Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
DVD cover art
Directed by	Richard Donner Richard Lester (uncredited)
Produced by	Pierre Spengler Michael Thau (2006)
Screenplay by	Mario Puzo David Newman Leslie Newman Robert Benton (uncredited) Tom Mankiewicz (creative consultant)
Story by	Mario Puzo
Based on	Characters by Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster
Starring	Gene Hackman Christopher Reeve Marlon Brando Ned Beatty Jackie Cooper Sarah Douglas Margot Kidder Jack O'Halloran Valerie Perrine Clifton James E.G. Marshall Marc McClure Terence Stamp
Music by	John Williams Ken Thorne (additional)
Cinematography	Geoffrey Unsworth (Donner footage) Robert Paynter (Lester footage)
Editing by	Stuart Baird Michael Thau (Donner footage) John Victor-Smith (Lester footage)
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s)	November 28, 2006 (2006-11-28)
Running time	116 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$54,000,000 (Superman II) + (2006 Restoration)

Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is a 2006 re-edit of the 1980 superhero film, Superman II, by Richard Donner, who shot a large part of the original movie before being replaced as director by Richard Lester. It stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Terence Stamp, Margot Kidder and Marlon Brando. The cut was supervised by Donner, creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz (who penned the 1977 shooting script for Superman II, on which the Donner cut is based), and Michael Thau, an editor who worked with Donner on the 2001 DVD director's cut and restoration of the 1978 film Superman.

Unlike many "special edition" and "director's cuts" released over the years, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is a very different film, despite both versions following roughly the same storyline. As much as half of the film contains never-before seen material filmed by Donner, including 15 minutes of Marlon Brando scenes as Superman's father Jor-El as well as numerous new Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder scenes. Some of this "new" material has appeared in earlier extended television cuts. Some of the existing scenes were also replaced with alternative takes or footage from different camera angles. There are also several newly-filmed shots and many new visual effects. Richard Donner is credited as director of the film instead of Richard Lester. More than half of Lester's footage filmed for Superman II has been removed from the film and replaced with Donner footage shot during the original principal photography from 1977. Certain footage filmed by Richard Lester remains in sequences that were not shot by Donner (due to the halt in production for this film) for purposes of story cohesion. As a result, approximately 83% of the footage in the film is Donner's footage.

The film was released on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc on November 28, 2006.

History

See also: Superman II#Production controversy and cult status

In 1977, director Richard Donner set about simultaneously filming an epic two-part adaptation of the Superman comic book series. With 80% of Superman II photographed, after having to postpone the original summer 1978 release date for Superman due to an extended shoot, filming on Superman II was suspended in October 1977 so that Donner could focus on completing the first film.

Following the release of Superman in December 1978, it was widely assumed that Donner would be recalled to complete the remainder of the sequel. However, a number of events led to Donner's eventual replacement as director of the movie. Most importantly, the producers (Alexander and Ilya Salkind) announced that Marlon Brando's completed scenes for Superman II would be excised from the movie in order for them to avoid having to pay the actor the reported 11.75% of gross U.S. box-office takings he was now demanding for his performance in the sequel. Donner publicly lambasted this decision, announcing that he would make the film his way or not at all. The April 1978 issue of the sci-fi magazine Starburst quotes Donner as saying, "That means no games...They have to want me to do it. It has to be on my terms and I don't mean financially. I mean control."

Tensions had existed between the Salkinds and Richard Donner throughout the almost nineteen months of filming it had taken to complete Superman and most of Superman II. The producers blamed the director for going wildly over budget and schedule. Donner claims he was never given a budget, nor a schedule. In the commentary track on the 2006 DVD release of the theatrical version of Superman II, co-producer Pierre Spengler recounts that Donner was indeed invited to return to complete the film as director, but, according to an Army Archerd/Variety magazine interview, Donner declared that if Spengler remained on the picture, Donner himself would not return to direct. In the same commentary, Ilya Salkind states the removal of Spengler was allegedly one of many demands made by Donner, who, he claimed, also wanted final cut of the film and more control over the production, demands to which the Salkinds weren't willing to agree.

The situation finally came to a head, and on March 15, 1979, the Salkinds decided to replace Donner with U.K.-based director Richard Lester, with whom they had worked on two successful Musketeers films. In 1989, Donner told Starlog magazine, "… the Salkinds, for whatever reason, chose not to bring me back. After I waited to hear for six or eight weeks, I got a telegram that said, 'Your services are no longer needed.'"

