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The New Hollywood era -- which began with the release of the true story-based "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967 before breathing its last in 1981 with Michael Cimino's notorious bomb "Heaven's Gate" -- was one of the most exhilarating artistic movements of the 20th century. It came after a fallow creative period for the major studios, which were mostly run by old moguls who'd lost the pulse of the moviegoing public. They didn't get the Baby Boomer generation, so when a younger, hipper group of executives and producers demonstrated a knack for packing the nation's theaters with movies like "Rosemary's Baby," "The Exorcist," and "The Godfather," there was a sudden changing of the guard (and mindset).

This mindset had nothing to do with the types of films being made. It was just as the great screenwriter William Goldman once quipped: when it came to what worked, nobody knew anything. What they did know,...

We've finally reached the time of the year when everyone dedicates an unnecessary amount of time to arguing over the same, cyclical topics ad nauseam — like whether or not "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie or what film deserves the biggest gift under the tree as the best Christmas movie of all time. Just as hotly debated is what constitutes the "worst" Christmas movie of all time, which is a lot harder to determine depending on what you deem "bad." One film that is frequently in the running for the dishonor is 1985's "Santa Claus: The Movie," directed by Jeannot Szwarc, who also gave us "Supergirl" and the equally polarizing "Jaws 2."

On paper, "Santa Claus: The Movie" has a lot going for it. It's about a man named Claus (David Huddleston) who delivers toys in his small village, eventually becoming Santa Claus after crossing paths with an elf toy-maker,...

Unlike Superman and Superman II, Superman III didn’t even bother teasing the next installment in the franchise. Really, by the time that movie’s end credits hit, did anyone even want another entry? Hadn’t the Salkinds done enough damage to the Man of Steel? And yet, as we all know, a fourth installment in the Superman series did indeed hit theaters…with a nearly unmatched thud.

If you remember from our previous instalment of What Happened to This Movie?!, Superman III was plagued with all sorts of problems both on and off the screen. So what happened this time around? Turns out, the series would be facing its greatest battles yet, with the rights being passed to another studio, its star only signing on so he could finance another movie altogether and the budget getting chopped in more than half!

And so, let’s suit up one more...

Considering the first two Superman movies made over $500 million at the worldwide box office, it was absolutely no surprise that a Superman III would take flight. Besides, it was promised in the closing credits of Superman II!

With the success of Superman and its sequel, superhero movies were in the earliest iteration of franchise mode. In short: strong box office numbers guaranteed another movie, no matter how bad it could possibly turn out. And Superman III is just about as bad as it could possibly turn out, generally ranking among the worst superhero sequels ever and a prime example of what happens to a series’ reputation when things go wrong with the script, cast and, hell, even the opening credits sequence!

So, let’s go from Superman to Super-Mean to Super-Machine as we find out: What Happened to This Movie?!

Superman III was announced at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival, well...

There is yet another Superman reboot on the horizon, this time courtesy of James Gunn and Peter Safran, and much of it is being kept under wraps. This is, dare I say, a good thing, because the last thing we need is yet another troubled Superman production. Despite the character's enduring cinematic legacy, almost none of his cinematic solo outings can be discussed without their lingering baggage: creative infighting, script leaks, casting rumor mills, and even the occasional director's cut long after release. For a hero that is seemingly impenetrable, the Man of Steel sure has taken a beating in development hell.

Part of the problem is that nobody can quite agree on who Superman is or should be. In the early days, Warner Bros. avoided bogging Superman down in comics lore. Then, when fans became outraged over creative liberties, the studio frantically tried to cater to them. Superman used to strive for a clean,...

Christopher Reeve’s Superman is most people’s definitive portrayal of the character. Richard Donner successfully balanced the superheroic aspects of the character along with the nerdy charm of his alter ego Clark Kent. The success of the first film led to Reeve returning for three sequels.

Christopher Reeve as Superman in 1978’s Superman

Donner’s Superman has been the benchmark that every other iteration of the character aims to achieve. However, Superman II did not see the return of Donner and many of his intended scenes did not feature in the theatrical film. An interesting but flawed deleted scene featuring Lois and Clark has fans relived that it did make it into the final cut.

Fans Find a Major Flaw in Deleted Scene from Superman II

This deleted scene from Superman II was used in Richard Donner’s cut of the film

The production of Superman II was a...

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg has helmed one too many masterpieces throughout his five and a half decades old star-studded career. And for one who brought the dinosaurs from the Jurassic Park novel series from Michael Crichton to life in one of the most remarkable ways possible, he once intended to make a film on the superhero Superman as well.

