Superman II

For the 2006 reedited version, see Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.

Superman II
1981 US theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Lester[a]
Screenplay by
Story byMario Puzo
Based on
Produced byPierre Spengler
Starring
CinematographyRobert Paynter
Edited byJohn Victor-Smith
Music byKen Thorne
Production
companies
  • Dovemead Ltd.
  • International Film Production
Distributed by
Release dates
  • December 4, 1980 (1980-12-04) (Australia)[3]
  • April 9, 1981 (1981-04-09) (United Kingdom)[4]
  • June 19, 1981 (1981-06-19) (United States)
Running time
127 minutes
CountriesUnited Kingdom[5]
United States[5]
LanguageEnglish
Budget$54 million[6]
Box office$216.3 million[7]

Superman II is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman.[8][9][10] It is the second installment in the Superman film series and a sequel to Superman (1978). A direct continuation of the first Superman, Christopher Reeve reprises his role as Superman. The returning cast includes Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure and Jack O'Halloran.

The film's plot features the arrival of General Zod & his comrades on Earth, following their release from the Phantom Zone (a prison that had been made by the people of Krypton). Zod seeks revenge for imprisonment by pursuing the planet's last son, Kal-El, alias “Superman.” As a result, Kal-El, who had unknowingly freed them, must now face threats from his long-dead home planet. Zod also allies with Lex Luthor, who still aspires to world domination. The hero also faces an internal conflict, torn between his duties as Earth's hero and his desire to live amongst them solely as Clark Kent, and especially with his love interest, Lois Lane.

In 1977, producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind decided that they would film Superman and its sequel simultaneously; principal photography began in March 1977 and ended in October 1978. Tensions rose between original director Richard Donner and the producers, as a result of which a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, 75 percent of which had already been completed, and simply finish the first film. After the release of Superman in December 1978, Donner was fired as director (a controversial decision) and replaced by Lester. Several members of the cast and crew declined to return to complete the sequel in the wake of Donner's firing. In order to be officially credited as the director, Lester re-shot most of the film: principal photography resumed in September 1979 and ended in March 1980.

The film was released in Australia and most of Europe on December 4, 1980,[3] and in other countries in 1981. It received positive reviews from film critics, who praised the performances of Hackman, Kidder, Stamp and Reeve, as well as the visual effects and the humor. It grossed $216 million worldwide against a production budget of $54 million, which meant it was a box office success, albeit less so than its predecessor. A sequel, Superman III, was released in June 1983, for which Lester returned as director.

A director's cut of the film, restoring the original vision for the film under Donner's supervision, titled Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, was released on November 28, 2006, in various home media formats.

  1. ^ Mankiewicz & Crane 2012, pp. 212–213.
  2. ^ Rossen 2008, p. 126.
  3. ^ a b Langford, David (2005). The Sex Column and Other Misprints. Wildside Press. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-930997-78-3.
  4. ^ "Entertainments (cinema listings)". The Guardian. April 9, 1981.
  5. ^ a b "Superman II". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
  6. ^ "Superman II (1981)". The Numbers. Archived from the original on June 15, 2022. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference BOM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Release – Superman II". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  9. ^ "Superman II (1980)". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 20, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Superman 2 credits was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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