Cleveland Filmmaker’s Decade-Long Quest to Tell Superman’s Origins in ‘Secret Identity: The Origin of Superman’

‘Secret Identity: The Origin of Superman’ is a narrative docudrama showing how inspiration, creativity, and hope can come from anywhere and anyone. The origin story of the character of Superman and his creators shines a light on writer Jerry Siegel, artist Joe Shuster and the place it all started: the city of Cleveland.

In an extraordinary tale years in the making, Cleveland filmmaker Rob Montague’s relentless efforts to bring the untold story of the creation of Superman and the character’s legacy to the big screen are finally coming to light. Montague has dedicated the past decade to producing a film about the origins of the world’s first superhero and the city where it all began.

This cinematic storytelling experience weaves together animation, live-action, and documentary footage elements, showing how the experience of the characters, the creators, and the fans mirror and uplift each other, forming a tapestry of inspiration and hope across decades. The animated biopic aspect is inspired by the original 1930s comic books, following the immigrant story of Jewish teenagers Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster as their families come to Cleveland.

The stylised live action aspect brings the immediacy and vibrance of a living comic book, these segments will showcase how the characters in the world of Superman and the location of Metropolis are inspired by and reflect the elements shown in Jerry and Joe’s story. Finally, the documentary footage will be interspersed segments showcasing three Superman fans (our very own Tasmin Humphries “The Aspiring Kryptonian”, Luke Bugg “The Geek Of Steel” and Kibla Ahmed “KiblaAhmedArt”) as they embark on a pilgrimage to follow in the footsteps of Jerry and Joe throughout Cleveland, with interviews, archival materials, and experiential moments to highlight how the character continues to resonate today and into the future.

Here is the official trailer for ‘Secret Identity: The Origin of Superman’:

Getting to this point hasn’t been easy for this project and co-creator Rob Montague, after encountering numerous challenges and obstacles on his journey, including the unexpected death of his best friend and “Secret Identity” co-creator Eric Leiser. Now, with a new Superman film soon to be filmed in Cleveland, Montague is facing his final opportunity to realize his dream and tell Jerry and Joe’s story with the spectacle that their legacy deserves.

But whether the film will be made hinges on DC Studios CEO James Gunn and if he will hear
Montague’s story and give the Secret Identity team the final blessing to complete the project.

Hear the the ongoing story by listening to a special presentation of Aaron Calafato’s podcast.

Help us get this project made by spreading the word, Jerry and Joe’s story deserves to be told.