Superhero

Tim Blake Nelson

“A uniquely nuanced and engaging perspective on the oddness of Hollywood...Superhero goes inside baseball in all the best ways: unbiased, at times ridiculous, and wonderfully, uncomfortably accurate. It begs to be read because it is so damned good.” —Amanda Seyfried

A-list actor Peter Compton and producing partner Marci Levy exist in the rarefied air of Hollywood’s elite. Their status as a married power couple is unmatched, their presence in any room transformative and god-like. But as their private jet lands in Atlanta to begin production on a tentpole superhero movie, even their privileged position will come under threat by the massive pressures of such an  undertaking. 

Compton, a self-educated recovering addict, sees the role of Sparta comics superhero Major Machina as the opportunity to transcend his already stratospheric platform. As director Joel Slavkin, Oscar-winning DP Javier Benavidez, and a crew of hundreds arrive in Atlanta to begin shooting, it doesn’t take long for the production to be embroiled in the tension and egos that drive the film. But when video of Peter’s disastrous on-set behavior goes viral, Peter and Marci’s partnership will be challenged as it never has before. As the stakes grow ever higher, it may just take a superhero to save them. 

With his signature wit and razor sharp dialog, Tim Blake Nelson invites the reader to walk alongside him as he enters the closely-guarded world of industrial strength cinema.

Praise for Superhero

"There are perhaps a few thousand people alive who have seen the inner workings of industrial-strength, superhero cinema. Luckily, one happens to be a great novelist. With Superhero, Tim Blake Nelson both elucidates the backstage of a blockbuster and communicates the timeless drama of relationships with a wisdom few other authors can rival. Absolutely masterful!" —Will Chancellor, Fiction Editor, Brooklyn Rail