Superman – The Movie is undoubtedly the film that gave birth to the idea of superhero movies as a viable, big-screen genre. Before Richard Donner’s 1978 film, superheroes were campy (see the old Adam West Batman), but with this movie, they treated the Man of Steel with respect. The result was a money-making bonanza that paved the way for more big-screen superheroes. First, we get into the history behind the film, including the casting of unknown Christopher Reeve in the title role, plus Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman, along with Donner’s arduous struggle to get it to the big screen.
Of course, the production was fraught, with Donner openly feuding with Alexander and Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler. His relationship with them became so fraught it led to Donner’s removal from the sequel, despite having shot 75% of the footage needed to coat a follow-up. We go through the initial recruiting of Donner, to issues with the casting, the choice of John Williams to compose the legendary score and the alternate versions of the movie out there.
It’s all part of our latest show here on JoBlo Videos, DC MOVIES REVISITED. In some ways, similar to our ongoing JAMES BOND REVISITED, SYLVESTER STALLONE REVISITED, and JOHN HUGHES REVISITED series, we plan on taking a deep dive into the changing fortunes of DC FILMS. We’ll cover all of the big titles, including the Superman films, the Batman saga, the Nolan films, and the DCEU, but we also plan on exploring one-off films, like Wes Craven’s Swamp Thing, Steel, The Losers and a whole lot more. So join us as we start on this ambitious series, which has the most extensive scope of any we’ve tried so far! DC FILMS REVISITED is written, narrated and edited by Tyler Nichols, produced by Chris Bumbray (me!) & Nick Bosworth, and executive produced by Berge Garabedian.
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