Warner Bros. – We Want A Richard Donner Re-Cut of Superman II (1 Viewer)

[Kenneth s]

This is the era of everything coming on Dvd. They even have the first season of Barney Miller coming on DVD for christ's sake! What's next? The Essential Amos and Andy?

The public is ready and the investment is worth it to release all of the Donner footage from this film. It would make a great, landmark DVD. How many films show you half of the footage that was cut out and shot by a different director, who happened to shoot a great deal of the finished film to begin with?

Warner Brothers, the time is now. Please give Superman fans, Brando fans, Donner fans, comic book movie fans, film fans and fans of the great Christopher Reeve what will be a monumental DVD achievement!

 

[Christophario]

I would also physically cry to see a Donner cut.Think of ALL the actors who put in their dedication to the Donner footage. Reeve, Brando(well, maybe not him), Hackman, Kidder, Souglas, Stamp, Cooper, McClure, the list goes on. I have read the script back and forth and sutdied what was shot, and what was not. IT seems they would only need Lester footage on the Metropolis battle, and when the villains land on earth. All else seemed to be shot. I would greatly love to see the original opening which Lois throws herself out a window so Supes will save her!:b . I just hope they can do it and fast! Superman movies(Supergirl included) have all saved me except for the third one. And it really makes me angry when they crap all over them like this! I WANT A DONNER VERSION NOW!

 

[Jough]

Add another vote for a re-cut Superman II.

 

[Tony Whalen]

I'd buy this in a second. Hell, I'd buy copies for all my friends too...just to help with sales a smidgen.

 

[Grant H]

Bring it on. As a kid, I liked Superman II better than the Superman I. But, as I got older it became obvious that the reigns were handed over to the same goofy guy who banged out Supercrap III when a truly great film could could have been produced. I'd love to see what Superman II could have and SHOULD HAVE been.

Maybe WB can use all that money the DIDN'T spend on the Superman II-IV DVD's that we got.

 

[Kenny Goldin]

 

[Brent M]

It would be awesome to have the Donner cut on a Special Edition DVD. I've held off buying the current release of II because it's so bad, but I'd be in line the first day of release to purchase Donner's cut. I hope it happens, but if we can't even get the original versions of Star Wars on DVD I doubt very seriously we'll get this version of Superman II.

 

[Ray_R]

If I actually bought and watched this cut of Superman II, I would HAVE to stop the movie due to my tears of COMPLETE joy. Warner, make this! Even Superman: The Movie on DVD can make me stare in awe and have tears of utter enjoyment, the Richard Donner cut would definitely receive not only my 100% approval, but a 500% one. I'm even overjoyed at the prospect of this and even now I have to fight back the tears of sheer wonderment at the Earth's most kindest and most powerful hero, SUPERMAN!
Ray Rogers

 

[Dharmesh C]

Glad that the interest continues to soar I don't think a recut will happen, but chuck those deleted scenes into a supplementary section

 

[Christophario]

Screw that stuff! I STILL elieve it could happen! I may not know all the facts but surely a good producer would not turn down a good profit! Now let's see here...

Opening

Niagra Falls

All Fortress scenes

Jor-El Scenes

All Lex and Eve scenes

I think that is more than enough stuff to need o be seen! Hmm. For a Superman website owner I think your attitude is really bland and needs to take an upper!

 

[Dave H]

Warner indicated nothing from the chat that it will happen.

On any rate, I would like to see Superman II remastered and done with a solid 5.1 track. I find the current 2.0 track quite disappointing for such a movie. The deleted scenes would be great extras too.

