences Jor-El to prison, Kal-El is launched to Earth to fulfill a prophecy. Adopted by Jonathan and Martha Kent, he forms a romance with Lois Lane in the Daily Planet. However, Lois is more concerned with exposing Lex Luthor, written as a government agent obsessed with UFO phenomena. Clark reveals himself to the world as Superman, bringing Kata-Zor's son, Ty-Zor, and three other Kryptonians to Earth. Superman is defeated and killed, and visits Jor-El (who committed suicide on Krypton while in prison) in Kryptonian heaven. Resurrected, he returns to Earth and defeats the four Kryptonians, while the script ends with Superman off to Krypton, leaving a cliffhanger for a sequel. - Wikipedia
Directed by McG
Production Design by Owen Patterson
Planned release date: Summer 2004
© Copyright 2002 Warner Bros Pictures. All rights reserved.


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