It's been some time, but Christopher McQuarrie, the director of "Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning," remains somewhat sensitive about his now-infamous pitch for a Superman film. The filmmaker, renowned for his work on the Mission: Impossible series, writing 1995's "The Usual Suspects," and directing 2022's "Top Gun: Maverick," recently shared a few details about his idea for a "Man of Steel" sequel. Well, at least a glimpse of it.

"I'll never reveal the full details, but let me tell you, it was incredibly compelling. My focus landed on Green Lantern. He's a challenging character to adapt; the power set is particularly difficult," McQuarrie explained to Josh Horowitz during an interview on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast.

"However, I found a solution that made it exciting. The fun part was depicting the character learning to master this power and, more importantly, giving that power a critical weakness—so it wasn't just about limitless invincibility... The core of Green Lantern is that the ring needs recharging. That's not a flaw; it's a defining feature. 'You possess infinite power, but your battery is finite.' That power can drain at the worst possible moment. For me, this concept completely solved the Green Lantern adaptation puzzle."

McQuarrie added with a laugh, "The costume, of course, is a separate challenge. Someone else can tackle that one."

Ultimately, the writer-director emphasized that his approach always starts with deep character exploration.

"Here's my philosophy. I examine any superhero, and if you had told my younger self that Captain America or Thor could be portrayed in a way that didn't make me laugh at the concept, I wouldn't have believed you. Those successful films are proof—never be too certain," he elaborated.

"When you dismiss an idea out of hand, you're not just dismissing my concept; you're dismissing your own limited perception of it, just as I once dismissed these characters. I learned not to get hung up on the costume. Focus on the character: How do you create genuine tension and high stakes for them? How do you apply that to Superman?"

McQuarrie further revealed that Henry Cavill, who played Superman at the time, had his own perspective on this character-driven approach, which significantly shaped McQuarrie's vision for the sequel. "It suddenly clicked for me how these two characters shared profound similarities," he told Horowitz. "Those similarities also created the potential for incredible conflict and a universe-altering resolution."

Unresolved Story Teases in the DCEU

View 13 Images

The director even offered a hint about the film's potential opening sequence. "I can describe the first five minutes. Picture the emotional, wordless montage from Pixar's 'Up,' but used to unpack Superman's entire backstory," McQuarrie set the scene.

"In just those opening minutes, the audience would have understood exactly what motivates Superman, what his deepest fear is, and why he makes the choices he does. It would have been epic. Within five minutes, the sheer scale and emotional depth of the movie would have been established as something extraordinary."

While McQuarrie is a dedicated superhero fan, he has yet to direct a feature film for the MCU or DCU. However, he reportedly contributed uncredited writing work to 1997's "Batman & Robin" and 2000's "X-Men," so he's no stranger to the comic book movie world. It's a shame we never got to see his unique vision for the Man of Steel realized.

Of course, James Gunn's rebooted DCU is charting a completely new course, starting with this July's "Superman" movie.