Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut

Lore & Background

In 1977, Richard Donner began filming a two-part Superman adaptation, completing about 75% of Superman II before production was halted to finish the first film. After Superman's release in 1978, tensions with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind and producer Pierre Spengler led to Donner's removal in 1979. He was replaced by Richard Lester, who re-wrote and re-shot substantial portions to receive full director's credit. The theatrical version was a critical and financial success, but interest in Donner's cut grew among online fans who petitioned Warner Bros. for its release.

Reader's Guide

The Richard Donner Cut was made possible after Marlon Brando's death in 2004, when his estate allowed Warner Bros. to use archival footage in the 2006 film Superman Returns, granting permission to restore Donner's version. Since Donner never completed the film in its original form, key scenes filmed by Lester, newly created visual effects, and an early screen test of a pivotal scene with Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder were added. The cut includes an alternate opening and ending envisioned before the first film's release. Released on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD on November 28, 2006, it received positive reviews and is dedicated to Reeve's memory.

Did You Know?

• It includes an alternate opening and ending that were envisioned before the theatrical release of Superman.
• The film is dedicated to Christopher Reeve, who died in 2004.
• Donner stated that, had he finished the film in 1980, he would have shot a different ending.

The Production Conflict

In 1977, Richard Donner began simultaneously filming what was intended to be a two-part Superman adaptation. Principal photography kicked off at Pinewood Studios in late March for the Krypton sequences, but by May the schedule was already slipping. The shoot stretched into a grueling nineteen-month period, and tensions mounted between Donner and producers Alexander Salkind and Pierre Spengler. By the time 1979 arrived, a substantial portion—reportedly as much as eighty percent—of the sequel had already been captured on film. Salkind, who held the film rights to the character, made the decisive move to pull Donner from the project entirely, installing Richard Lester as the new director. Lester not only finished the remaining sequences but also rewrote and re-shot a significant chunk of Donner's existing material, a step taken to secure full director's credit for himself. The theatrical version that emerged in 1980 was both a critical and box-office triumph, yet it carried Lester's authorial stamp rather than Donner's original vision.

The Road to Restoration

For over two decades, Donner's original cut of the sequel existed only as a rumor among fans. The turning point came when an online community of devoted viewers began organizing petitions urging Warner Bros. Pictures to finally release the director's intended version. A crucial legal and creative barrier, however, was the presence of Marlon Brando's performance. After Brando passed away in 2004, his family estate granted Warner Bros. the right to use archival footage of the late actor in the 2006 film Superman Returns. That same permission effectively opened the door for the studio to restore and complete Donner's version of the sequel. The finished cut was dedicated to the memory of Christopher Reeve, who also died in 2004, honoring the actor whose portrayal of Superman had anchored both the original film and the unfinished second installment.

Plot and Story Arc

The narrative follows the Kryptonian villains General Zod, Ursa, and Non, who were banished to the Phantom Zone by Jor-El for crimes including insurrection and murder. Three decades later, Superman's diversion of a missile into space accidentally frees them. On Earth, Lois Lane grows increasingly suspicious that her colleague Clark Kent is the Man of Steel, testing him with a window jump and later tricking him into a confession with a blank-loaded gun. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor escapes prison with Eve Teschmacher's help and infiltrates the Fortress of Solitude, learning of Zod's impending arrival. The Kryptonians conquer a small Idaho town, then march on Washington, D.C. to seize the White House. Superman, unaware of the threat, strips his own powers using red Kryptonian sunlight. When he learns of the invasion, he returns to the Fortress, where Jor-El's AI sacrifices itself to restore his abilities, fulfilling a prophecy of the father becoming the son. The film culminates in a battle over Metropolis, a feigned defeat at the Fortress, and a time-reversal ending that restores the status quo.

Technical Completion and Release

Because Donner never saw the film through to completion in his original form, assembling a finished cut required piecing together material from multiple sources. Key scenes that Lester had filmed, newly created visual effects shots, and an early screen test of a pivotal moment between Reeve and Margot Kidder were all incorporated to fill narrative gaps. The cut also includes an alternate opening and ending that had been developed before the theatrical release of the first Superman film, in which the sequel's original conclusion was reworked as the finale to the first installment. Donner himself noted that had he been allowed to finish the project in 1980, he would have shot an entirely different ending. The completed film was edited by Michael Thau under Donner's direct supervision. Warner Bros. Pictures released Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut on DVD, Blu-ray, and HD DVD on November 28, 2006, and it was met with positive reviews from critics.