A replacement director

Lester had served as mediator (or uncredited co-producer) between the Salkinds and Donner for a large part of the initial shoot. Suspicions abounded at the time that Lester was being primed for taking over the film, despite Donner's determination to complete the project at all costs and Lester's assurances to the contrary.

Lester himself has never fully commented on his role in the controversial production of Superman II and has refused any involvement with the 2006 DVD re-releases, although at the beginning of an AMC widescreen telecast of Superman II, Lester acknowledged that the sequel was indeed "his film."

The situation was further complicated by the deaths of cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth on October 28, 1978 and production designer John Barry, who died on June 1, 1979, Richard Lester's first day as director of Superman II. Tom Mankiewicz, a key Donner ally who had re-written both Superman scripts to comply with Donner's directive to make the features more realistic and less camp, declined to return without Donner, as did editor Stuart Baird. Composer John Williams also turned his attention to other projects, such as Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark; while the Salkinds and Lester commissioned fellow Musketeers alum Ken Thorne to re-use Williams' themes.

The 1980 theatrical Superman II

Main article: Superman II

Filming was completed for Lester's Superman II on March 10, 1980 and was released in Europe and Australia on December 4, 1980 and June 19, 1981 in the United States. This version of Superman II combined Donner footage shot in 1977 with Lester footage shot in 1979. Approximately 30% of Lester's Superman II is Richard Donner footage.

In numerous scenes, the theatrical Superman II interweaves footage filmed years apart. Much of this interweaving was necessitated by Lex Luthor actor Gene Hackman's refusal to return to film any further scenes with Lester. Thus, all Hackman footage in the film is Donner's, although in certain scenes, a body double was used for wide shots re-filmed by Lester. In several instances, Lester re-staged Donner-filmed scenes, inserting certain newly-filmed shots into pre-existing material. This is most evident during a scene in which the super-villains burst into the Daily Planet. The scene was filmed in its entirety by Donner in 1977. The Perry White office set was then partly re-built under Lester in 1979, the actors placed in exactly the same positions, costumes, etc., and new material filmed and inserted into the final film, despite the actors looking physically different.

Donner footage in Superman II

The following is a list of all major Donner footage that was retained for Superman II:

• Lex Luthor in prison, including the escape by balloon.

• The three super-villains land on the moon and kill the astronauts.

• Lex Luthor at the Fortress of Solitude.

• The three super-villains attack the White House and force the President to "kneel before Zod."

• A powerless Clark is beaten up by Rocky, a truck driver in a fast-food diner (Donner appears as an extra in this sequence).

• Lex Luthor visits the super-villains in the White House.

• The villains burst into the Daily Planet and chase after Superman (some close-ups are Lester footage).

• The villains return to the Planet and decide to go to Superman's polar fortress (some close-ups are Lester footage).

• The second part of the final scene at the Fortress of Solitude, beginning with Luthor's belated arrival (some close-ups are Lester footage).

• Clark returns to the diner and gets his revenge on the truck driver.

The rest of the film, including the opening scenes at the Eiffel Tower, some part of the scenes at Niagara Falls, the scenes of the super-villains in Midwest America and the battle in Metropolis were all shot by Lester. Several television stations have broadcast extended cuts over the years. These have largely featured additional Donner material including footage of Superman destroying the Fortress of Solitude at the conclusion of the film, as well as extra scenes between Lois and Superman.

Superman II controversies and plot holes

See also: Superman II#Controversy and cult status

Critics of Lester's Superman II, including Donner, have stated that Lester's penchant for comedy undermined the integrity of the film, especially when compared to Donner's Superman. Examples of this trademark comedy are evident during scenes which feature Superman fighting the super-villains in Metropolis. The villains attack the citizens of Metropolis using super-breath. Several sight gags follow, including the wind blowing off a man's toupee, the ice cream being blown off of a cone and into someone's face, a man being blown over in a telephone booth and talking the whole time, a man with an umbrella being spun around as if dancing (parodying Singin' in the Rain) and a man on roller-skates rolling uncontrollably backwards across the pavement.

