Even with two 'X-Men' movies under his belt, comic book fans are still dubious that he can pull off the Man of Steel

SAN FRANCISCO -- There are filmmakers who embrace convention crowds with humor and enthusiasm, swapping geeky jokes and references with alacrity. Of course, for every Kevin Smith or J.J. Abrams, there must be an equal number of directors who sweat a bit under the intense fan gaze.

"I feel more pressure from the comic book community," admits Bryan Singer backstage after his "Superman Returns" premiere at San Francisco's WonderCon. "I serve the comic book community. The studio understands my responsibilities and supports me 100 percent."

Serving the comic book community means answering the kinds of questions that Alfred Hitchcock or John Ford probably never needed to field. Will Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) be strong enough? Which villains are being groomed for future films? Is Superman's (Brandon Routh) codpiece stuffed, padded or 100 percent natural? With two "X-Men" films under his belt, Singer is used to the heat, but "Superman Returns" was a bigger endeavor than anything he'd done before.

"The movie was more daunting," Singer told the WonderCon crowd at a panel that began with disappointment over the absence of fresh "Superman Returns" footage, but found momentum with the Routh's unexpected arrival. "It's a much bigger film than either of those."

Exactly how much bigger "Superman Returns" is has been a matter for some debate. Last month, gossip columnists and industry trade papers began speculating that the budget for the film had soared past $250 million with no end in sight. Singer, it seems, takes exception to those reports. The director calls it "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," he says. "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."

Singer's much more at ease explaining his intentions in making the film, which he's suggested can be slotted between "Superman 2" and "Superman 3" in the hero's mythology.

"The time felt right to re-experience this character," he notes. "It's time to address and celebrate in some way people's connection to Superman, and how the character has evolved from 1938 to now. In some way celebrate that. Some of it will look familiar physically and emotionally, and some of it will be new."

But with so many expectations, can Singer possibly satisfy everybody?

"First of all, my goal is to make a good film and try to be open about the process. We have an Internet presence and I think you begin by working with the core audience, the fans, and work your way up from there. Primarily, the goal is just to make a good film. If the film's good, then the expectations will be met."

"Superman Returns" opens on Friday, June 30.