You might have missed it, but Superman II is being re-released, re-cut using footage shot by original director Richard Donner before he got the boot from the project. While there’s a lot more to the story than that, you can read up on that on your own time. The story behind the movie is actually quite interesting, but for the purposes of brevity – and of not re-treading old ground – there’s the front box art image on the left. And while the front image is readily available in a number of places, ComicsContinuum.com has large image of the back of the box, available HERE.

You can see the listed features on the right side:

• Introduction by Director Richard Donner
• Commentary by Director Richard Donner and Creative Consultant Tom Mankiewicz
• New Featurette Superman II: Restoring the Vision
• Deleted scenes

As you can see in the small print on the bottom, Richard Donner is listed as director, and the running time will be 116 minutes, rather than the 128 minutes of the original. Since I’m not overly familiar with the original release, I don’t know what that means for us, but if nothing else, when this DVD hits, I’ve got myself an excuse to watch Superman II, which is always nice.

DVDActive has posted the boxart for the two editions of the Superman Returns DVD release. There will be a two disc special edition, as well as a single disc edition. From their site:

Warner Home Video has officially announced Superman Returns which stars Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, and Kevin Spacey. The film will be available to own in single ($28.98) and double-disc ($34.99) editions from the 28th November. Each will carry a 2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, along with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 track. As far as we know, the single-disc will be featureless, whereas the two-disc edition will include deleted scenes, along with Requiem for Krypton: Making Superman Returns – a comprehensive 3-hour documentary that takes you behind the scenes onto the set of Superman Returns.

 

At the behest of Warner Bros., original Superman II director Richard Donner has been putting together a Director’s Cut of the movie, expected to be out later this year. Here are a few of the restored clips.

For those not familiar with the story of the film’s creation: Donner, along with story writer Mario Puzo, was responsible for creating the 1978 Superman movie with Christopher Reeve. He envisioned the story as a two-parter, and did most of the principal shooting for Superman II at the same time.

Before he could wrap up the project, he was ousted thanks to the producers, Ilya and Alexander Salkind. The new director, Richard Lester, had the job of piecing together a movie from existing footage and filming (or, in some cases, re-filming) the rest of the scenes.

Gene Hackman refused to come back after Donner was unceremoniously canned, so for every scene that Lester shot which required Luthor, they had to use a stand-in who you would only see from the back. Any unrecorded dialogue required a soundalike looped into the film.

We’ll finally get to see Superman II (mostly) as Donner intended it — he still has to use some of Lester’s scenes with Bizarro-Luthor (et al) because no other footage exists, but he’ll certainly be able to get the film most of the way there. I look forward to it.

~Sean

Mattel is obviously aware by now that the toy line to Superman Returns is little more than a couple thousand variations of Superman himself and 1 Luthor figure. I don’t blame them for not rushing to make plastic representations of Parker Posey and Kal Penn, but some variation is needed to keep the line from becoming worth of an ET/Atari2600-style landfill burial.

Thankfully, new toys are on the way!

Allegedly based off EA’s video game of Superman Returns, new figures include Mongul, Metallo, a NEW Luthor, and an even SHINIER Superman! Wow!

Ok fans, get comfortable because there are a LOT of updates in this one. Instead of the usual breaking up the updates by company, this time around I’m going to break it up by properties (ie. Transformers, Marvel Superheroes, Star Trek, etc)

To view all the updates, continue on after the jump. Please note that I will be updating this constantly for a while until I feel I got everything I needed to.

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The crack editorial team here assembled in the Powet Watchtower this week to dish out the Final Word on Superman Returns.
After the jump, you can read four reviews, and four differing views on the same movie.
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Ben Affleck will portray fallen icon George Reeves in “Hollywoodland” scheduled for release in September. Reeves died an apparent suicide while he was in the top rated Superman television series in 1959. Oscar winner Adrien Brody also stars as a detective investigating the still suspicious death.
Click here for the trailer.
In other news: Dean Cain still walks amoung us.

If you need a brush up on Superman before he Returns, enjoy Superman the Movie in 30 Seconds. With Bunnies. Voices are even provided by Returns writer Michael Dougherty and director Bryan Singer.
Angery Alien productions has many, many more shorts like this on their website.