Superman and Batman: The World's Finest

Superman and Batman: The World's Finest is a 2006 American superhero film directed by Joe Johnston, written by Jonathan Hensleigh, Alfred Gough and Miles Millar and produced by Tim Burton, Richard Donner, Jon Peters and Charles Roven based on the DC Comics characters Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and The Flash. The film is the sixth and final installment in the original Superman film series, the fifth and final film in the original Batman film series and serves a homage sequel to Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) while ignoring the events of Superman III (1983), Supergirl (1984), Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997). The film stars Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman, Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Lynda Carter as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman, John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle/Catwoman Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale, Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth, Pat Hingle as Commissioner James Gordon, with James Marsden, Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Kal Penn, Sam Huntington, Eva Marie Saint, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Shawn Ashmore. The film tells the story of the title character who returns to Earth after a five-year absence. He finds that his love interest Lois Lane has moved on with her life as he meets a wealthy industrialist from Gotham City named Bruce Wayne, a warrior from the island of the Amazons named Diana Prince, and a speedster from Central City named Barry Allen, and that his archenemy Lex Luthor, who teams up with Two-Face and Captain Cold, is plotting a scheme to kill Superman and reshape North America.

After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Superman and Batman on screen following the critical and financial failure of The Quest for Peace and Batman & Robin, Warner Bros. Pictures hired Joe Johnston to direct and develop Superman and Batman: The World's Finest in July 2004. The majority of principal photography took place at Fox Studios Australia, Sydney, while the visual effects sequences were created by a number of studios, including Sony Pictures Imageworks, Rhythm & Hues, Digital Domain, Framestore and Industrial Light & Magic; filming began in March 2005 and ended in November.

Upon release, the film received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its visual effects, story, and performances (particularly Brandon Routh, Michael Keaton, Lynda Carter, John Wesley Shipp, Kevin Spacey, Billy Dee Williams and Michelle Pfeiffer). However, it received criticism focusing on its runtime and homages to the other films. Eventually, it became a box office success, grossing $625.4 million over the $200 million budget.

Plot
Superman has been missing for five years, since traveling to the location where astronomers believed they had discovered the remains of Krypton. During his absence, Superman's nemesis Lex Luthor was released from prison and married a rich widow to obtain her fortune upon her death. Superman, having failed in his quest to find surviving Kryptonians, returns to Earth and, as Clark Kent, resumes his job at the Daily Planet in Metropolis. He subsequently learns that Lois Lane has won the Pulitzer Prize for her article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman." Meanwhile, Luthor travels to the Fortress of Solitude and steals Kryptonian crystals, which he uses for an experiment that causes a power outage on the East Coast. The power loss interferes with the flight test of a space shuttle to be launched into space from its piggy-back mounting on an airliner, occupied by Lois Lane, who is covering the story. Clark flies into action as Superman and stops the plane from crashing onto a baseball stadium.

At Gotham City, a wealthy industrialist, Bruce Wayne, lives in the Batcave with his trusted butler, Alfred Pennyworth, who gives him the pass to Metropolis. When Dick Grayson, who wills to avenge his family's death, Vicki Vale, Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner James Gordon and Selina Kyle arrive at the Wayne Manor after watching the news, they agree to join forces to travel to Metropolis. Meanwhile, Commissioner James Gordon tells Batman that Harvey Dent has become Two-Face after half of his face was burned by acid after a criminal tried to murder him.

