Superman: Legacy: James Gunn Promises Kevin Smith 2 Giant Spiders

Strong geek game respects strong geek game. And a perfect example of that was on display today when filmmaker Kevin Smith and DC Studios co-head James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, Superman: Legacy) had the kind of Twitter exchange that goes from mutual admiration to a shared respect for pop culture history and lore. In the tweets below, Smith shares with Gunn how much he appreciated what Gunn brought to not just GotG Volume 3 but to the franchise overall. Near the end of one of Smith’s reactions, he lets Gunn know how much he’s looking forward to Superman: Legacy – and then offered this advice: “But maybe avoid including a giant spider in the third act,”  to which Gunn replied, “TWO giant spiders? Got it!” Smith set up a sweet pop culture reference, and Gunn spikes it for the point – but for those of you who need a reminder…

Tim Burton began pre-production on his take on The Man of Steel in 1996, with Superman Lives set to be a reboot of the film franchise. With Burton set to direct, Jon Peters producing, and Nicolas Cage set to star, the film would become a beautiful bouquet of bizarreness before the plug was pulled on the project in 1998. But between interviews, conceptual artwork, and the documentary The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?, we have a much better understanding of what the film could’ve been – ouch. Possibly the most infamous story to come out of pre-production was the rumor that Peters was pushing for Superman to fight a giant spider in the film’s third act. Yup, you read that right. So when Smith offers Gunn that early “note” on the film, that was a knowing exchange from one geek to another: