Alternative versions of Superman establish a new continuity for DC, affecting not only Superman, but all of the DC Comics characters. The versions of Superman from this time period are traditionally divided into three main periods. The first version of Superman began being published by DC Comics in 1938 appearing in "Action Comics" #1. To explain discrepancies in the aging of Superman across several decades, his earliest stories were retroactively portrayed as having taken place on an alternative world called Earth-Two. These stories take place from 1938 until the late 1950s, although the exact dividing line is unclear and some stories happened identically to
Superman in film cancel Tim Burton's "Superman Lives", which would have starred Nicolas Cage, Wolfgang Petersen's "Batman vs. Superman", and the J. J. Abrams scripted "Superman: Flyby", which went between directors Joseph "McG" Nichols and Brett Ratner. The studio hired Bryan Singer to take over the films in 2004, releasing "Superman Returns" in 2006, which starred newcomer Brandon Routh. Donner's was also released that year. Despite positive reviews, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the financial performance of "Superman Returns", and canceled Singer's proposed sequel. The studio nearly went into production of a Justice League film with George Miller directing and D. J. Cotrona