Superman in film

Directed by

Richard Donner

How it feels

This covers the movie versions of the DC Comics character Superman, starting from 1940s cartoons. It focuses on the films directed by Richard Donner in the 1970s and 80s, where Christopher Reeve played the title role. These movies follow Superman's origin and his battles as a superhero.

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What happens

DC Comics' Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has featured in various films. He debuted in cinemas in a series of animated shorts beginning in 1941 and was the protagonist of two movie serials in 1948 and 1950. An independent studio, Lippert Pictures, released the first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves, in 1951. In 1973, the film rights to the Superman character were purchased by Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler. After multiple scripts and several years in development, Richard Donner was hired as director, and he shot two films, Superman (1978) (marketed as Superman: The Movie), and Superman II (1980), at the same time, both starring Christopher Reeve. Donner had filmed 75 percent of Superman II before it was decided to suspend shooting on the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after Superman was released and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish Superman II. Lester returned to direct Superman III (1983). The Salkinds also produced the spin-off Supergirl (1984). They then sold the rights to Cannon Films, which produced the poorly reviewed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights in 1993. Over the course of 11 years, Warner Bros. developed and canceled three projects: Tim Burton's Superman Lives, which would have starred Nicolas Cage; Wolfgang Petersen's Batman vs. Superman; and the J. J. Abrams-scripted Superman: Flyby which went between directors Joseph "McG" Nichols and Brett Ratner. In 2004, the studio hired Bryan Singer and released Superman Returns in 2006, starring Brandon Routh. Donner's director's cut for Superman II was also released that year. Despite positive reviews, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the financial performance of Superman Returns and canceled a sequel, which would have been released in 2009. The studio nearly started production of a Justice League film with George Miller directing and D. J. Cotrona as Superman for a 2009 release, but it was shelved in 2008. The film series was rebooted in 2013 with Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder with Henry Cavill starring as Superman. Man of Steel launched what became known as the DC Extended Universe (DCEU). Cavill next appeared as Superman in the DCEU films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) (both again directed by Snyder), and in the director's cut of Justice League, Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021); he then made a cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of Black Adam (2022). The Flash (2023) featured Superman cameos portrayed by Henry Cavill, Nicolas Cage, George Reeves, and Christopher Reeve. Sasha Calle, along with Helen Slater, appeared as Supergirl in the film. The series was once again rebooted with Superman (2025), with David Corenswet as Superman. The film was written and directed by James Gunn and is the first film of the DC Universe (DCU). Milly Alcock portrayed Supergirl in the film, and is set to reprise the role in the upcoming Supergirl (2026). (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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