Warner Bros. - We want a Director's Edition of Superman IV (1 Viewer)

[Philip Hawkins]

hairyguitarist84 - member of the imdb message boards has asked me to add him to the petition.
His comments:
" This movie would be a lot better with the extra 40 mins put back in. It would make much more sense and would actually be quite good i think. I quite enjoyed the 87 min version but felt it was rushed and needed more to it, then i found out about all the cuts and know why it felt rushed. No wonder not many people like this movie, no one has been allowed to see how it was really meant to be. Get it released on dvd properly, i'd certainly buy it".
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moviefanblue - member of the imdb message boards has asked me to add him to the petition.
His comments:
"I think Superman IV is my favorite of the series. I know a lot of people hated that one but I enjoyed it. I liked Superman's speech at the end but I sure wish they would release a director's cut for Superman IV. I heard Donner announced that they are already donig a director's cut for Superman II but they need to do IV. Make the movie 134 minute that would be nice".

 

[Ryan_M_M]

The best people can hope for is that the deleted scenes are inserted into a separate section of the disc. Warner can't be bothered putting money into recutting a film most people hate. That said Superman IV was more popular than Supergirl which got treated to its own delux edition. If anyone really wants to be of use tell Warner that the negatives still exist in Deluxe Film Labs in Denham, England. Strangely they might not be aware of this fact and any further information could help them.

 

[Philip Hawkins]

Alfie Falcitelli
toronto

"I would love to see the film restored, very nostalic movie for me as a kid, it was the only one i was alive to see in the theatre. Put me on your petition".

 

[Philip Hawkins]

Fabiano Medina,
Rio De Janeiro,
Brazil

"I want to see the 134 minute version of Superman IV. Please add me to the petition."

 

[Dale Cornibe]

Well, I have mixed feelings about Superman IV. It is definitely not the best Superman film by any stretch, but man I loved Chris Reeve's acting! He even handled a bad script well. He was really sincere and convincing in playing Superman/Clark Kent. If there's any reason I'd like to see an extended version of this, that would be it. With that said...

Superman IV is not exactly Oscar material, either. I mean, dialogue like "show me the girl or I will hurt people" doesn't even approach mediocre writing. I was glad to see Gene Hackman back as Lex Luthor after a hiatus in Superman III. I could have done without Jon Cryer as his nephew; he's much better in Two and a Half Men. Cut his scenes out, that's what they should do.

 

[Philip Hawkins]

For the most complete collection of Superman IV deleted scenes pictures go to www.SupermanIV.com
It includes images that i haven't found on any other site.

 

[Philip Hawkins]

Special Edition Superman DVDs News Update:
www.supermanhomepage.com has just published an article containing exciting news regarding the Superman Dvd's. The article is as follows:

The Superman Homepage has learned exclusive details regarding Time Warner's work on new DVDs of the five Superman films released between 1978 and 1987. Ilya Salkind, who co-produced the first three "Superman" films, "Supergirl", and the "Superboy" television series, confirmed that he is indeed working with Michael Thau, the Producer and Restoration Supervisor on the 2001 Special Edition of "Superman: The Movie", and others who've been retained by Time Warner to produce new versions of the original Superman films (and Supergirl) for DVD release in conjunction with marketing plans for 2006's "Superman Returns".

"[T]he five DVDs are coming out," Salkind said in a recent telephone interview. Along with his late father, Alexander, and childhood friend, Pierre Spengler, Salkind produced the original Superman films (all except 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" produced by the Canon Group in a one-shot film deal they had with the Salkinds).

Salkind is working with Time Warner on the DVDs. According to Salkind, Time Warner now owns all of the footage shot for 1978's "Superman", 1980's "Superman II", 1983's "Superman III", 1984's "Supergirl", and 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" including distribution rights. This is consistent with last year's announcement by director Bryan Singer that he had purchased rights to all of the footage shot for "Superman" and "Superman II" so that he could incorporate the voice and image of Marlon Brando's Jor-El (Superman's biological father) into the upcoming "Superman Returns." A recent teaser trailer for the new film uses both Brando's voice and the original musical score by John Williams to connect the new film with the original franchise rather than attempt to supplant it.

According to Salkind, "I'm in touch with Michael Thau and I'm also in touch with another guy who does the documentaries and [DVD special features]." Thau declined to comment and referred all inquiries to Warner Home Video.

Salkind plans to "do commentaries of [Superman] I, II, and III [and] Pierre [Spengler] did his already." In addition, Salkind would like to do a commentary track for "Supergirl", which was released on DVD previously by Anchor Bay Entertainment. "I'm going to do a commentary [on "Supergirl"] and this time hopefully Helen [Slater] will do it..." Time Warner has acquired all distribution rights to "Supergirl" from Anchor Bay, according to Salkind, and plans to release that film along with the four Superman movies.

