A Filmmaker Wants to Make a Documentary on Superman's Cleveland Origin Story. Rights to the Man of Steel Stand in the Way

Many people are surprised that Cleveland is the home of Superman, says Cleveland filmmaker Rob Montague.

“Not a lot of people know that Jerry [Siegel] and Joe [Shuster] are from Cleveland,” he says. “I found that out when I was in my early 20s and I was just like, How inspiring to be from [Cleveland]. Especially coming from an angle of wanting to be a filmmaker, and I want to do something that’s much bigger than where I’m from.”

Siegel and Shuster were born to Jewish immigrant families. The two met in 1932 at Glenville High School, where they both attended, and shared a love for science fiction. Siegel was a writer and wrote science fiction, and Shuster was an artist and created illustrations for Siegel’s stories.

Superman’s character was originally a superhuman villain. Over time, the character morphed into a crime-fighting superhero with super strength and bulletproof skin. The duo sold other stories to comic magazine publishers, but they had trouble finding a publisher that would be interested in Superman.

“There’s something so important about being from a place that’s so assuming and having such a story that comes from [mere beginnings] and having just an idea that you never give up on was [the reason] why I never gave up on telling their story and honoring them,” he says.

Montague — a director, cinematographer and producer — spent years in the music industry, singing in bands and producing music. But he always gravitated more toward movies. After his music career started to wind down, Montague pursued filmmaking. His first feature film, Long Way to the Top, is a documentary that highlights the challenges musicians face while on the road. The 2016 film played at festivals, including the Cleveland International Film Festival and NewFilmmakers Los Angeles.

When Montague sold the film in 2016, he immediately began filming SECRET IDENTITY: The Origin of SUPERMAN. This documentary will honor Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and bring their story to the forefront.

Montague has spent a decade attempting to create a film and like Jerry and Joe, he’s faced many obstacles and setbacks as a Cleveland filmmaker. In 2017, his best friend Eric Leiser, who was also helping him create the film, passed away from a widowmaker heart attack at the age of 36. After continuing to fundraise for the film, COVID halted the film’s production.

Now after a decade attempt and several setbacks, Montague has one final hurdle to jump before the film’s big debut.

“The biggest challenge right now is intellectual property, because Superman is technically owned by Warner Brothers [and] DC, there are roadblocks,” he says. “We have overcome so much. We have people very interested in helping finance the film. So as far as the traditional roadblocks, they’ve been great. It’s just this last one of getting more voters to at least support the use of the character.”

If it sees the light of day, the film will use, what Montague describes as, a “three-layered narrative.” Using animation and documentary-style aspects, the story of Jerry and Joe parallels Superman’s own story.

"They never [gave up], they were rejected many, many, many times. So, you know, it’s a Clevelander attitude,” he says. “We’re tough, we never give up.”

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