One particular plot hole that has frustrated the film's fans involves the transition from a powerless Clark Kent finding the green crystal at the abandoned Fortress of Solitude to a restored Superman's return to the Daily Planet to fight the super-villains. Lester shot a workaround scene where Superman shows the green crystal to Lois Lane, who absentmindedly places it aside without returning it to its chamber; this explains its survival when the device is destroyed, supposedly allowing Kent to use it to reverse his loss of Superman's powers, but there is no indication as to how this is possible without the device itself. In addition, with the device destroyed, no explanation was provided as to how it was able to function later when Superman jury-rigs it to strip the three villains of their powers. (In fact, the device returned, perfectly functional, in the later movies Superman IV: The Quest for Peace as well as Superman Returns.) Furthermore, the hologram of Lara flatly states that the process is irreversible in the first place, and despite Marlon Brando's absence from the Lester cut, Lester's "finding the crystal" scene features Clark calling out for his father, Jor-El, despite Lara having appeared earlier (though he calls out for her as well). This lack of any explanation whatsoever as to how Superman regained his powers proved frustrating to audiences.

Discussions about lost Donner footage have been raging for years, and with the advent of the internet, numerous letter-writing and other campaigns were instigated to persuade Warner Bros. to allow Richard Donner to create his version of Superman II. In 2005, the fan-restored DVD known as Superman II: Restored International Cut was released. It featured extended scenes shown in various television broadcasts over the years and helped bring much publicity to the cause when Warner Bros. threatened legal action over the bootleg release.

The Richard Donner Cut

When filming was suspended on Donner's Superman II in October 1977, the director had completed almost all of the major character-based sequences in the film. All scenes in the Daily Planet and most scenes set in the Fortress of Solitude were completed. All scenes featuring Marlon Brando, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Valerie Perrine and Gene Hackman were also completed. What remained to be filmed was the villains' arrival on Earth, and their rampage through mid-west America as well as exteriors at Washington D.C. during which Zod announces his takeover of the Earth from the tip of the Washington Monument. Most of the battle scenes between Superman and the super-villains had yet to be shot, as well as both the interiors and exteriors at Niagara Falls, which had been planned to be shot during the Canadian shooting on Superman: The Movie, but was indefinitely postponed to make up for time and get the production back to England quicker. Several minor scenes including a love-struck Superman deliberately tilting over the Leaning Tower of Pisa (later adapted in Superman III) and a scene in which Superman warns off some English fox-hunters were also not filmed.

The new film features most of the completed never-before-seen scenes (some scenes have been deleted for narrative/dramatic reasons), which in many cases replace scenes re-filmed or altered by Richard Lester. These include the original opening of the film set in the offices of the Daily Planet. In this opening, we see Lois trying to figure out the similarities between Clark Kent and Superman, followed by Perry White assigning Clark and Lois on the honeymoon racket in Niagara Falls, and then Lois testing Clark / Superman by jumping off the balcony of one floor of the Daily Planet (a revised version of this scene appears in the Lester theatrical cut).

Creating the Donner Cut

“

The fans pounded at Warner Brothers....emails and home video and the head of the studio, and so Warners finally...called me up and said 'What do you think?' and I said 'Well, let's see what we can find.'

”

— Donner Cut editor/producer Michael Thau telling a reporter from IESB in July 2006 that the film had come about largely as a result of fan pressure.

The prospect of creating a Richard Donner cut of Superman II did not begin to gain momentum until the 2001 restoration of Superman for DVD. At this time, six tons of footage for Superman and six tons of footage for Superman II was discovered in vaults in England by Michael Thau,^{[citation needed]} including much "lost" footage filmed by Richard Donner. Soon after, Donner was approached by Warner Bros. to do an extended version of Superman II, but remained reluctant to revisit the movie. In May 2001, he told the website IGN, "At the time, the studio wanted me to go back in and re-cut the film and add anything I wanted to add or do anything I wanted to do. Quite honestly, I was done with it. I was finished."

