The movie begins on June 16, 1959. The glamour of Tinseltown permanently fades for actor George Reeves, the heroic Man of Steel on TVs "Adventures of Superman," as the actor dies in his Hollywood Hills home. Felled by a single gunshot wound, Reeves (Ben Affleck) leaves behind a fiance, aspiring starlet Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney), and millions of fans, who are shocked by his death.

Reeves' grieving mother Helen Bessolo (Lois Smith) will not let the questionable circumstances surrounding his demise go unaddressed. Helen seeks justice, or at least answers. The Los Angeles Police Department closes the case, but Helen hires, for $50 a day, private detective Louis Simo (Adrien Brody). Simo soon ascertains that the torrid affair Reeves had with Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), the wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins), might hold the key to the truth.

However, truth and justice are not so easily found in Hollywood. Simo pursues dangerous and elusive leads in both high and low places and, in trying to turn up the heat, risks getting burned. The detective also uncovers unexpected connections to his own life as the case turns more personal and he learns more about Reeves himself. Behind the icon was a complex man who gave his life to Hollywood in more ways than one.

Holywood mystery

The 1959 death of George Reeves, an icon to millions as Superman, is a Hollywood mystery that continues to command interest nearly 50 years later. Despite being notoriously unresolved, the case is so well-documented that screenwriter Paul Bernbaum was able to use equal parts factual research and inspiration to craft his original screenplay.

Bernbaum reflects, I lived for Adventures of Superman as a kid. I read the comic books, Id seen the cartoons, but there was something about Reeves I knew he was an actor, and I knew it was a TV show, but I also knew that if Superman were real, he would be exactly like Reeves. He connected with me and with every other kid who used to watch. As an adult, looking back on my continuing fondness for the show, which included buying one of his original TV costumes at auction, I kept thinking that there had to be something special about the guy and there was.

Id been playing around with writing a screenplay about him for years; Reeves life was colorful, compelling, and ultimately tragic. But I also wanted to dramatize the unease he felt at being Superman against the incredible impact that being Superman had on his fans. Here was an actor who wanted to be a star, and became a giant one, bigger than he ever could have imagined but only to kids. Yet, even living with that disappointment, and the resentment of knowing that being Superman blocked any chance he had at what he considered a legitimate career, he always recognized the place he held in the hearts of millions of children. He never let them down; to them, he was Superman, and, to me, that made him a true hero.

Producer Glenn Williamson comments, What Paul did that was so original was to build the script around the detective, Louis Simo. This allowed him to be very authentic with George Reeves story. So youre brought in by the famous mystery--and held by a multi-layered and very human character story.

Williamson began working to bring the script to the screen in the fall of 2001. He says, I knew right away that these were roles any actors would love to play, and here was a script about a compelling universal theme; we all fixate on what we dont have, and dont see what we do have.

From an historical standpoint, the death of Reeves was a loss of innocence for a whole generation. It had an impact on millions of people. When you look at the headlines that ran after he died, just about every one said Superman Dies or Superman on Television Dies or some such, and not George Reeves Died. Here was an actor, playing an invincible character, whose own mortality was cut short. We wanted to show who the person was, which in turn informs another mans increasing awareness of who he is.

Director Allen Coulter read the script a year later, and found it to be smart and incredibly well-written, a tale of two men who want to be someone other than who they are. I also thought it was a unique take on a great period from the heyday of the movies through the impact of early television that hadnt really been explored in a serious story. The minute I finished reading it, I called my agent. Not long after, Coulter committed to make his feature film directorial debut on the project.

Reflecting on the strength of the story and the characters, he notes, The stories reverberate in each other, and both storylines are enriched as a result. Both of these men are too caught up in a Hollywood dream to appreciate what they have and what is authentic in their lives. Theyre each less of a star in their respective fields than they want to be. They believe that such success will legitimize their very being in the eyes of the world and, therefore, in their own eyes. It is Simos journey of discovering Georges story that finally grants him a new perspective on his own life.

For Simo, at the beginning its just a gig, a money job. As the film progresses, Simo becomes more and more engrossed in Reeves life and gives a damn about the man. He also realizes, There but for the grace of God go I.

Having worked on "Hollywoodland" for several years, the director and producer developed an abiding respect and compassion for the late actor. Coulter remarks, Reeves, in my opinion, suffered from feeling that he never got to fulfill all of his possibilities as an actor. He was very troubled by the perception of him, not as a serious actor, but just this guy who played Superman. We hope we have brought his story to light and point people towards the proper place he occupies in Hollywood history.