Steven Spielberg. Credit: Elena Ternovaja | Wikimedia Commons.

This happened back in the late 1970s, when he was still one of the relatively unknown directors. But despite being one of the most brilliant up-and-coming masterminds of the time, his film on Clark Kent never came to be. And, well, thankfully so, for the brutally wild pitch for the fan-favorite character would’ve quite literally killed the Man of Steel forever!

Steven Spielberg Wanted to Helm 1978’s Superman

Superman (1978)

After Mario Puzo was done writing a 500-plus page script for Clark Kent in live-action,...

Christopher Reeve was initially unsure about landing the role of Superman when he heard that Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman were going to appear in the movie. Since he was not as famous as these actors, he doubted his chances of getting the role. Working with Brando was a big deal at the time. However, in an interview, Reeve revealed that he did not enjoy working with him.

Christopher Reeve in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

Christopher Reeve’s career quite literally went skywards with his appearance as the DC superhero Superman in the eponymous 1978 movie. His first professional screen appearance as an actor came with his role as Ben Harper in the 1974 CBS soap opera Love of Life. He did not appear in a Hollywood movie until 1978 when he starred in Gray Lady Down. He once told David Letterman the reason behind the hostility between him and Brando after working in Superman.

Superman’s incredible 85-year history is defined with intricate detail and unique understanding by those who’ve known him best – the authors, artists, filmmakers, actors and experts tasked with propagating his legend through every medium – in the latest Edward Gross omnibus, Voices From Krypton, published by Nacelle Books. The hardcover book is now available via Amazon, online retailers and popular bookshops, with an e-book edition also available.

Hailed as the most comprehensive examination of Superman in history, Voices From Krypton begins in the mid 1930s with the character’s creation by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, and concludes with the announcement of the next big screen adventure, Superman: Legacy. Topics range from Superman’s appearances in different mediums to the individual actors who’ve played the character, from Superman’s Silver Age to present day iterations, and from the subtleties of capturing the Man of Steel to the tentpole moments of his past 85+ years.

Exclusive: A collection of industry professionals are set to gather at the Skybar in LA’s Mondrian Hotel for what has been described as a fundraising “night of solidarity” organized by InfoList founder Jeff Gund in support of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes.

The fundraising event, which will see a portion of proceeds go to strike funds, will take place on September 14 and will aim to raise awareness and funds for striking SAG-AFTRA and WGA members, organizers have said.

According to organizers, industry set to attend include SAG-AFTRA negotiation committee member Nicole Cyrille, Ilya Salkind (exec producer of the Superman franchise), film exec Richard Walters (Whiplash), Larry Namer (co-founder of E! Entertainment Television), and Michael Berk (creator of Baywatch).

Deadline has asked what percentage of the proceeds will go to the strike funds.

“I wanted to create an evening where writers, actors, and the whole industry can not only...

Now that The Flash has hit theaters to reset the DC Universe, Awfully Good Movies is running back in time to watch the debut film for one of The Flash’s breakout characters, Helen Slater in 1984’s Supergirl!

In between the disappointment of Superman III and the catastrophe of Superman IV, original franchise producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind decided to switch focus from the Man of Steel to his female cousin Kara Zor-El with an in-universe spinoff that’d have a cameo from Christopher Reeve himself to mentor his fellow Kryptonian and star Helen Slater in the young actress’ debut role. But after Reeve turned the film down before filming, and Warner Bros. grew so fed up with the Salkinds that they sold the distribution rights back to them, Supergirl would instead flop so hard at the box office that the Salkinds just gave up on the Superman film rights altogether,...

This past weekend, Wamg attended the annual TCM Film Festival (honestly this writer’s favorite event of the year) and as usual, it did not disappoint! There was a ton of great programming this year, with something for just about everyone.

Opening Night of the 14th annual TCM Classic Film Festival kicked off with a screening of Rio Bravo (1959) in celebration of Warner Bros.’ 100th anniversary, featuring a conversation with Wbd CEO David Zaslav and The Film Foundation Board members Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas Anderson about the mission of The Film Foundation as well as Rio Bravo star Angie Dickinson.

Hollywood, California – April 13: (L-r) TCM host Ben Mankiewicz; General Manager, Turner Classic Movies Pola Changnon; Steven Spielberg; Angie Dickinson; and President and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav attend the opening night gala and world premiere of the 4k restoration of “Rio Bravo” during the...

