Kitty Kowalski

Superman Returns
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bryan Singer
Produced by	Bryan Singer Jon Peters Gilbert Adler
Screenplay by	Michael Dougherty Dan Harris
Story by	Bryan Singer Michael Dougherty Dan Harris
Based on	Characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics
Starring	Brandon Routh Kate Bosworth Kevin Spacey James Marsden Frank Langella Eva Marie Saint Parker Posey Kal Penn Sam Huntington Tristan Lake Leabu
Music by	John Ottman (Superman themes composed by John Williams)
Cinematography	Newton Thomas Sigel
Edited by	John Ottman Elliot Graham
Production company	Legendary Pictures DC Comics Peters Entertainment Bad Hat Harry Productions
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	June 21, 2006 (2006-06-21) (Los Angeles) June 28, 2006 (2006-06-28) (United States) July 14, 2006 (2006-07-14) (United Kingdom)
Running time	154 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$204 million
Box office	$391.1 million

Superman Returns is a 2006 American superhero film directed and produced by Bryan Singer. It is based on the DC Comics character Superman and serves as an homage sequel to the motion pictures Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), while ignoring the events of Superman III (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). The film stars Brandon Routh as Clark Kent/Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor, with James Marsden, Frank Langella, and Parker Posey. The film tells the story of the title character returning to Earth after a five-year absence. He finds that his love interest Lois Lane has moved on with her life, and that his archenemy Lex Luthor is plotting a scheme that will destroy Superman and the world.

After a series of unsuccessful projects to resurrect Superman on screen following the critical failure and box office disappointment of Superman IV: The Quest For Peace (1987), Warner Bros. hired Bryan Singer to direct and develop Superman Returns 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, Framestore, Rising Sun Pictures, and The Orphanage; filming ended in November 2005.