is old news (like January 2006) but I just found this out! So this news item goes
out to that one other SUPERMAN II fan who didn’t know about
this.
A while back a fan made re-cut of Donner’s SUPERMAN II hit
the web for free download. WB had it taken
down and not too long after that they green-lit the official re-editing of
Donner’s SUPERMAN II to be released this year on DVD! I’m freaking stoked! I
love that film!
Richard Donner said this to
IGN about the re-cut:
“They’re doing it. I’m not doing it. They’re doing it. Michael Thau, who
used to be my assistant and is a good little editor – [said that] there were
so many requests to Warner Brothers to see my cut that he went to them and
they authorized it. He’s been working for about four or five months now
getting all the negatives and cuts out of England. A lot of it’s been destroyed,
a lot of it wasn’t kept. But everything that he was able to [get], he said it
will probably be about 70 percent my footage.”
"Oh yeah baby, a whole lot of kneeling going
on…!"
For those who don’t know, Richard Donner shot most of Superman II at the same
time he shot the original. He got fired before finishing the sequel, Richard
Lester came in, re-shot most of Donner’s stuff which resulted in the Superman II
we got (only 30% of Donner’s footage survived Lester’s takeover). Finally we’ll
get to see most of the Superman II that was meant to be! YIPPEE!