Science fiction TV shows have a shorter shelf life than cryptocurrencies and social media influencers. What gives? It's not that complicated: big budgets + low ratings = cancellation. Hey, those space-age sets and costumes, alien makeup, and CGI aren't cheap. Meanwhile, passionate fans may sign petitions by the thousands, but ratings are what matters, and those fanbases are too small to impress execs trying to court advertisers.

Given the economics of television, it's not shocking TV studios routinely dump pricey sci-fi shows in favor of the newest "Big City Cop Show" procedural. To be honest, it's surprising sci-fi shows get made at all. Yep, it sucks, but that's show business. While it's easy to explain why most sci-fi TV shows get canceled, the reasons for some cancellations are downright baffling. These include sci-fi shows that were dropped despite decent ratings, canned with fully completed seasons, or even dumped after inspiring hunger strikes!

Look, up in the sky! It's not a bird or a plane, but it's definitely one heck of a treat for fans of the big blue boy scout superhero. Superman may have experienced a bit of a rocky road in recent DC history on the big screen, despite an actor as capable and charismatic as Henry Cavill leading the action and even with James Gunn's promise that the immensely popular hero will be a "huge priority" moving forward. But even the biggest DC fans would have to admit that there's a certain ineffable charm to the original movies that first made audiences believe that a man could truly fly.

Christopher Reeve starred in four separate "Superman" movies, in addition to the special Richard Donner director's cut released for "Superman II," and now all 5 titles will be made available just in time for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros., the...

Burbank, Calif., March 1, 2023 – As part of the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studio, five films featuring the iconic DC Super Hero Superman – Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV – will be available for purchase in a five-film collection on 4K Ultra HD Disc and Digital on April 18.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the Superman films star Christopher Reeve as the legendary “Man of Steel.”

On April 18, the Superman 1978 – 1987 5-Film Collection will be available to purchase on Ultra HD Blu-ray™ Disc from online and in-store at major retailers and available for purchase Digitally from Amazon Prime Video, AppleTV, Google Play, Vudu, and more.

The Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Packs will include an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc with the feature films in 4K with Hdr, a Blu-ray disc with the feature...

Richard Donner's 1978 film "Superman" changed how people thought of comic book films. Before this, we had silly superheroes like Adam West's "Batman" series. It was a blast, but it wasn't a serious take on comics or characters like this. "Superman" really started it all, nabbing three Oscar nominations and winning a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects. Christopher Reeve played Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman in his breakout role and starred with the likes of Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder.

Both the 1978 film and 1980's "Superman II" were set to be filmed simultaneously, and after shooting a big chunk of the second film in addition to the first one, Donner ("Lethal Weapon," "The Goonies," "Scrooged") was fired from the production. He stated that he was never given a budget or a schedule for the film and was replaced by Richard Lester, who reshot a lot of...

After a decade-plus run as one of Hollywood's premiere television directors, Richard Donner successfully transitioned to filmmaking via the blockbuster horror classic "The Omen." Though he was much older than the industry's hottest helmers of big-budget entertainment, his reputation for knocking out high-quality TV on a tight schedule made him something of a safer bet than his young, boundary-pushing colleagues. He was also well-liked by his crews and a first-rate massager of movie star egos. He was basically a producer's dream.

So why did the production of 1978's "Superman" turn into such a nightmare? Four words: Alexander and Ilya Salkind.

The father-son producer duo had scored a major success with 1973's "The Three Musketeers," but quickly drew the ire of Hollywood's creative unions when they released "The Four Musketeers," a sequel comprised of footage from the initial production, the following year. While multiple lawsuits were filed, the Screen Actors Guild enacted the Salkind Clause,...

"Kneel before Zod!" With these memorable words, Terrence Stamp established his "Superman II" character, the imperious General Zod, as one of the great comic book movie villains of all time. Zod made his first appearance in "Superman: The Movie" as one of three criminals on the planet Krypton who are banished to the Phantom Zone. The film was shot at the same time as "Superman II," and it was meant to set up the sequel and lead directly into it with the same director, Richard Donner, at the helm. Yet "Superman II" had a notoriously troubled production, and to hear Stamp tell it, his heart wasn't in it after Donner was unceremoniously fired and director Richard Lester was brought in to reshoot scenes and finish the film.

In 2013, Stamp spoke with Entertainment Weekly's radio channel ahead of the release of "Man of Steel," the first film in the new DC Universe,...

Established during the early heyday of motion pictures, the "star system" is an informal rule of thumb that most movie producers still swear by, even though the elements of a film's package deal in order to get a green light and raise funds have changed in the last 20-odd years. Nowadays, while having an actor with an established fanbase or persona is still a boon to getting a project off the ground, Hollywood is awash with risk-averse producers using an IP to get a movie made — and that IP is usually comic-book superhero material.

