Comic book convention veteran Bryan Singer welcomed the star of ?Superman Returns? onto the stage at the 2006 WonderCon in San Francisco where he was greeted with enthusiastic applause from comic book/Superman fans eager to hear from the new Man of Steel.

The event marked Routh?s first appearance at a major convention and you could tell from the way he struggled for answers that the whole thing was more than a little overwhelming.

Luckily for the new Superman, he had Singer by his side to help get him past his nervousness.

Immediately following a question and answer period with the fans, Singer and Routh took part in a press conference and responded to questions from the media about the upcoming release of ?Superman Returns.?

The Evolution of the Character: Director Singer said, ?My process began with seeing Brandon in an early tape that he had done previously for the role, a screen test actually, and a tape he had done for another role. We had a meeting in a coffee shop where we talked for a couple of hours about the character, about his history.

It was good for me because I get to know the person. When I find the traits in a person, I get to find the character. I cast him, but didn?t share it for several months. Then we started talking about the process.?

Routh said, ?As we talked more, we understood each other more, which is a great thing. We talked a lot, whether it was a sit-down for two hours or?and we?d actually talk about scenes.

Every couple of days we?d update our background and say 'hey'.?

?We were in Sydney for two months before we started shooting,? continued Routh. ?We would talk about [moments with Clark] and such. What was great is that we were never set it in stone. There was always the door open for change, for new creations to happen on the day. When shooting a scene five or six times one way, if it wasn?t working, Bryan would stop and figure out what wasn?t right - and change it so it was.?

?We also had a lot of discussions about the physics of Superman. What is hard for him to lift? What's effortless? In theory his strength can be infinite, but an actor still has to embody that,? explained Singer. Routh added, ?You don't want everything you lift to look the same. You have to make sure he has the right posture on take-off, landing and doing turns...?

Bryan Singer on Reshoots: Singer said they did not have to do many reshoots. ?We have only one pick-up day in Los Angeles, but that was it. What I did was I switched my schedule. I had shot for 107 days [and] originally I was going to shoot for 128 days. But I was so exhausted and the process was so long that I started to lose my objectivity so I shortened the schedule and started shooting for the 107 days, then came back to Los Angeles for three and a half weeks. Then I went back and finished the schedule in Sydney.?

Singer said the multiple reshoot rumor isn't the only thing that's been greatly exaggerated by the media. ?There are a lot of misperceptions. I?ll give you another one, which is that some idiot wrote something that this is $250 million dollars, which is the most absurd thing I?ve ever heard. I?ll tell you exactly what the budget is, $184.5 million dollars, and with effects it may still be a few million over that. Which is still a great deal of money, but by no means what that guy wrote. It was just an irresponsible journalist at a specific trade that I'm trying not to name! I don't know, maybe he was talking about Australian dollars or something.?

Brandon Routh on Process of Becoming an Action Figure: ?It was easy. Actually it wasn?t, now that I think about it, because it was a long process. I did a lot of body molds and body scans. A lot of that information went into making this thing. They came to me with little heads, Mattel heads. I?d have to check out the piece, and say it was a little long or boxy. I had to make sure it looked like me. I had approval of certain things. Sometimes they?d get it right and sometimes they?d have to take it back. Dissecting my face? ?Well, that?s not right.? It was crazy because am I objective??

Singer understands Routh?s reaction but also knows that it?s a crucial process as far as marketing the film. ??It?s really important for merchandising. You have to make sure things looked right with the suit. It?s your body,? Singer said to Routh.

Page 2:Bryan Singer and Brandon Routh on Kevin Spacey, Fan Expectations, Humor, and 2006 is the Right Time for the Return of Superman