KATE AURTHUR writes about the latest archenemy of Superman: Time Warner’s slimy copyright clearance machine:
And then there’s Lois Lane. The iconic character (played by Erica Durance) made her debut in the premiere of Season 4, and has enlivened the series with love-hate banter with Clark that, for now, veers much more toward hate. Mr. Millar and Mr. Gough wanted to bring her in during Season 3 and began negotiating the labyrinthine Time Warner structure for permission from both DC Comics and the film unit to use the character. The forthcoming movie, long in development with various combinations of directors and casts, proved to be a roadblock. At one point, it, too, was going to be the story of a young Clark Kent, and a franchise character like Lois would have been a valuable commodity. But when Bryan Singer (“X-Men”) was brought in to direct, he wanted to focus the movie’s plot on the adult Superman. Mr. Gough said, “Once that origins story version of the movie went away, it allowed things to happen faster.”
The producers would like to bring Lois back for Season 5 but will again have to get approval to use the character. “We think there’s a good chance,” Mr. Gough said carefully, “but we don’t know yet.”
I’ve written about this issue before , and one person has written about this issue before. I would have liked to discuss the substance of this person’s article, but alas, it seems that the individual has forbidden all readers to copy, retransmit, repost, duplicate or otherwise use without the individual’s express permission. So I shall pass over in silence ( ©Routledge Classics).