Arguably the film that started Hollywood on this superhero-saturated path, 1978's "Superman," was ironically far from a sure-fire hit when producers Pierre Spengler, Alexander Salkind, and Ilya Salkind were attempting to put it together. Since the Superman character himself wasn't enough to raise the money, the production needed an established star and a seasoned director.

As...

Over four decades before the current wave of superhero blockbusters, Richard Donner's "Superman" made audiences believe a man could fly in a way no other movie had before. At the time of its release, "Superman" was the most expensive film ever made. With a runtime pushing two and a half hours, the movie took its time telling the origin story of the Last Son of Krypton and his time in Smallville before his arrival as bumbling newspaper reporter Clark Kent on the streets of Metropolis. Among other things, "Superman" managed to parlay the spot-on casting of Christopher Reeve and an Oscar-nominated John Williams score into critical and commercial success, paving the way for your all your favorite DC and Marvel movies in the new millennium.

The film was not without its share of production problems, however. Tensions between Donner and executive producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind spilled over into his departure from "Superman II,...

Updated with latest: Richard Donner, the director that launched Superman on the big screen and elevated the buddy movie to blockbuster status with Lethal Weapon as part of a five-decade film and TV directing and producing career, died Monday at age 91. His credits included helming such iconic movies across several genres from the horror pic The Omen to the kids adventure tale The Goonies to a Christmas classic Scrooged.

He was remembered in industry circles today for his booming laugh and kindness, with his Goonies co-star Sean Astin saying, “What I perceived in him, as a 12 year old kid, is that he cared. I love that he cared.”

Said Steven Spielberg: “Dick had such a powerful command of his movies, and was so gifted across so many genres. Being in his circle was akin to hanging out with your favorite coach, smartest professor, fiercest motivator, most endearing friend, staunchest ally,...

Richard Donner, the prolific director behind 1978’s “Superman” and the “Lethal Weapon” franchise has died, according to media reports. Donner was 91. Donner passed away on Monday, according to his wife, producer Lauren Schuler Donner.

Donner’s last film was 2006’s “16 Blocks.” Other classics directed by Donner include “The Omen,” “The Goonies,” “Ladyhawke,” “Scrooged” and “Conspiracy Theory.”

Born in 1930 in the Bronx, Donner started his career directing commercials for Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s Desilu banner. Donner then pivoted to directing television in the 50s and directed episodes of “Wanted: Dead or Alive” and “The Rifleman.” Donner would end up working on 25 television series which included “Have Gun Will Travel,” “The Fugitive,” “Combat!,” “Get Smart,” “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,” “The Wild Wild West,” “Gilligan’s Island,” “Kojak, “Tales from the Crypt” and “The Twilight Zone.” Donner directed the classic “Twilight Zone” episode “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” which starred William Shatner...

Director-producer Richard Donner, best known for helming the “Lethal Weapon” film series, “The Goonies” and the original “Superman” film, died on Monday. He was 91.

Donner’s production company confirmed news of his death to Variety, though the cause was not disclosed.

Though not his first bigscreen effort, his big feature break came with 1976’s “The Omen,” starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. Thereafter, he brought his craftsmanship to the first “Superman.” He also branched out into producing, usually with his wife Lauren Shuler Donner — he executive produced the huge 2000 success “X-Men” and later the prequel “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” But his career was highlighted by the “Lethal Weapon” series, starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, which elevated him to the ranks of directors generating more than a billion dollars in box office.

Born Richard Donald Schwartzberg in the Bronx, he attended Parker Junior College and then NYU, where he majored in business and theater.

Skye Aubrey, a third-generation actress whose credits included the Blake Edwards-directed The Carey Treatment, The Phantom of Hollywood and a stint as a flower child opposite Milton Berle on Batman, has died. She was 74.

Aubrey died Nov. 27 of natural causes in DeBary, Florida, her family announced.

She was married to Ilya Salkind, a producer on the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve, from 1976-79. Her mother was Phyllis Thaxter, who portrayed Ma Kent in the first installment of the series in 1978 after a solid career as a contract player at MGM and Warner Bros., and her father was James T. Aubrey, president of ...

Skye Aubrey, a third-generation actress whose credits included the Blake Edwards-directed The Carey Treatment, The Phantom of Hollywood and a stint as a flower child opposite Milton Berle on Batman, has died. She was 74.