We all have a plan for our lives--until life changes it. Reeves plan was altered by World War II. He had such a fortuitous beginning--what with "Gone With the Wind" as his first movie--but when he came back from serving his country, he could not really get his career going again in the Hollywood system. Being in his early 30s, he was already perceived as a little old for Hollywood. He became huge in another medium, but it didnt mean much to him and he certainly wasnt making millions of dollars like the actors who play superheroes in movies today.

Coulter marvels, Millions of children thought of this man who was childless in real life as a father figure who was strong and all-knowing. The little wink that he added to the character spoke to children; they thought he was winking at them. At their ages, they couldnt necessarily make the separation between the actor and the character.

Williamson adds, Reeves, as a creative talent, wanted to do different things. Ironically, the phenomenal success of the program made that impossible. Reeves was the key element of something that was very significant for a whole generation, yet it wasnt enough for him in his personal life. If you take the time to watch the shows, youll see that theyre entertaining but they also had messages of tolerance and good values like justice and honor.

In seeking to honor George Reeves legacy, the filmmakers knew that casting the actor who could best convey the different personal and professional sides of Reeves was crucial. Says Coulter: Ben Affleck got heavily involved in researching Reeves from the beginning, and became deeply engaged in playing him and paying tribute.

Ive worked with Ben before, and I hadnt seen him as happily focused on his work as I did on "Hollywoodland" says Williamson. There were a lot of actors who wanted to play Reeves, but I knew Ben would identify with the role and be perfect for it.

Ben understood certain things about George Reeves; there are a number of traits they share, adds Coulter. From everything we heard or read, Reeves was a very likable and charming man. Ben is, too and he knows a thing or two about being vulnerable as an actor in Hollywood.

The part of Simo required an actor who could be sexy and charming with an air of intensity and danger. Adrien Brody is the exceptional actor we needed. Williamson adds, Adrien brings such nuance and complexity to every single scene he plays. Hes terrific as Simo.

Coulter elaborates, Theres a sequence in a diner where a former associate calls Simo out on trying to look like Ralph Meeker, an actor well-known then for playing detectives in movies. Simo is striving to be a thoroughly modern detective, and he is also playing the role of a detective, often as opposed to simply being one, as if cameras were rolling on him.

Reeves death has always been controversial, says Paul Bernbaum. There have always been three particular theories; (1) he committed suicide, (2) he was shot either on purpose or accidentally by Leonore Lemmon, and (3) he was murdered on orders from Eddie Mannix. In writing the script, I wanted to dramatize each of them, and give them each enough credibility so that when audiences leave the theater, they are split three ways as to what actually happened that night.

Coulter comments, We play off all three, and have tried to give everyone and everything in the respective theories a full measure of dramatization. Williamson says, We all talked and with the cast about how we want people to walk out of this movie and debate what they think happened.

Coulter notes, In several of her movies, Diane Lane has played women who are driven by emotions beyond their control. In "Hollywoodland," you could say thats true of Toni too, but this woman is much tougher and gutsier. Diane herself has shown a tougher quality in some of her other movies, and with this role she finally has an opportunity to explore it much more. Shes such a strong actress.

Coulter adds, Ours is a darker version of the period than one normally sees. I read an enormous amount in researching Hollywoodland, and I realized that part of the patina of glamour was fostered by the studios, to create a world of fantasy that everybody could look up to. Were peeling that back to show people who had personal dramas; their nice clothes didnt protect them.

Hollywoods of Hollywoodland

The phrase Hollywoodland, from which Hollywoodland takes its title, was the original lettering on the world-famous Hollywood Sign; the letters were later nipped-and-tucked to Hollywood as the towns world-famous image evolved.

Even for a place that alternately and sometimes simultaneously reveres and destroys its own past, the Hollywood of the early 1950s was very different from the one later in the decade. The sense of traditional formality and innocence gave way to a more modernist and casual approach; this was reflected in entertainment, fashion, and architecture. Because Hollywoodland transitions within the decade, close attention to detail and constant collaboration were essential for Allen Coulter and his crew members; among them, cinematographer Jonathan Freeman, production designer Leslie McDonald, and costume designer Julie Weiss.

Coulter remarks, Jonathan was extraordinary at giving different looks to the two time periods. His camera is more formal and restrained in showing George Reeves Hollywood, with more saturated color. In Louis Simos Hollywood, the color seems to have been leached away by the harshness of the California sun. To emphasize that, we shot at an exposure that feels almost too hot, and with more restless and unsettled camera movement.