Cast
Additionally, Michael Champion reprises his role from the 1990s television series The Flash as Leonard Snart/Captain Cold. Pat Hingle reprises his role from all four of the Batman film series as Commissioner James Gordon. Shawn Ashmore portrays Dick Grayson/Robin, an acrobatic who becomes a sidekick of Batman after his family was killed by Two-Face. Sarah Michelle Gellar portrays Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, daughter of James Gordon who becomes a crime-fighting hero and teams up with Batman as a sidekick.
 * Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman: The Kryptonian superhero whose alter-ego is a mild-mannered farmer-turned-journalist.
 * Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman: The wealthy industrialist who comes from Gotham City to Metropolis. Keaton reprises his role from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992), with this film ignoring the events of the subsequent films Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997), in which Keaton did not star.
 * Lynda Carter as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman: The princess of the Amazon who travels to Metropolis. Carter reprises her role from the TV series Wonder Woman (1975).
 * John Wesley Shipp as Barry Allen/The Flash: A forensic scientist in the Central City Police Department (CCPD) who gains the power of super speed after his lab is struck by lightning causing him to be doused with chemicals. Shipp reprises his role from the TV series The Flash (1990).
 * Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor: A sociopath armed with vast resources and an extensive knowledge of science who is Superman's nemesis. Spacey's version of Luthor has the same comically exaggerated vanity and pompous arrogance of the earlier Gene Hackman version, as well as the same strong interest in real estate, but Spacey's version is far less campy and more serious. Spacey later said that director Johnston told him to play the character as "darker and more bitter" compared to Hackman and not to use the earlier portrayal as an inspiration.
 * Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent/Two-Face: The newly elected district attorney of Gotham City who had half of his face burned by acid as he joins Lex Luthor on his mission. Dee Williams reprises his role from Batman (1989).
 * Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane: A reporter who works with Clark Kent at the Daily Planet, and former lover of Superman.
 * Michael Gough as Alfred Pennyworth: Bruce's trusted butler who lives in the Batcave. Gough reprises his role from all four of the Batman film series.
 * Michelle Pfeiffer as Selina Kyle/Catwoman: A secretary who becomes an undead criminal after being killed by her boss Max Shreck, who later decides to try everything to kill her after she survived from an explosion in Arctic City. Pfeiffer reprises her role from Batman Returns (1992).
 * Frank Langella as Perry White: The editor of the Daily Planet
 * James Marsden as Richard White: The nephew of the Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White and fiancé to Lois Lane. Marsden said Richard acts as an emotional challenge for Superman, since the hero comes back to find that "Lois Lane picks somebody who's very Supermanesque".
 * Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale: A journalist and a romantic interest of Bruce Wayne. Basinger reprises her role from Batman (1989).
 * Sam Huntington as Jimmy Olsen: A photographer at the Daily Planet and a friend of Clark.
 * Kal Penn as Stanford: One of Luthor's henchmen.
 * Eva Marie Saint as Martha Kent: Clark Kent's adoptive mother.
 * Parker Posey as Kitty Kowalski: Lex Luthor's henchwoman. She served as a prison nurse and would give Lex his examinations. The character is based on Eve Teschmacher from the 1978 film, portrayed by Valerie Perrine.

Marlon Brando appears posthumously as Jor-El, Superman's biological father. Brando, who died in 2004, reprises his role from the 1978 film through the use of previous footage combined with computer-generated imagery. This required negotiations with Brando's estate for permission to have his footage used. Johnston explained, "We had access to all of the Brando footage that was shot. There was unused footage that had Brando reciting poems, trailing off subject and swearing like a sailor." Tristan Lake Leabu stars as Jason White, the son of Lois Lane and Superman. The question of whether Superman or Richard is Jason's father is initially unclear. He suffers from asthma and other ailments, but it is later revealed that he is the son of Superman, when he displays superhuman strength and discomfort around Kryptonite.

Jack Nicholson and Danny DeVito appear as Jack Napier/The Joker and Oswald Cobblepot/The Penguin through archival footage from Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992) as Bruce Wayne tells Clark Kent the story of how they were defeated by the Batman. Peta Wilson appears as NASA spokeswoman Bobbie-Faye. Jack Larson, who portrayed Jimmy Olsen in the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman, makes a cameo appearance as Bo the bartender, possibly based on Bibbo Bibbowski. Noel Neill—who portrayed Lois Lane in the television series and the film serials Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950)—appears as Luthor's elderly wife Gertrude Vanderworth. Richard Branson cameos as the engineer aboard the space shuttle. Another of Luthor's henchmen (Riley) is played by Australian Rugby League footballer Ian Roberts.

James Newton Howard Warner Bros. Pictures DC Comics

Joe Johnston