Aubrey died Nov. 27 of natural causes in DeBary, Florida, her family announced.

She was married to Ilya Salkind, a producer on the Superman films starring Christopher Reeve, from 1976-79. Her mother was Phyllis Thaxter, who portrayed Ma Kent in the first installment of the series in 1978 after a solid career as a contract player at MGM and Warner Bros., and her father was James T. Aubrey, president of ...

“Lighthouse Kirk And Pirate Yul”

By Raymond Benson

Spend eleven million dollars (that was a lot of money in 1970-1971), cast classic Hollywood stars like Kirk Douglas and Yul Brynner, hire an international production crew from Spain, Italy, and France, appoint Alexander and Ilya Salkind as producers (with Douglas himself credited as producer), and adapt a little-known public domain novel by Jules Verne about pirates in the Cape Horn area in 1865, and you’ve got the ingredients for a rousing, epic action/adventure flick to rival Journey to the Center of the Earth or 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, right?

Unfortunately, something went wrong. The Light at the Edge of the World flopped at the box office, and, while the picture has its fans—who will welcome this impressive new Blu-ray restoration from Kino Lorber—the movie is a dud.

Douglas plays Will Denton, a lighthouse keeper on an isolated island.

Jules Verne’s version of ‘Die Hard’ takes place not on Christmas Eve in Century City, but 160 years ago at a lonely lighthouse in Tierra Del Fuego. The mini-moguls the Salkinds rounded up a great cast — Kirk Douglas! Samantha Eggar! Yul Brynner! — but let them down severely in production details and particularly the edit. Most everything is here for a classic adventure-suspense picture, but somebody thought it had to be ultra-violent and nihilistic. The new Blu-ray restores it to good color and an uncut state.

The Light at the Edge of the World

Blu-ray

Kl Studio Classics

1971 / Color / 2:35 anamorphic 16:9 / 126 min. / La Luz del fin del mundo / 129 min. / Street Date February 18, 2020 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95

Starring: Kirk Douglas, Yul Brynner, Samantha Eggar, Jean-Claude Drouot,

Fernando Rey, Renato Salvatori.

Cinematography: Henri Decae

Film Editor: Bert Bates

Original Music: Piero Piccioni

Written by Tom Rowe, Rachel Billington from a book by...

Mark Harrison Jan 14, 2019

As 1993's The Death Of Superman completes its journey to the screen, we look at the various adaps of the Man of Steel's not-so-final battle

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

This feature contains major spoilers for Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice and Justice League, among other Superman films and TV shows.

Superman has died before and he will probably die again. And yet, despite having been adapted for the screen before, the release of The Death Of Superman animated movie and its sequel Reign Of The Supermen (which will screen in theaters in a special double feature this week) marks the end of a long journey through development hell for one particular version of the Man of Steel's demise.

DC Comics' penchant for Elseworlds, “What If” imaginary stories, and other out-of-continuity escapades mean that writers have been killing off the...

The behind the scenes upheaval that plagued Christopher Reeves Superman films is legendary to fans. Though Richard Donner helmed 1978’s classic Superman: The Movie and made it a barnstorming success, the producers fell out with him during production on Superman II, causing him to be replaced by Richard Lester and making the final cut of the sequel something of a blend between Donner’s style and Lester’s more light-hearted approach.

Lester was retained for Superman III as well, which everyone agrees is far inferior to the two movies that came before, probably due to the absence of Donner and his screenwriting partner Tom Mankiewicz. And now, in a recent interview, Donner’s revealed what he would have done in the third film and it definitely sounds a whole lot better than what we got. In short, he would’ve introduced one of the Man of Steel’s greatest enemies,...

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee — and fly like a Man of Steel?

Muhammad Ali was on the shortlist to play Superman in the 1978 film, producer Ilya Salkind revealed on the commentary track in the newest edition of the film, recently released to coincide with Saturday's 40th anniversary.

"One of the conditions with DC Comics was I had to make a list of actors to play Superman that they had to approve," Salkind explained.

"I had made a list ... that was absolutely hilarious because they had approved people like Cassius Clay ...

Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee — and fly like a Man of Steel?

Muhammad Ali was on the shortlist to play Superman in the 1978 film, producer Ilya Salkind revealed on the commentary track in the newest edition of the film, recently released to coincide with Saturday's 40th anniversary.

"One of the conditions with DC Comics was I had to make a list of actors to play Superman that they had to approve," Salkind explained.

"I had made a list ... that was absolutely hilarious because they had approved people like Cassius Clay ...