Nonetheless, fans continued to campaign for the film. Ultimately, three websites were instrumental in creating the momentum that finally led to the creation of the Donner cut. The first was Capedwonder.com, run by Superman collector Jim Bowers. In 2004, Bowers published numerous stills from "lost" scenes in Richard Donner's Superman II, seemingly providing definitive proof that Donner had filmed far more footage than the Salkinds or Richard Lester had initially been prepared to concede. Secondly, the website Supermancinema.co.uk provided fans with detailed breakdowns of the theatrical Superman II, identifying Donner footage within the film, and also providing speculative lists of just how much lost Donner footage might actually exist. Finally, on June 19, 2004, the Planet of the Apes fansite TheForbidden-Zone.com organized hundreds of fans to e-mail or write letters directly to Warner Bros. president Jim Cardwell, demanding that the studio allow Donner to release his version of Superman II. This effort was the first to elicit a positive response from the studio, with many of those who wrote receiving a letter stating, "Warner Home Video is supportive of an extended version of Superman II on DVD. However, there are complex legal issues that need to be resolved before the film can be re-released. Warner Home Video is presently addressing those issues."

Other than Donner's reluctance to re-visit the project, these legal issues were ultimately the greatest obstacle towards creating a Donner Cut. The required footage was still owned by the Salkinds, and issues relating to the use of Brando's filmed footage in Superman II remained unresolved. Issues relating to whether Richard Lester or Richard Donner would be credited as director of any new cut also remained to be addressed. It was not until legal negotiations surrounding the use of certain Brando footage in the film Superman Returns that the key issue of whether Brando's filmed Superman II footage could be used was resolved. In November 2006, Donner Cut producer Michael Thau told American Cinematographer magazine, "Marlon Brando's estate made a deal with Warner Bros. to license some of his footage for Superman Returns. This later led to the studio going back to his estate for our re-cut of Superman II. If that footage couldn't be used, it wasn't worth doing the project."

Work finally began on the project in late 2005, though without Richard Donner. At the Director's Guild screening of the Donner cut in November 2006, Michael Thau underlined Donner's reluctance to involve himself in the project, telling the audience, "Dick (Donner) was doing (the film) 16 Blocks at the time and I was always trying to lure him in with, you know 'Dick, here's a piece of candy, come in to the cutting room.' and he said 'No, no, no..."

Thus, mixed emotions invariably followed the initial announcement in January 2006 that a new Superman II was being worked on, primarily down to the news that Richard Donner was having little or nothing to do with the re-edit. In a January 2006 interview with the website IGN, he stated, "They're doing it. I'm not doing it...I don't even want to see it until it comes out in the theater...I'm too far away from it now." A month later, when asked about the new Superman II cut, Donner told the website Dark Horizons, "I would never shoot like that now in a million years, I mean it was a different way, a different style, different interpretation."

Over the years, Donner has frequently proclaimed diametrically-opposing views with regards to the possibility of re-assembling his Superman II — often stating that he would like to do it, other times stating that he would not. In June 2006, Michael Thau finally confirmed that Donner had finally decided on a far closer involvement with the project, also bringing in writer Tom Mankiewicz to assist in its creation. In an interview with the magazine Movie Magic, he stated, "When I'd get a cut on a scene, I'd show it to Dick and he'd say, 'I don't like that line; that reading's not good,' and so on. With Dick it's always, 'Make it move faster."

In August 2006, Thau confirmed that the entire film, rather than simply featuring new material, would be re-cut from the original camera negative (including the small number of Lester scenes remaining in the film). The Donner cut comprises Donner Superman II scenes edited by Stuart Baird in 1977-78, 1980 Superman II theatrical scenes cut by John Victor Smith, as well as a large amount of new material edited by Michael Thau.

In an interview with Now Playing magazine, Thau noted, "A lot of scenes that had been already cut, that Richard Lester had interwoven new material in — and there was a lot of them — I unwove that material and recut those scenes, basically from scratch a lot of times. I also had to deal with negatives that had already been cut. And when I wanted to recut it, and Lester had already cut it in a different way, I'd have to unwind that. It was a complicated jigsaw puzzle sometimes, to put it back the way I envisioned Dick would want it cut. We only used the Lester footage when there was material when they had not been able to shoot, and to keep some continuity to the story."

In a June 2006 interview with the website Amazon.com, George Feltenstein, Senior Vice President of Warner Home Video's Catalog Marketing division, stated:

“

We have been getting for years and years and years letters begging us to release the Donner cut of Superman II, and this year we bit the bullet and we've created what is ostensibly a new film, although the footage is all footage that was shot years and years and years ago. But it was sitting in a lab and never assembled. And for those of us were very saddened and touched by the loss of Christopher Reeve — to see footage you've never seen of him before, and a whole different take on the Superman II story, is really thrilling.

