Dark Knight writer/director Christopher Nolan is developing a Superman live action feature, according to Deadline Hollywood.  Warner Bros. is hoping that Nolan can bring some Dark Knight magic ($1 billion worldwide) to Superman, which only brought in $391 worldwide in its most recent incarnation, Brian Singer’s Superman Returns.  Now that Singer is back on X-Men (see “Singer Wants to Return to X-Men”), the way is clear for a fresh look at the character.

Nolan is unlikely to direct the Superman movie, according to the report, but will supervise the development of a new start to the Superman franchise.    

Adding some urgency to the schedule for Warners is the fact that a judge ruled in a case involving the Siegel heirs that if no Superman film was in production by 2011, Warners could be penalized.  Also, in 2013, the copyrights on the early comic issues featuring Superman revert to the creators, requiring a licensing deal to produce a film featuring the character (see “Warners, DC Win Superman Suit”). 

Deadline Hollywood also says that a script for a third Nolan Batman film, based on a Nolan idea, is being written by brother Jonathan Nolan and David Goyer.