December marks the 40th anniversary of the “Superman” movie, which opened Dec. 15, 1978, and influenced generations of action films. In recent years, many people were distressed that Claire Foy was paid less than Matt Smith for Netflix’s “The Crown,” but pay gaps are not always about sexism. Blame the star system. Back on June 30, 1976,Variety reported that Marlon Brando agreed to play the title character’s father in “Superman” for a salary that was “unprecedented.” It was eventually revealed that the actor was paid $3.7 million and an amazing 11.75% backend to play Jor-El, for 13 days work and less than 20 minutes onscreen. In comparison, Christopher Reeve earned $250,000 in the title role, dominating most of the 143-minute running time.

Brando was at the height of his power, after “The Godfather” and “Last Tango in Paris.” In 1976, exec producers Ilya Salkind & Alexander Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler needed a star to get financing. “Star Wars” hadn’t opened.

There have been few films as edited, re-edited, and repackaged as Superman the Movie. It has been resurrected and represented to a few generations of fans for good reason. Prior to 1978, any attempt at a super-hero movie was usually done on the cheap and/or with tongue firmly in cheek.

The tag line, “You will believe a man can fly”, and the S-shield was all you needed to whet your appetite back then. The first pictures released to the media certainly got us interested but until you sat in the theater and heard John William’s opening march, you had no idea what you were getting.

And what we got was, arguably, the first super-hero film to treat the genre with dignity and respect. Visually, it was stunning, and you could not ask for a more pitch-perfect lead than Christopher Reeve. He was Curt Swan’s Man of Steel made...

There are lots of casting possibilities out there that didn't happen for one reason or another, but there are few more bizarre than these. Try and picture this: Michael Jackson as James Bond! Or how about Muhammad Ali as Superman? Maybe not as quite as bizarre, but certainly odd, was also the idea of Burt Reynolds donning the blue and red outfit of the Man of Steel. Each of them are actually much more than just rumors. The late Michael definitely saw himself as a sort of badass character, which you can see based on his music video for "Bad" and his adventures as Captain Eo. That short film of the same name, written by Star Wars creator George Lucas and directed by The Godfather's Francis Ford Coppola, was shown at Disney theme parks for a decade beginning in 1986. But this was nothing compared to the singer's ambition to be cast as James Bond,...

By Todd Garbarini

Richard Donner’s spectacular 1978 film, Superman: The Movie, arguably the greatest comic book movie of all-time (Imho), will be screened at Laemmle’s Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills in a 4K Digital Cinema Package (Dcp) presentation on Tuesday, October 9, 2018 at 7:30 pm. The 143-minute film, which stars Christopher Reeve in the title role, with Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, and Margot Kidder, made us all believe that a man could fly.

Please Note: At press time, several of the supporting performers in the film will be on hand to discuss their roles (please read the press release below for more info).

From the press release:

Superman (1978)

40th Anniversary Screening

Cast members joining for Q&A

New 4K Dcp

Tuesday, October 9, at 7:30 Pm

Ahyra Fine Arts Theatre

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 40th anniversary screening of the film that launched the comic book movie craze,...

As much as I love the Man of Steel, I wasn’t quite prepared for the collective hype put forth by the fanbase when it came to recent news pertaining to Superman: The Movie. After all, I imagine you and I have each seen the flick on numerous occasions, but there’s admittedly something quite special about whenever it makes the leap to the latest home theater technology.

In fact, the picture starring Christopher Reeve that blazed the trail for all superhero films to follow is returning to cinemas in time to celebrate its 40th anniversary, but it stands to reason that not everyone will be able to attend the limited engagement. Therefore, you may want to start paying attention because the rumors have proven true – Superman: The Movie will indeed be making its way to the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray format on November 6th!

Seen below is the cover art for the souped-up release,...

The greatest superhero movie ever made is coming home on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray!

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing Superman the Movie for the first time in 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr).

Here's the scoop, directly from Warner Brothers:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced today that 1978’s Superman the Movie, featuring the beloved DC Super Hero, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on November 6th. An Alexander Salkind presentation and directed by Richard Donner, the film stars Academy Award® winner Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo,...

The greatest superhero movie ever made is coming home on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray!

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing Superman the Movie for the first time in 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr).

Here's the scoop, directly from Warner Brothers:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced today that 1978’s Superman the Movie, featuring the beloved DC Super Hero, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on November 6th. An Alexander Salkind presentation and directed by Richard Donner, the film stars Academy Award® winner Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo,...