”

Donner contacted composer John Williams about creating a new score for his version of the film, but Williams was unable to help out, as he had also turned down a similar request by Superman Returns director Bryan Singer because he was scoring another project. Donner chose to reuse Williams' music from the first film, adding unreleased cues. Subsequently, Ken Thorne was relegated to the closing credits, and the new title sequences include Williams' composing credit.

Plot

Highlights of the first film are shown: Jor-El condemning General Zod, Non, and Ursa to the Phantom Zone, and sending Kal-El to Earth; the launching of the two XK-101 missiles; Superman being trapped in the swimming pool with the Kryptonite necklace by Lex Luthor and being rescued by Ms. Teschmacher; and Superman diverting the XK-101 missile programmed to hit Hackensack, New Jersey into outer space. The Phantom Zone drifts towards Earth and the XK-101 missile explodes near it, freeing the three villains, who find themselves with super powers granted by the yellow light of Earth's sun. After attacking human astronauts on the moon and the small town of East Houston, Idaho, the three travel to the White House and force the President of the United States to surrender to Zod on behalf of the entire planet during an international television broadcast. When the President pleads for Superman to save the Earth, Zod demands that Superman come and "kneel before Zod!"

Prior to Zod's arrival, at the Daily Planet, Lois Lane suspects that Clark Kent is Superman. She tries proving to Clark she knows his secret by jumping out of a window, but Clark uses his super-breath, heat vision, and super-speed to save her while appearing to have done nothing. The newspaper sends Clark and Lois to Niagara Falls. Superman's rescue of a small boy renews Lois' suspicions, and she tricks Clark with a gun loaded with blanks into admitting that he is Superman. He takes her to his Fortress of Solitude near the North Pole and shows her the traces of his past stored in the energy crystals of the Fortress, one of which is the green crystal that created the Fortress and opened Superman's contact with his parents. After spending the night together, Superman decides to transform himself into a human by exposing himself to red Kryptonian sunlight in a crystal chamber, giving up his powers to find happiness with Lois despite the warnings of the artificial intelligence of his father Jor-El. The two return to populated areas by automobile, and learn of Zod's conquest of the world. Realizing that humanity cannot fight Zod themselves, Clark decides to return to the Fortress to try to reverse the transformation.

Lex Luthor, who has escaped from jail, finds and infiltrates the Fortress before Superman and Lois arrive, learning of Superman's connection to Jor-El and General Zod. He offers to lead Zod to Jor-El's son in exchange for control of Australia. The three Kryptonians go with Luthor to the offices of the Daily Planet where they abduct Lois. Superman arrives, after having found the green crystal and reversing the transformation process, and battles the three in Metropolis. Zod realizes Superman cares for the innocent humans, and takes advantage of this weakness by threatening bystanders. To protect the city, Superman flies off towards his Fortress, with Zod, Ursa, and Non chasing him and carrying Lois and Luthor with them. At the Fortress, Zod forces Superman to again undergo the transformation process. The three villains realize too late that Superman altered the process to expose everyone outside the chamber to the red light, removing the Kryptonian criminals' powers. After defeating them, Superman repeats the time-traveling flight from the end of the first film, altering history so that the Kryptonians never escaped the Phantom Zone, and flies into the sunrise for further adventures.

World premiere

The world premiere of the new cut took place November 2, 2006, at the Directors Guild of America building in Hollywood and was attended by many of those associated with the film, including director Richard Donner and producer Ilya Salkind. After the screening, Richard Donner, Tom Mankiewicz, Margot Kidder, Sarah Douglas and other cast members participated in a panel discussion. On November 25, 2006, an exclusive screening benefit for Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut was held at the Fine Arts Theatre in Los Angeles, California. The proceeds of ticket sales went to the Christopher Reeve Foundation.

Reaction

Many critics have generally applauded the effort, thrilled Donner had the chance to piece his film back together, at the same time bemoaning the lost opportunity. Filmjerk.com's Brian Orndorf proclaims the film "… a triumph of intention, sending the imagination soaring again over this new angle on a very old question mark. It breaks my heart to even consider what Richard Donner might've accomplished had he not been fired, but the "Donner Cut" gives the fans that close, breath-on-the-glass look at a lost classic that never received its chance to soar in the cinematic heavens." IGN went as far as to call the film the Best Director's Cut of 2006.

