Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
Short description
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut presents the story of the Man of Steel choosing to give up his abilities so he can be with Lois Lane. While he sets his powers aside, three Kryptonian criminals he freed by accident set out to dominate Earth, and Lex Luthor escapes prison to join forces with them. The film reworks the sequel to 1978's Superman, restoring footage of Marlon Brando as Jor-El and replacing missing material with screen tests and new shots, so it differs considerably from the theatrically released Superman II, with the broader comic passages removed in favour of a more dramatic tone.
Richard Donner directed; the screenplay is credited to Mario Puzo, David Newman and Leslie Newman, and Pierre Spengler and Michael Thau produced. Christopher Reeve plays Clark Kent and Superman, Margot Kidder is Lois Lane, Gene Hackman is Lex Luthor, Marlon Brando is Jor-El, and Ned Beatty and Jackie Cooper appear as Otis and Perry White. Chronologically it is the eighteenth of the eighteen films Donner directed, arriving after 16 Blocks.
Released in 2006 at a budget of 54 million dollars, the cut is rated 7.5 out of 10 on IMDb from about 21,000 votes and 7.4 out of 10 on TMDB from roughly 421 votes, indicating a favourable audience response.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film ends with a shot of Lois Lane typing on a typewriter. This episode was not played by Margot Kidder (1948-2018). This ending was planned, but not filmed, to avoid confusion with the storyline where Lois dies in the Fortress of Solitude, after which Superman turns back time. This scene was filmed specifically for the 2006 version. The name of the actress who played in it is not listed in the credits.
- A significant portion of the new scenes in this version were filmed during the production of 'Superman' (Richard Donner, 1978). Richard Lester filmed all of this due to the rules of the Directors Guild of America, which required him to direct at least half of the film’s screen time in order for his name to appear in the credits. The only exception was the scene where Lois discovers Clark’s identity by accidentally shooting him. Donner never filmed this scene during the production of the film. This version uses a screen test featuring Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