Coulter adds, The Hollywood in which Simo resides is increasingly characterized by informality, physical and otherwise. George came of age in a Hollywood where an air of elegance was the order of the day. People carried themselves with a certain formality and even, one might say, dignity. We made this contrast explicit in several other creative choices. Reeves world has live bands playing standards and jazz in clubs and restaurants; Simos has radios, record players, and jukeboxes playing rock-and-roll.

Further, Georges life plays out in relative quiet the light whoosh of the ocean, broken only by the sound of a distant jazz band; the silence in a room where he and Toni discuss their future while Simos life unfolds amidst relentless cacophony.

Recreating Old Hollywood

Reflecting on how any filmmaking team making a period movie must first take into account what the audience will see, Coulter states, We intentionally avoided postcard shots, the types where its, weve paid all this money to rent these period cars and costumes, lets show them. We wanted to make it look real; we had great cars and wardrobe and then looked past them. I was constantly saying, Dont let the cars be clean, unless it was at the funeral or Mannix estate sequences...

In terms of landmarks like Ciros and the Cocoanut Grove, we attempted to catch and re-create the feel of them. Is our Ciros architecturally the same No. But we reproduced the light, the lamps, the way people dressed when they were there and I believe the vibe is accurate. We were as truthful as we could be to the essence of these places.

McDonald offers, A lot of those places dont exist any more, so we were trying to capture what their environments were like. I cant imagine what it was like to get dressed up every night and go to nightclubs like that every night, but George and these people did it. Allen was very specific about certain things, like color palettes. Julie, Jonathan, and I all talked with Allen about that.

For Simo, we had to find a location for an apartment building in Hollywood. We wanted something that, like Simo himself, has some edges and angles. It was difficult to find in todays Hollywood, but we found this place down in Long Beach where its like time has stopped; interestingly enough, the place had a pool that was shaped like a coffin. It was perfect, because we also wanted to make sure that the minute you saw his environment, you sense that hes blown it with his wife.

The seven-week filming schedule for Hollywoodland also included location shooting at Hancock Park and Parkwood Estates. The latter, the former home of General Motors Canada founder Sam McLaughlin, became the Mannixes Hollywood mansion because it afforded a rare and completely intact representation of a vanished postwar era.

The party where Reeves and Toni first meet was filmed atop a 1930s department store, which had recently been restored to its former glory. Williamson marvels, On the set one day, I was shocked to see all the women extras wearing gloves, but that was what people wore in those days; it was all very formal. Diane Lane is already so beautiful in person, but from the first wardrobe test, she was just transformed the hair, the plucked eyebrows, the clothes...

Behind the Scenes

Having long been preparing to direct "Hollywoodland" as his first feature, Coulter reports, When I came on the set every day, I knew every shot, start to finish. That didnt mean it didnt change constantly! Screenwriter Bernbaum says, The choice of Allen to direct was one that I was thrilled about even more so, after we met. We kept in touch throughout the filming, and I spent a few days on the set with him. Hes smart as hell, very thoughtful, and a terrific director.

Producer Williamson adds, Having worked on this project for so long, I couldnt be happier to see things come together the way they did. Ive worked with a lot of filmmakers, and Allen knew what he wanted but he also knew how important it was that he create an atmosphere on the set where people are comfortable and feel like they can do their best work possible. This was especially true of our gifted group of actors.

Coulter says, I like the process of trying to figure out together with the actors who the characters are, and how we can make them believable. I started sending Ben Affleck materials on George Reeves as soon as he agreed to do the film. He watched a hell of a lot more of the Adventures of Superman episodes than I did. We found a tape of Reeves speaking as himself, not in-character. Ben was fascinated by that, and would listen on-set to that tape or to excerpts from Reeves movies or television shows. Hed do that right before wed start shooting. He learned Reeves voice, posture, and manner. Ben loved wearing the costume, dressing as Clark Kent, and improvising in-character as Reeves in those scenes; we knew from talking to Jack Larson that Reeves was a big cut-up on the set.

Coulter notes, You could say that "Hollywoodland" attempts to combine two contradictory elements; the air of nostalgia and the emphatic nature of the here and now. But I hope weve expressed how the challenges and self-discovery that George Reeves and Louis Simo face still affect us in our own day and age. I believe anyone can relate to our films story; like George, with his dreams of stardom, and Simo, with his drive to be a player, we all live in Hollywoodland.