Some reviewers have responded very positively, applauding the darker, more serious tone of the film and admiring that the film seems to flow as a true sequel to the original Superman. Bryant Griffin of SyFy Portal.com "It really feels like a direct continuation of the first film, honoring the Man of Steel with dignity.…" Most have praised the new performances of Marlon Brando, Margot Kidder, and especially Christopher Reeve. The Fulvuedrive-in.com review laments, "It is sad to see Reeve in such great form and not be around to see it…" Clint Morris of Moviehole.net extols, "From the storyline to the tone to the performances to the pacing. … It works a hell of a lot better than the condensed Superman II that we know.…"

Cast members Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran and Sarah Douglas have openly stated that they believe "The Richard Donner Cut" is the superior Superman II. Rotten Tomatoes gave the "Donner Cut" an aggregate rating of 86% compared to 88% for Lester's Superman II.

Comparisons to the theatrical release of Superman II vary widely in their criticism. Colin Jacobson of DVD Movie Guide notes, "When I compare the Donner cut to the theatrical edition, I think the latter remains more compelling and enjoyable." Other critics disparage the reliance on screen-test footage, as well as the repetition of the time-reversal element used in Superman, with other criticisms pointing to the film's inevitable restructuring and less than perfect visual effects.

As with many re-edits of popular films, particularly vocal fans have criticized the re-cut and have largely lashed out at editor Michael Thau for their misgivings. One fan "review" published on the Supermancinema.co.uk website noted "By far, the "Donner Cut"'s greatest weakness is the way the film's scenes have been re-structured and shuffled around. Scenes essentially play unto themselves, with no real cohesion between the three threads." Donner himself has also come under criticism for an apparently uncompromising approach to Richard Lester's material, which in certain cases is heavily truncated in the new film.

In addition, many fans have been critical of the fact that Michael Thau did not produce an expensive visual effects sequence using computer generated images (CGI) to create a "CGI villains-rule-the-world-scene." This scene, which has the villains destroying key monuments around the world, was not photographed by Donner before he was fired. Thau, in an interview published on www.supermancinema.co.uk justified the decision based on the amount of footage that would need to be created in CGI. Interviews included with the DVD bonus features also state that Thau and Donner agreed any new CGI shots should not overshadow the relatively limited special effects used during the original shooting. (The concept was revisited in the ninth season finale of Smallville, in which an army led by Zod attempts a takeover of Earth).

Fan reaction to the "Donner Cut" has led to many so-called "fan-cuts," edits that attempt to address many of their criticisms of both the Lester and Donner versions of Superman II. Many of these efforts have been posted on the Internet, including YouTube.

DVD special features

• All new introduction by director Richard Donner (1 minute and 53 seconds)
• Commentary by director Richard Donner and creative consultant Tom Mankiewicz

• New featurette Superman II: Restoring the Vision (13 mins. and 18 seconds)
• 6 Deleted Scenes (8 minutes and 33 seconds)
  • Lex and Miss Teschmacher head north
  • Lex and Miss Teschmacher head south
  • The villains try to enter fortress
  • He's all yours, boys
  • Clark and Jimmy
  • Lex's getaway

• Dolby Digital 5.1

• Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only) and German

Trailer

On September 20, 2006, Warner Bros. released the official trailer for the Christopher Reeve Superman Collection DVD box set. (Includes footage of Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.)

On November 21, 2006, Warner Bros. released the trailer for the Ultimate Superman Collection DVD box set.

See also

• Star Trek: The Motion Picture - a film that similarly saw a revised "director's edition" version created decades after its original release.
• Blade Runner - a "Final Cut" was released 25 years after the original theatrical release of the film.
• Highlander II: The Quickening - a film that was taken out of the hands of the producers and director by the insurance company that financed the picture.
• Alien 3 - the second sequel of the Alien franchise, which suffered from a troubled production which resulted in the finished cut of the film being taken and dismantled and subsequently reworked profoundly. The end result was dubbed by many as the "Theatrical Cut", in which many major plot elements and scenes were omitted, ultimately the original version of the film, dubbed the "Assembly Cut", would be released over a decade later.
• Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist - another film that was taken out of the hands of the original director and radically reworked by his successor.

External links

• Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut at the Internet Movie Database
• Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut at AllRovi
• Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut at Rotten Tomatoes
• Richard Donner Interview
• Richard Donner Interview #2
• II Times the Superman II: A comparison of the Lester and Donner versions.