Anne Thompson is reporting that we wont be seeing a sequel to Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns for a very long time.

Apparently, the entire project is on hold as the studio waits to hear the outcome of the ongoing legal battle being waged between Warner Bros. and the creators’ heirs. In 2013 the copyright for the Superman character will revert to the heirs of Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, including the rights to all material published in Action Comics Vol. 1, in order to merge all the Superman rights.

According to Thompson, there are currently no writer working on a script for a follow-up, and one Warner executive is quoted as saying that “We’re working on a strategy for DC,” and that “Superman is the trickiest one to figure out.”

Bryan Singer took a part homage, part sequels approach to the franchise with Superman Returns, which split fans down the middle, and while it grossed over $391 million, it cost $232 million to produce, so Singer was taken off the franchise.

While Warner are “are eager to start development on a sequel”, they also want to “start over from scratch”. One would assume this means taking a completely new approach to the franchise. While Warner currently has no one working on a script for the project, they’ve already turned down a pitch from Mark Millar, who would be ideal, in my opinion!

The latest development in the legal case was a July 9, 2009 verdict, which denied a claim by Siegel’s family that it was owed licensing fees. U.S. District Court judge Stephen G. Larson said Warner Bros. and DC Comics have fulfilled their obligations to the Siegels under a profit-sharing agreement for the 2006 movie Superman Returns and the CW series Smallville. However the court also ruled that if Warner Bros. does not start a new Superman film by 2011, the family will have the right to sue to recover damages.

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