DieselsDen

I can't believe the WB will spend tens of millions on a new SUPERMAN movie which hasn't even got off the ground yet (literally and figuratively speaking) but they won't pony up the dough to clear the legal problems regarding a special edition release of SUPERMAN II (as discussed in the recent HT Chat). What boneheads.

TylerDurden_73

Agreed. Superman ii is worthy of a special edition. C'mon WB!!

bboisvert

WB seems to have completely washed their hands of these films after putting out that box a couple of years ago.

Every chat, someone will bring up (a) a Superman II SE and (b) a version of the original that restores the original audio.

And, every chat, the response is a terse "no, we're not considering that".

chanster

There will never be Superman 2:SE - at least the way ya'll want it (with Brando and the rest of the Donner scenes)

The whole Brando thing was a complete mess from the get-go back in the day. There were numerous lawsuits and there is absoultely no way they can put those scenes back without paying Brando about a billion dollars.

The Donner scenes - I don't think Richard Donner wants to deal with those folks ever again. He has said that many times, and the way he was fired pissed him off big time. Too much bad blood about that movie (although he appeared in the documentary about Superman)

DieselsDen

Incidentally, for those who want more details about the Salkind/Donner/Lester/Brando feud, check out the SUPERMAN CINEMA website.

I've been following the making of the SUPERMAN movies since I was a kid, and I can't believe that almost thirty years later, there are still all these legal problems and bad blood!

All the fans want is to see the missing footage (as shown on TV and as directed by Donner) in one form or another. To quote Jon Lovitz: "is that so wrong?"

QuiGonJosh

least I have a nice WS transfer and a decent stereo mix...

DavidH

The Donner Cut coming to DVD is merely a fanboy dream. It will never happen -- even though I would like to see it.

Cocopugg

What legal problems?

chanster

Way too much to get into:
http://www.supermancinema.net/superm...l_s2/index.htm

Basically, all money issues related to Brando and then the firing of Donner during the shooting of Supes1/Supes2

Shannon Nutt

Well, I think there's certain people that Donner doesn't want to deal with again...but he certainly seems to have no problem working with Warner Bros. Most of his movies are released by that studio, and he contributed to the special edition of Superman on DVD with a commentary track.

bboisvert

I think it is definitely a fanboy pipedream to get a recut Donner version. There are way too many egos and legal hurdles to overcome.

But I don't see any reason why we can't get the extra scenes as a disc #2 supplement, along with a commentary track/documentary about this film's extremely interesting evolution.

chanster

I don't think he has any ill will toward Warner Bros. But its the same situation Lynch found himself in with Alien3 - he got burned on it and wanted nothing to do it with it afterwords.

Donner has no problem with Superman 1, but if you watch the documentary, he is still pretty upset about Superman 2 and his firing.

bboisvert

I think you mean Fincher.

Or Dune.

chanster

Yep, either one, applies.

Astro44

yea, it's a shame the producers had to go cheap on Brando and Donner for the sequel. Superman II could of been what Empire Strikes Back is to Star Wars.

Cocopugg

I personally like Superman 2 alot more than Superman 1. I'm sure Donner probably directed the best parts. Anyway, even if we never get a restored version of the movie as it was intended, Warner Brothers should at least give us a restored digitized print that looks as clean as their Superman 1 DVD looks, don't you think?

rennervision

Bump.

There's a website called theforbidden-zone.com that is planning a letter writing campaign on June 19th, 2004 to get a Superman II SE released on DVD as a 25th anniversary edition next year. (The date of June 19th was planned to coincide with the date Superman II was originally released in the U.S.)

I've never participated in a letter writing campaign before, but this one seems like a fairly easy one to try. The link below supplies sample letters to send to three WB executives. All you have to do is substitute your name and address in the text, print them, then remember to mail them on the appropriate day.

I say it's worth a try because if no one says anything, a SE is sure to never happen. Even if this campaign accomplishes nothing, we're still no better off than before, so what do you have to lose?

http://www.theforbidden-zone.com/supermanii/index.shtml

DavidH

Yes, I would love to see Superman II restored and especially given a good 5.1 track. The current 2.0 is so anemic.

It's so disappointing watching this after watching the first movie because of the A/V difference.

Geofferson

Awesome - I'd do almost anything to get an SE release of this one!

Mr. Cinema

I want to see the kid riding the horse get killed by the police siren in dvd format!!!

wm lopez

What if Marlon Brando dies?
Would that take care of one of the legal problems?

Tafellappen

They would still have to deal with his estate.

DrOBoogie1

The 25th anniversary of Superman II will not be until June 19, 2006. The movie was released June 19, 1981 -- one week after Raiders of the Lost Ark.

slob180

Is there something wrong with the superman cinema website listed above? I clicked on the link and it said I don't have permission to access the files on the server. (or something like that) Is the problem my computer/firewall/something else here @ work, or is everyone getting denied??

I am really interested in reading this whole story, hopefully someone has an answer.

Thanks

Chris

philo

Yeah, same problem here. Looks like the site is down.