The greatest superhero movie ever made is coming home on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray!

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment is releasing Superman the Movie for the first time in 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr).

Here's the scoop, directly from Warner Brothers:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced today that 1978’s Superman the Movie, featuring the beloved DC Super Hero, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on November 6th. An Alexander Salkind presentation and directed by Richard Donner, the film stars Academy Award® winner Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo,...

Burbank, CA, September 25, 2018 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC Entertainment announced today that 1978’s Superman, featuring the beloved DC Super Hero, will be released on Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Digital on November 6th. An Alexander Salkind presentation and directed by Richard Donner, the film stars Academy Award® winner Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Academy Award winner Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Margot Kidder as Lois Lane, and Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman.

Based on the DC character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman was produced by Pierre Spengler from a story by Mario Puzo and a screenplay by Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton. Ilya Salkind served as executive producer. The film also features Ned Beatty as Otis, Jackie Cooper as Perry White, Glen Ford as Jonathan Kent, Valerie Perrine as Eva Teschmacher, and Terrance Stamp as General Zod.

Superman was nominated for three Academy Awards,...

We’re told that the first live- action feature film super-heroine was the marvelous Helen Slater, whose fine presence redeems this last film in the Salkind Superman franchise. CineSavant likes it for the right reasons — his very young kids adored it — but can see its turnip screenwriting and frayed corners showing through. The release combines a 125-minute Blu-ray with an overstuffed 139-minute DVD.

Supergirl

Blu-ray

Warner Archive Collection

1984 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 125 (Bd) & 139 (Sd) min. / Street Date July 24, 2018 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Faye Dunaway, Helen Slater, Peter O’Toole, Mia Farrow, Brenda Vaccaro, Peter Cook, Simon Ward, Marc McClure, Hart Bochner, Maureen Teefy.

Cinematography: Alan Hume

Film Editor: Malcolm Cooke

Visual Effects: Derek Meddings

Original Music: Jerry Goldsmith

Written by David Odell

Produced by Timothy Burrill, Ilya Salkind

Directed by Jeannot Szwarc

I got caught up short about ten years ago when doing extras for the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

I guess there are plenty of adults now too young to remember when Christopher Reeve made his debut as The Man of Steel. It was a massive hit across the full spectrum of moviegoers. Warners is taking good care of everyone’s favorite undocumented visitor from Planet Krypton, and has assembled two separate cuts of his big-screen premiere.

Superman: The Movie

Blu-ray

2-Film Collection

Warner Bros.

1978 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 188 min. Extended Cut + 151 min. Special Edition orig. 143 min. / Street Date October 10, 2017 / available through the WBshop / 21.99

Starring: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Maria Schell, Terence Stamp, Phyllis Thaxter, Susannah York, Jeff East, Marc McClure, Sarah Douglas, Harry Andrews, Diane Sherry, Randy Jurgensen, Larry Hagman, John Ratzenberger, Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill.

Cinematography: Geoffrey Unsworth

Film Editors: Stuart Baird, Michael Ellis

Production Design: John Barry

Assistant Director: Vincent Winter...

Wonder Woman opened to stellar reviews this weekend and will no doubt be a huge financial hit. In honor of the Princess of the Amazons being the one to break the Dceu losing streak, Cinelinx looks back at the history of live-action superhero TV shows and movies with female leading characters.

Wonder Woman (1974)- Appropriately, Wonder Woman was the first-ever female super hero to get a live-action adaptation. This 1974 made-for-tv movie was a pilot for an intended series. It starred former professional tennis player Cathy Lee Crosby. The blonde-haired Crosby doesn’t seem like the natural choice to play the Amazon Princess, but then again, this version of Wonder Woman was not a typical adaptation. For one thing, she had no super powers. This was based on the 1968-1972 era of the Wonder Woman comic known as “Diana Prince: The New Wonder Woman” when she lost her powers and stopped wearing her trademark costume.

[This Was Originally Posted On May 6. It's The First In A Multi-Part Series That Lead Editor Mario-Francisco Robles Has Been Working On. He's Finally Prepared To Finish The Series. We'll Be Reposting The Previous Entries In Order To Catch You Up For Both The Finale And The Eventual Book]

Welcome to a special ongoing look at Warner Bros. and how it's handled its DC Comics properties. It's going to be a weekly, ongoing miniseries here at Lrm. This first entry will offer a bit of history, as we build towards what's happening in the present day Dceu. We'll explore all of the interesting parallels and forks in the road that brought us to where the Dceu is today.

Humble Beginnings...