While "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace" was not a Salkind production (Salkind and his father have a credit for initiating the Superman film series in "Superman IV"), Salkind believes Time Warner owns that film's footage as well and is in touch with director Sydney Furie.

The biggest revelation of the interview concerns plans for "Superman II". Scenes shot by fired director Richard Donner (who directed "Superman: The Movie"), including all of Brando's work for the second film, may finally see the light of day. "There will be a Donner cut [of "Superman II"] from what I hear," Salkind said. "There will apparently be an original cut with the original music and more stuff." Whether the extra footage will be presented as an alternative version of the film or included as a supplement has not yet been determined.


Actor Jack O'Halloran, who played mute super-villain Non in "Superman" and "Superman II" confirmed that Time Warner interviewed him about his work on both films. Like Salkind, O'Halloran believes there will be a Donner version of "Superman II". "I understand they [Time Warner] are letting Donner do his cut of Superman II," O'Halloran said. "We spoke a lot about Donner, whom I like a lot."

The theatrical version of "Superman II" that Richard Lester directed will also receive special attention on the new DVD. Though Lester - who also directed "Superman III" - has steadfastly refused to give interviews about his work on the Superman movies over the years, Salkind believes that "Lester might make an interview," he said. "[A]pparently Pierre convinced him to [consider it]," Salkind explained.

The Superman Homepage will publish a full length interview with Ilya Salkind in the next few weeks. Also stay tuned for another big announcement later this week.

 

[Michael Rogers]

Yes, put me down as one that wants at least a DVD of Superman 4 that includes the deleted scenes(they don't have to be edited back into the movie proper, although that would be nice). One of the most stinging of the cuts was Superman visiting the boy in School to tell him his decision. It was cut and it seems in the final cut that the boy learns Superman's decision looking at the Daily Planet which makes Superman look like a p**** and we all know he's not.

 

[Philip Hawkins]

Some Bad News: NO EXTENDED SUPERMAN IV
Posted on the supermancinema website:
"Warner Bros. told me today that they currently have no plans to present a longer cut of Superman IV. I heard to the contray but I didn't believe it, glad I didn't".

Despite this news, there is still hope that we still might see the deleted scenes as part of the special features, which would still be pretty cool.

 

[Philip Hawkins]

DVD Specs as posted on the Supermancinema website:

** = unconfirmed
* = confirmed

This list is incomplete and shouldn't be taken as gospel because final specs of the set are still under consideration.

Superman The Movie disc 1
Theatrical cut (Part of the Salkind agreement) *
Commentary track by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler *
Original sound
Dolby Digital 5.1


Superman The Movie disc 2
2001 director's cut *
Commentary track by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz
Dolby Digital 5.1


Superman The Movie disc 3
Special Features TBA


Superman II disc 4
Theatrical cut *
Commentary track by Richard Lester **
Commentary track by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler **
Original sound **
Dolby Digital 5.1


Superman II disc 5
The Donner cut
Commentary track by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz **
Original Sound **
Dolby Digital 5.1 **


Superman II disc 6
Special Features TBA


Superman III disc 7
Theatrical cut
Commentary track by Richard Lester **
Commentary track by Pierre Spengler and Ilya Salkind
Original Sound **
Dolby Digital 5.1


Superman III disc 8
Special Features TBA


Superman IV disc 9
Theatrical cut
Original Sound **
Commentary track by Sidney J Furie TBA
Dolby Digital 5.1


Superman IV disc 10
The 134min cut or deleted scenes**
Special Features TBA


Supergirl disc 11
International cut **
Dolby Digital 5.1
Original sound TBA


Supergirl disc 12
Special Features TBA

Supergirl disc 13
Longer television cut **


Superman documentary disc 14
Bryan Singer commissioned documentary on the history of the character.

 

[Philip Hawkins]

SUPERMAN IV DELETED SCENES TO BE INCLUDED ON NEW DVD RELEASE!
(as posted at www.supermancinema.co.uk)
The news Superman IV fans have been waiting for 19 years, or 9 if you only found out about the deleted material from this site -- The deleted scenes will be featured as a supplement. So, I think it's fairly safe to assume that we will get virtually everything we want on these discs pending footage and cast and crew availability.

I always maintained that the S4 cut footage was destroyed, infact, someone who was in the Superman IV editing room told me that they were ordered to destroy what they were working on. Thankfully, someone had the foresight to save the footage...Phew!

Other bits:
Superman The Movie (original and extended) and Superman 2 will be released separately.
Superman Returns will be part of the rest (marketing move to shift Superman 3 and 4)
Supergirl is not part of the set.

