I caannot vouch for the veracity of this - it's thirdhand info. However, I've just read that Margot has claimed in an interview that Warner Bros. has plenty of Richard Donner's footage from Superman II in the vaults, enough to restore his cut of the film. Donner has said that he would be interested in helping to re-edit the film.

This might be bollocks. Who knows? But I don't recall seeing it mentioned here, so here it is.

For what it's worth, there is an online petition. Yeah, yeah, e-petitions are mostly worthless, but at least it helps get the word out.
http://www.petitiononline.com/S2Don/petition.html

There is precedence for this. The Paul Schrader cut of Excorcist: The Beginning is being released at limited theaters, possibly wider to follow, and thenon disc. No reason they can't do it with S2, provided the material really is in the vaults.

Interesting. Would it be all that different than the Lester version script-wise? Are you saying there is an entire other film in the vaults ala' the Schrader Excorcist?

Me? I'm not sayin' nothin'! :D Kidder made a statement (whihc I've yet to actually read), don't know if it's been confirmed by anyone, whether she was exaggerating, whatever. Always did seem farfetched to me that the Salkinds - no matter badly they behaved over it - destroyed Donner's footage. And some of it is still in the movie...who knows. Maybe a majority of it got stashed.

I ain't owning this rumor, but it's worth hoping for.

As for the script, I doubt it changed different. Donner's stamp should be enough to make all the difference. S2 was always a very good film for it's story, script, and performances. Even the visuals still hold up, barring the wire work of the time slowing the action sequences. It's just Lester's camp touch I hate, even given the amount of camp in Donner's part one.

Donner never actually completed every last bit of the photography, did he? Can't remember...I wonder how he'd re-edit Lester's work.

First of all, the Schrader version of the Exorcist prequel isn't just another cut of the film. The film was completely re-shot by Renny Harlin.

As for SUPERMAN II, I remember at the time of the first movie, there was publicity about a scene where Lois Lane tries to prove Clark is Superman by jumping out the window of the Daily Planet. The Niagra Falls sequence replaced this. I also seem to remember that the Kryptonian villains were released from their prison when the nuclear missile Superman diverted into space in the first movie exploded, so the Eiffel Tower sequence was new.

Supermancinema.net had a pretty thorough analysis of how much SII footage Donner managed to shoot, but unfortunately that site has been down for a while.

Supposedly the only major sequences left to be be shot by Donner were the Niagara exteriors, the sequence in the desert with the East Houston police (the attack on the town itself was never in the original script), and the Metropolis super-battle. There was an attempt to film the Niagara exteriors during the original Canadian shoot, but either weather pre-empted the shoot or the footage was unusable, there some ambiguity as to which. The original script had Superman save the boy, Lois then gets suspicious, and then it cuts back to the hotel for the infamous "blanks" scene. So they could easily utilize Lester's footage here, only slicing off Lois' river gambit. There was also an indication in the analysis that Donner shot some kind of resolution to the Clark/Lois problem, similar to Lester's "Magic Kiss". The three-hour ABC cut of II has Clark bumping into Jimmy in the hallway after the kiss, but the scene is actually Donner footage (you can tell by the actor's appearances). That scene with Jimmy then segues into the end diner scene.

Donner has said that Les Bowie had reel after reel of unused Superman II effects footage stored in his refrigerator. And the guys who did the Supes The Movie remaster said they found loads of unused live-action SII footage in England. If they can cut the camp aspects out of the super-battle, it might work out very well. It's decades later and I'm still waiting for the REAL Superman II to come out...

It's decades later and I'm still waiting for the REAL Superman II to come out...

You and me, both.

The ABC televised version of Superman II had glimpses of what might have been if Donner had been allowed to finish his version of the film. Ultimately superior to the Lester version, the partially-restored Donner footage brought an emotional depth and drama to the film that the Lester version sadly lacked.

I had recorded the ABC broadcast on three-quarter-inch videotape, and later cut it together with footage transferred from the Superman II LaserDisc, just to get a closer idea of what a Donner version would have looked like. Come to think of it, I haven't seen that cut for several years, now. This thread has inspired me to see if I can dig it out of the archives and have another look!

I certainly hope that Donner could takes the reigns once again and be allowed to do his own cut of what the movie should have been. Perhaps he and Stuart Baird could team up again for this. Whatever Baird lacks as a director, he makes up for as an editor, especially when paired with Donner. They're an unbeatable team.

The ABC televised version of Superman II had glimpses of what might have been if Donner had been allowed to finish his version of the film. Ultimately superior to the Lester version, the partially-restored Donner footage brought an emotional depth and drama to the film that the Lester version sadly lacked.

It was almost painful watching the ABC cut, seeing all these cool scene extensions and knowing there was probably so much more that didn't get shown. Funny how critics have suggested that Lester took a more mature approach to the material. The ABC cut showed that Donner's footage was much more serious-minded than Lester's. I'd even say that parts of Donner's II seem emotionally bleak. That scene on the ice flows where Superman destroys the Fortress, and then turns to face Lois...I haven't seen it for years, but I remember being startled by how deeply sad and melancholy it was. It's demonstrative of the fact that Donner was able to invest himself emotionally in ALL the aspects of the chracters and script, something Lester just couldn't, or *wouldn't*, do. And also indicative of how great Reeve and Kidder were. I can't blame Kidder for making a fuss, as the original scenes were probably some of the best work she'd done in either film. I'd pay SERIOUS money to see that brief confrontation between Lois and Jor-El...

I had recorded the ABC broadcast on three-quarter-inch videotape, and later cut it together with footage transferred from the Superman II LaserDisc, just to get a closer idea of what a Donner version would have looked like. Come to think of it, I haven't seen that cut for several years, now. This thread has inspired me to see if I can dig it out of the archives and have another look!


Sounds pretty sweet Trek Ace! I know of several other fans who have done similar cuts, I think a few are supposed to be available on the web. I haven't seen my recording for over a decade due its being recorded on Beta. Lucky you with the three-quarter-inch! How did the 16mm ABC print stack up against the laser footage?

I certainly hope that Donner could takes the reigns once again and be allowed to do his own cut of what the movie should have been. Perhaps he and Stuart Baird could team up again for this. Whatever Baird lacks as a director, he makes up for as an editor, especially when paired with Donner. They're an unbeatable team.

Their work together can be stunning. The helicopter rescue in Supes I stands as a hallmark of great action direction AND editing. I agree that Baird has not yet fulfilled his promise as a director (although I liked Executive Action and parts of Nemesis) I doubt he'd have any qualms about reteaming with Donner. I can't think of anyone who WOULDN'T work with Donner again, he seems beloved by almost all his colleagues, Salkinds excepted of course ;)

The helicopter rescue in Supes I stands as a hallmark of great action direction AND editing.

You can say that again. Thrill's me every time I see it and I've seen it many times. I love the off-camera woman's voice in that scene: "Oh my god, he got her! He got her!!" "Superman: The Movie" is still the great template for all the decent superhero movies that have followed.