 

[Christophario]

Well I for one have made my own little cut...in my mind as well as on paper!
Let's just go through it here. (NOTE: If someone doesn't understand what I am talking about, download the script from any site you can and read it! It sure is great!)
1. Recap of original and space credits beginning with:
Warner Brothers Pictures presents... A RICHARD DONNER film...
2. ORIGINAL Opening-Includes when Lois jumps out of the window, the bananas, and all dialogue after it.
3. This of course leads to the Luthor prison scene. All dialogue between Luthor, Otis, Cell guard, and other inmates would be included.
4. Right on to the space scene with the three incorrigibles. Includes all dialogue-Including Ursa's famous killing men line. All else included as well.
5. Then it's back to Luthor-His escape! All fottage shown on network television is placed here. Anything else found could be as well.
6. This is from scene 5. Continues in the balloon. All conversation between Eve and Lex is intact. Includes the lines about Eve hinting marriage and calling Lex sick for liking her image in a parka.
7. This puts the audience on the map for the ORIGINAL Niagra Falls sequence in which Clark and Lois discuss relationships, and have a slight kiss. (Includes all dialogue read from script. NOTE: I know this was shot because it was said somewhere that all Niagra Falls Interiors were shot...so go figure.)
8. After, we return to Lex and Eve for a BIG portion of the film. This is when LEx and Eve are talking on the Snow mobile, when they arrive at the fortress, when they get in, when they look around, find the crystals, see JOR-EL, discuss what that is. There is a chunkload of dialogue which was re-instated for tv and can be for this too. Includes all dialogue read in the script.
9. Then after Eve says the bathroom line, we ccut back to Clark and Lois. Not sure if all this was shot. I have heard it was incomplete Donner footage of when the boy falls and such. Maybe SOME Lester footage would have to be reinstated to have the scene make sense. Boy falls and such.
10. Back to Eve and Lex. This is when they leave Fortress of Solitude, and when they are on their way South. Three alpha waves surface on Lex's black box.(which has no purpose in the theatrical cut.) Includes lotsa dialogue and such for a longer, more composite scene.
11. Then we are back with Lois and Clark. This is the scene which she uses blanks to fool Clark into admitting his alter ego. Scene is seen practiced in the STM dvd, so you guys do the math of what is going on.
12. Knowing all Fortress scenes were shot period point blank, this is nessecary for a Donner cut. There is no cut from Lois and Clark in Niagra Falls to the villains. Instead we cut directly to Superman and Lois at the fortress. they discuss cooking, cook suflee, Kiss alot, talk about his past, etc. All reshot for Lester. But there was all original Donner footage!:b
13. Now we go to Lester footage. Just show the villains go through the clouds, land, omit the man in boat and corney lines("so this is planet hooston.") Show Ursa kill snake. No real dialogue needed here.
14. Go back to Superman and Lois. They are looking at baby pics of he and his family. She tells him love stuff, he tells her, and then they make love. Includes the R-rated material. Sorry kiddies, this one's for us older fans who never got our money's worth!
15. Go straight to villains attacking the White House. IT can be implied that they found their way by torturing some people as Ursa can talk of nothing else in the extra dialogue that could be included.
16. Lois and Superman in Fortress, with Jor-El. this is when Superman gives his powers up. Very improtant scene as JOR-EL is the center screen here for the focues. After Superman is turned mortal, cut to:
17. Lois and Clark driving as was seen in television versions. They find a hot dog place and we see Dick Donner in cameo!!! Rest of the scene runs like it does in the movie, with bully, president on tv, and just like in script, ends with "I just didn't listen" and then cuts to:
18. FULL scene with villains in white house and Luthor. Includes ALL footage missing and dialogue found in longest tv versions known! Scene is much longer and means more.
19. Here we are with the famously filmed "Supes gets his powers back from Jor-El and we see it happen" scene. Jor-El sacrifices his light entity and gives Clark his powers back. then go to
20. As in the film, with Lois, Jimmy and Perry in the Daily Planet, all the same dialogue and some extra. All original footage that was shot but refilmed re-instated here. Includes when Villainsn arrive, mistake Jimmy for Son of Jor-el, Jimmy and Lois extra lines and Luthor extra lines.
21. Tricky tricky. this is the battle, in some way there can be an edited scene which the campy stuff is let out and though a much shorter scene, all the more impactful. All tv versions scenes are inastated(i.e. Lois and Jimmy in office between cuts of lester footage.)
22. Villians back to Daily planet-ALL donner except the reshot horrible villains shots and lines. All was in fact shot by Donner and it is instated here. Inlcudes extra footage from Lois as found in TV versions.
23. Lester footage of Villains to fortress
24. the Fortress finale-as seen all intact in TV versions. This was filmed and can be seen so as just Donner footage! Includes Lois and Supes break-up, fortress destruction, Luthor one liners such as Metropolis Masher and such, and villains and Luthor taken away.
25. Lois pad scene. Same as tv versions.
That's about what I got from writing down on paper. and thinking it out clearly. Well, almost clearly. NOTE: the anger faces in red indicate what is LEster footage. As it happens, all the footage I have named above is Donner, except for the scenes with red faces following. All this has been taken from the script I have acquired and all scenes I have mentioned have been shot. I have read in interviews. So this is my own personal cut. What do you think? WB are you reading this? Am I missing some integral scene? Let me know!