 

[Tom St Jones]

NOW that WarnerArchive are set to release the network TV version of the original film on Blu-ray (yes!!) do you suppose the extended version of "IV" might actually see light of day?? Obviously I - III are much more popular (with first two being most popular), but (A) it's Christopher Reeve/ Superman and (B) the film's undeniable feel of something seriously truncated (and not just in budget), almost like a condensed book or an R-rated movie trimmed/ toned down to a G-rating - it's just one of those films that, for all wrong reasons, cries out for a Special edition.
While I wouldn't expect new CGI (to replace the unfortunate cut-rate FX) I'm sure most of the deleted scenes have been preserved +/ or fairly easy to locate. The extended version has been run on TV, so we know that exists/ has existed.

The director, Sydney Furie, is still alive -aged 84 - as of this writing, so they could perhaps get his approval on a "final cut" (provided he were up to it + inclined, ofcourse).

 

[Osato]

NOW that Warner Archive are set to release the network TV version of the original film on Blu-ray (yes!) do you suppose the extended version of "IV" might actually see the light of day?? Obviously I - III are far more popular (with first two being most popular), but (A) it's Christopher Reeve/ Superman - and (B) the film's unmistakable feel of something that's been seriously truncated (and not just in budget), almost like a condensed book or like a R-rated movie trimmed/ toned down to a G-rating. It's one of those films that, for all negative reasons, virtually cries out for a Special edition.
While I wouldn't expect new CGI (to replace the unfortunate cut-rate FX), I'm sure most of the deleted scenes have been preserved and/or are fairly easy to locate. The extended version has been run on TV, so we know that exists/ has existed.

The director, Sydney Furie, is still alive - aged 84 - as of this writing, so they could perhaps get his approval on a "final cut" (provided he were up to it/ inclined, ofcourse).

Would love to see the longer version!

 

[Josh Steinberg]

At least in the case of Superman IV, the deleted scenes are present on the DVD/BD bonus features, so you can see the missing material that way. I would gladly pay to have them professionally assembled into one longer cut, but if that never happens, I can live with what's out there now.

 

[Brian Kidd]

You have to remember that these were not finished scenes. They were only present in the earliest cuts of the film and were quickly excised. There's not really a way to add them back into the film without some major work being done. In many cases, that would include having to ADR dialogue, due to the live audio being unusable in some cases; make SFX passable, and score the scenes using whatever they have lying around. It isn't going to happen. I watched IV for the first time in years the other night so I could listen to the commentary (which I highly recommend). It isn't a lost classic. Adding back in the cut scenes will not suddenly make it a good movie. It is interesting as a lesson in what can go wrong when one more film is wrung out of a franchise in which the original producers had lost interest, the budget had been slashed to nothing, and the only person who seemed to care and give it his all was Christopher Reeve (who remains the definitive Superman, even here). There's a huge difference between a very limited release of an unusual version of a recognized classic and near-universally beloved film and shelling out time and money on a film that was, at best, ignored by the public and, at worst, hated by fans. If someone wants to take the deleted scenes that have been released and find a way to fit them into a fan edit and make them work, then more power to them. I don't think it's possible, but I'd definitely be interested to see the final product. WB, however, aren't going to do it. Ever.

P.S. Lenny Luthor is the Jar-Jar of the Superman series.

 

[Lord Dalek]

The 134 minute cut Superman IV doesn't exist in a restorable state. All they have are workprint trims that are in too poor a condition to be reinserted into any version of the film. Allegedly Canon destroyed the raw negatives too so there's no way to reconstruct it anyway.

Warner got lucky with the Salkind International version of Superman I as a full scope interpositive of that version existed, They will probably not get lucky with II and III, and sure as hell won't with IV.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

That's too bad. Even more than the extra scenes, I would love for Warner Bros. to take the flying footage and background plates and re-composite them using modern technology.

The front projection work for the first three films was painstaking but looks great. But the chroma key work in Superman IV just flat out sucks. Probably a combination of the limitations of chroma key in the analog era, and a rushed and underfunded post-production.

If DC's animated wing wanted to take on an interesting project, they should make an animated retelling of Superman IV with the original vision. Where the United Nations looks like the United Nations and not a random British office park.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I was so happy to finally see those deleted scenes when they appeared on the DVD. After hearing about them for ages, it was a miracle to finally watch them. And I loved every moment of it. But it also was very clear to me that they were deleted for good reason.

Heck, pretty sure that one of the deleted scenes had Superman and the little kid Jeremy actually flying into outer space together - Superman took a human being without any protection or breathing apparatus into the vacuum of outer space, and then they had a lovely chat there together. Now, I'll accept that Superman is an alien and can visit outer space and be fine. But he can't carry Jeremy into space and have Jeremy live.

That's the kind of detail that would never happen in a Richard Donner (or heck, even a Richard Lester) Superman movie.

 

[Lord Dalek]

And yet they left in Nuclear Man II taking Lacey into space. =/

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Somehow that seems more plausible.