'I call it the industry of Superman'

In its June issue, Wired magazine salutes the "the rebels and revolutionaries shaping the Wired world," including Superman Returns director Bryan Singer, who discusses filmmaking technology and being the cinematic caretaker of the Man of Steel:

I call it the industry of Superman. There’s the core brand, the movie, and all the merchandising and cross-promotions. I’ve been supervising everything, from Look Up in the Sky, a documentary on the history of Superman [on A&E June 12], to Got Milk ads. It’s powerful stuff; you’re dealing with almost 70 years of history in comic books and TV shows and movies. I mean, little kids who have never seen or read a comic book, you ask them who Superman is, they know he’s got a cape. Take the S into the jungle and you’ll have 50-50 recognition.

In a related article, Neil Gaiman and Wired senior editor Adam Rogers write about "the Myth of Superman": "Superman is different because he doesn’t really belong to the writers who’ve created his adventures over the last 68-plus years. He has evolved into a folk hero, a fable, and the public feels like it has a stake in who Superman 'really' is."