 

[Eric Paddon]

I have to be honest. As much as I would love to see a full Donner re-cut of II, I would be more than content for life if just *one* scene were restored into a new cut that IMO would justify everything else. That is the Clark-Jor EL scene when he returns to the empty Fortress to try and get his powers back. This is the one Brando scene I want to see most because it brings full circle his "son becomes the father, the father becomes the son" statement of I and also clears up the plothole of how Clark gets his powers back. Not only that, this was the only scene were Brando and Reeve ever appeared together in the same shot (all of the other scenes from I were just Reeve acting to a recording).

Put that one scene back in and I can live with the rest.

 

[Vader]

Count me in on this one!

 

[Kenneth s]

I think Donner shot a full fortress scene for the ending that included Lois being killed by Ursa - then Superman was supposed to turn the world back.

Most of all, this seems to be about making Brando's people (he's in bad health), Ilya Salkind and Richard Lester and Donner all happy. It will take work, but it is possible. It has been some time since this film was shot.

We need to have a new dvd with ALL of Donner's footage as a supplement at the very least. Brando's scene is essential to the whole saga! And even the Donner scenes we do have with the villains on the moon and in the White House are incomplete. Let's see every last frame he shot for them. Christopario, you mentioned cutting to the villains crashing the White House as Ursa's words could talk of nothing else that was supposed to have happened. What'd you mean? Thanks.

 

[Christophario]

In the network versions Ursa is talking of people she destroyed on "This boring planet" or so I remembered. It's been awhile since I saw that version. She also mentions a planet where "Men where girly ribbons"" or something. What did YOU mean when you said that the villains scenes in the movie are incomplete? I think they were shot from an interview with Terence Stamp(or was it Jack O Holloran?) Anyway, that is what I was talking about. So it would be implied that they found their way to the white house and they would NOT have to show that STUPID East Houston Idaho crap they had. You are right. EVERY scrap of footage that Donner shot had better be in there. As I already mentioned, in my own personal cut favor, alot was indeed shot, and it could all be used to our viewing pleasure! Hope that helped.

 

[Kenneth s]

What I meant is that since Donner obviously did not have final cut, that the scenes he did shoot that were retained, were altered. In the White house, we know there is a scene from the tv version with Zod using a machine gun and killing at least one of the guards with it. Perhaps there is even more than that. All we know is the Lester release and the tv versions from the 80s.

As for re-cutting, I don't like the East Houston stuff anymore than you, but it may be tough to imply things with all of the footage we know. Bottom line is we don't know exactly what else was shot by Donner. If he did shoot the original scene when he lands on this planet and Ursa kills the Texas cop, then we have something. Otherwise, really the only footage Donner shot of the villains was on the moon and in the White House and of course, the full fortress scene at the end.

 

[Kramer Lowry]

 

[Jim Dalton]

Add me to this list.

I was VERY disappointed at the lackluster release from Warner Brothers in regards to the Superman II DVD.

Do we REALLY need Washington to step in to force you guys to release everything in 5.1?!? Or in widescreen?

If WB did redo Superman II, I think they would be very pleased indeed by how much revenue it would generate.

 

[Charlton_T]

Warner Bros: I absolutely refuse to buy the theatrical version of Superman II. If you release the Donner version I'll buy it the day it comes out and thus complete my set of Superman films on DVD.

Richard Donner is THE Superman director! Please contact him to oversee the reconstruction of HIS vision of Superman II. The ONLY vision...