Variety reports that the family of Jerry Siegel, co-writer of Action Comics #1 (1938), the comic in which Superman first appeared, has won the rights to the basic elements of the superhero’s origin story. These rights include his home planet, Krypton; his biological parents, Jor-El and Lora; his birth-name, Kal-El; and the concept of him being sent off as an infant in the wake of his planet’s destruction.

Other aspects of the character had already been awarded to the Siegels in 2008, such as his alter ego of Clark Kent, his job as a news reporter, and his relationship with Lois Lane. However, DC Comics currently retains the rights to later-established elements of the character’s story, including many of his superpowers and supporting characters such as his arch enemy, Lex Luthor.

The ruling creates an interesting dilemma. Variety notes that, with 2013 being the date at which these newly-awarded rights are effective, Warner Bros. will need to begin filming in 2011 if they want to release a Superman origin film without requiring permission of (and, likely, royalties to) Siegel’s family. After that, there is likely to be a stretch of rocky territory for the character if the Siegels don’t turn around and sell the rights back to DC and Warner Bros. With the rights divided among DC and the Siegels (not to mention the family of co-creator Joel Shuster, who have also been awarded identical rights), there may be too many people with conflicting demands involved in future Superman works for the stories to be unitary and cohesive. Let’s hope that somehow this all works out in a way that doesn’t limit the character’s writers when the ruling goes effective.