SUPERMAN Returns marks the long-anticipated return to the big screen of one of the best loved comic-book characters of all-time.

It’s been 19 years since the late, great Christopher Reeve hung up his cape but now Warner Bros has revived the franchise for what looks set to be one of the biggest and most spectacular events of the summer.

Directed by Bryan Singer at a reported cost of $250 million (higher even than King Kong), Superman Returns is by no means guaranteed a runaway success. Its star, alone, will have to work hard to convince audiences to come out and see him, given that Brandon Routh remains a virtual unknown in the industry (much like Christopher Reeve when he was first cast).

Plus, the latter Superman movies hardly finished on a high, with movies such as The Quest For Peace as bad, if not worse, than those terrible Batman movies, Batman & Robin and Batman Forever.

Indeed, Superman Returns’ biggest asset could well be the director, Singer, who jumped ship on X-Men 3: The Last Stand to fulfil a childhood dream.

Singer has already proved he has what it takes to deliver a blockbusting comic book franchise in X-Men 1 and 2, while he executive produces the hit US medical drama, House, and was the genius responsible for the all-time classic, The Usual Suspects.

In a canny bit of casting, Singer has even recruited one of those suspects – Kevin Spacey – to play Superman’s arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor.

The all-important love interest, Lois Lane, is played by Kate Bosworth, while support players include Parker Posey, James Marsden, Frank Langella and Eva Marie Saint.

The plot finds Superman, aka Clark Kent, returning to Earth after a long visit to the lost remains of the planet Krypton to become the people’s saviour once again and to reclaim the love of his life. It promises plenty of special effects, some strong characterisation and a return to old-fashioned, good-versus-evil values.

Yet can it cope in an industry swamped with super-hero success stories, particularly with the likes of Spider-Man and the re-energised Batman performing so well.

The pressure is certainly on Singer, who seems to be coping pretty well even though it dwarfs his work on the X-Men movies.

“We’re using twice the amount of special effects and five times the amount of sets,” reveals Singer, during production.

One set in particular, that of Metropolis, is said to be awe-inspiring creation, having been assembled by Guy Hendrix Dyas after meticulous research of the 1930s comics and a chop and change of the existing New York skyline.

“I think it’s one of the biggest movies Warner Bros has ever made,” continued Singer, in a recent interview with US movie magazine, Premiere. And he hates the pressure it places him under.

Needless to say, Singer has been adamant about doing things his way. Superman Returns is therefore not a return to the origins of the story, but merely a continuation, picking up after Superman has returned to Earth after a five-year absence.

Lois is now engaged to the nephew of Daily Planet editor Perry White and has a four-year-old son, although it’s not clear who the father is. What’s more, the world isn’t ready for the returning hero, so much so that White is allowed to put out an article saying how much better off the planet is without him.

Arch-villain Luthor, meanwhile, is fresh out of prison and dying for revenge, having laid his hands on some more kryptonite and is intent on burying his rival once and for all.

The story has been co-written by Dan Harris and Michael Dougherty, who last united on X-Men 2 with Singer. They deliberately sought a mix that would place Superman Returns somewhere between Spider-Man and X-Men in terms of tone.

“He’s a symbol of hope and I don’t think that makes him outdated,” states Dougherty. “But it [Superman Returns] takes itself very seriously but is not afraid to be a little lighter as well.”

Adds Singer in the same interview with Premiere: “Superman’s always been an idealistic hero and with idealism there’s always pitfalls. When he returns to Earth, the world isn’t the way he left it. People have moved on. Lois has moved on. He now has to reclaim his place. That’s the conflict that makes this movie interesting.”

Audiences will be able to decide whether Singer and co have achieved that balance when the film opens on July 14.

Read our review

Brandon Routh interview

Bryan Singer interview

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