Long before comic book movies dominated Hollywood; Long before comic books were looked upon as anything other than campy, youth-oriented entertainment; Long before Hollywood titans like Disney and 20th Century got into the business of building worlds out of superhero titles, a struggling film company merged with another conglomerate in a seemingly innocuous merger transaction. 

Warner Bros., which had begun its life in 1923 and would become one of the most important studios in Hollywood, was in an extremely vulnerable place in the mid-1960s.

Andrew Blair Jan 30, 2017

Sometimes, the best of intentions don't always lead to the best movie. Here are 19 films where everything didn't quite go to plan...

As Alan Parker said ‘no one sets out to make a bad film’. Yet in spite of good intentions, sometimes a project doesn't quite go to plan. We're going to look at a bunch of movies here that aren't always well liked, and give a flavour of the problems the beset them.

So, in no particular order, here are twenty of the films that have ever been made, which are considered by at least one sentient being to be bad. That's not the interesting thing about them....

Robin Hood (2010)

Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris had written a spec script with a twist on the Robin Hood legend: the Sheriff of Nottingham was the hero, a sort of medieval forensic investigator, and Robin was the bad guy.

Warner Bros.

The late, great Christopher Reeve remains one of the most iconic performers in the history of comic book movies. His portrayal of Superman/Kal-El/Clark in Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie helped launch the superhero cinematic subgenre and cemented Reeve as a talent that generations of film fans could enjoy. For many, Reeve remains the Superman, with Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill paling in comparison to his magnetic portrayal of DC Comics’ flagship superhero.

It wasn’t an easy route to global adoration for Reeve, though. He faced stiff competition for the role and a collection of troubles on set. He also had to power through as the franchise that launched his career later suffered reduced budgets and dreadful reviews, when Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest For Peace came along and did their best to ruin what Reeve and Donner had started.

From these worrisome...

By Todd Garbarini

Update: Producer Ilya Salkind now also slated to appear.

Richard Lester’s film The Four Musketeers is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. With an all-star cast that includes Oliver Reed, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, and Sir Christopher Lee, the film will be shown on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015 at 7:00 pm as a special tribute to Sir Christopher as well as part of the theatre's Anniversary Classics series. Actors Richard Chamberlain and Michael York are scheduled to appear at the screening and take part in a Q & A and discussion on the making of the film.

From the press release:

Last year the Anniversary Classics series presented a successful 40th anniversary screening of The Three Musketeers, director Richard Lester's stylish and entertaining retelling of Alexandre Dumas' classic novel. Join us this year to see Lester's stirring conclusion of the tale, The Four Musketeers...

Special Sir Christopher Lee Tribute Screening of The Four Musketeers (1975) in Los Angeles

Richard Lester’s film The Four Musketeers is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Produced by Ilya Salkind of Superman fame and with an all-star cast that includes Oliver Reed, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain, Michael York, and Sir Christopher Lee, the film will be shown on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015 at 7:00 pm as ...

Hnn | Horrornews.net - Official News Site...

Did you know that June 12 every year is Superman Day? We're not sure how this particular day came to be dedicated to the Man of Steel, especially since he seems omnipresent in our lives every day. A pop cultural mainstay since 1938, the Krypton-born hero never seems far away, especially in the movies.

Yet while it seems every boy has dreamed of putting on the red cape and flying, the character has been remarkably hard to cast in movies. For every Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh or Henry Cavill who said yes, many more have said no. Here are 15 potential Kal-El's that never came to be.

1. Sylvester Stallone

"Yo, Lois!" After the success of "Rocky," it's no wonder that "Superman: The Movie" producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind considered Stallone to play the Last Son of Krypton. Reportedly, he was deemed too ethnic for the part, though other sources have said that Marlon Brando...

Ryan Lambie Sep 16, 2019

How did an '80s Van Damme action flick emerge from a lost Spider-Man movie and Masters Of The Universe 2?

Cannon Films was in deep trouble by 1987. Its boom years, between the late '70s to the mid-80s, were largely thanks to an eclectic and hurriedly-made collection of B-movies: Chuck Norris action pictures, Charles Bronson revenge flicks, and lots of things with the word "ninja" in the title.

Thanks to its outsider status and anything-for-a-buck approach to filmmaking, Cannon Films became a major name in Hollywood, the grinning faces of its brusque founders - producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus - frequently appearing in TV news reports and tinseltown trade papers.

But in the mid-80s, Golan and Globus began to change their strategy. While they would still make Death Wish sequels and Chuck Norris pics, they began to dabble in making more expensive films, such...