Superman Film Series

DC Comics's ''Superman'' franchise, based on the character of the same name created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in June 1938, has seen the release of various films since its inception.

The character debuted in cinemas in a series of animated shorts beginning in 1941 and was the protagonist of two movie serials in 1948 and 1950. An independent studio, Lippert Pictures, released the first Superman feature film, '' Superman and the Mole Men'', starring George Reeves, in 1951. In 1973, the film rights to the Superman character were purchased by Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler. After multiple scripts and several years in development, Richard Donner was hired as director, and he shot two films, ''Superman'' (1978) (marketed as ''Superman: The Movie''), and ''Superman II'' (1980), at the same time, both starring Christopher Reeve. Donner had filmed 75 percent of ''Superman II'' before it was decided to suspend shooting on the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after ''Superman''s release and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish ''Superman II''. Lester returned to direct '' Superman III'' (1983). The Salkinds also produced the spin-off ''Supergirl'' (1984). They then sold the rights to Cannon Films, which produced the poorly reviewed '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth ''Superman'' script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights in 1993.

Over the course of 11 years, Warner Bros. developed and cancelled three projects: Tim Burton's ''Superman Lives'', which would have starred Nicolas Cage; Wolfgang Petersen's ''Batman vs. Superman''; and the J. J. Abrams-scripted ''Superman: Flyby'' which went between directors Joseph "McG" Nichols and Brett Ratner. In 2004, the studio hired Bryan Singer and released ''Superman Returns'' in 2006, starring Brandon Routh. Donner's director's cut for ''Superman II'' was also released that year. Despite positive reviews, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the financial performance of ''Superman Returns'', and canceled a sequel, which would have been released in 2009. The studio nearly started production of a Justice League film with George Miller directing and D. J. Cotrona as Superman for a 2009 release, but it was shelved in 2008.

The film series was rebooted in 2013 with '' Man of Steel'', directed by Zack Snyder with Henry Cavill starring as Superman. ''Man of Steel'' launched what became known as the DC Extended Universe, a cinematic franchise intended to rival the highly successful Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cavill next appeared as Superman in the DCEU films '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016) and ''Justice League'' (2017) (both again directed by Snyder), and in the director's cut of ''Justice League'', ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' (2021); he then made a cameo appearance in the mid-credits scene of '' Black Adam'' (2022). ''The Flash'' (2023) featured Superman cameos portrayed by Henry Cavill, Nicolas Cage, George Reeves, and Christopher Reeve. Sasha Calle, along with Helen Slater, appeared as Supergirl in the film.

A new film starring the character, titled simply ''Superman'', is scheduled for release in July 2025. Written and directed by James Gunn, and co-produced by Gunn and Peter Safran, it is intended to be the first live-action film of the DC Universe (DCU) media franchise and shared universe. David Corenswet has been cast as Superman for the film.

List of films

Direct-to-video, cameos, and others

* 1954: '' Stamp Day for Superman'' — a short film produced for the U.S. Treasury to promote "Stamp Day", featuring George Reeves as Superman and Noel Neill as Lois Lane.
* 1992: '' Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation'' – direct-to-video, featuring Jonathan Winters as Superman.
* 2006: '' Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut'' — the director's cut of ''Superman II'', featuring around 80% new footage originally shot by director Richard Donner, including material featuring Marlon Brando.
* 2006: '' Superman: Brainiac Attacks'' — direct-to-video film utilizing character designs from '' Superman: The Animated Series''; starring Tim Daly and Dana Delany.
* 2017: ''DC Super Heroes vs. Eagle Talon'' — animated film in which Superman is voiced by Kenichi Suzumura.
* 2018: ''Teen Titans Go! To the Movies'' — animated film in which Superman is voiced by Nicolas Cage.
* 2019: '' Shazam!'' — part of the DC Extended Universe in which Superman cameos, portrayed using Ryan Hadley as a stand-in for Henry Cavill. Superman was also seen controlling a crowd of fans who wanted to have their pictures taken with Aquaman and arm-wrestling with Shazam in the film's animated end credits sequence.
* 2022: '' DC League of Super-Pets'' — animated film in which Superman is voiced by John Krasinski.
* 2022: '' Batman and Superman: Battle of the Super Sons'' – direct-to-video film in which Superman is voiced by Travis Willingham.
* 2022: '' Black Adam'' — part of the DC Extended Universe in which Superman cameos, played by Henry Cavill.
* 2023: ''The Flash'' — Superman cameos are portrayed by Henry Cavill, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Reeve and George Reeves. Sasha Calle stars as Supergirl along with a cameo by Helen Slater.

Lego DC Comics films

* 2013: '' Lego Batman: The Movie - DC Super Heroes Unite'' — Superman is voiced by Travis Willingham.
* 2014: ''The Lego Movie'' — Superman appears brieftly, voiced by Channing Tatum.
* 2014: ''Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Batman Be-Leaguered'' — TV special featuring Nolan North as Superman.
* 2015: '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League vs. Bizarro League'' — direct-to-video with Superman voiced by Nolan North.
* 2015: '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack of the Legion of Doom'' — direct-to-video with Nolan North reprising his role as Superman.
* 2016: '' Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash'' – direct-to-video with Nolan North reprising his role.
* 2017: ''The Lego Batman Movie'' — animated film featuring Superman with Channing Tatum reprising his role.
* 2019: '' The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part'' — animated film featuring Superman with Channing Tatum reprising his role.

Unofficial adaptations and parodies

* 1960: '' Return of Mr. Superman'' — Indian Hindi-language retelling of Superman, with the title role played by Paidi Jairaj.
* 1979: ''The Return of Superman'' ( Turkish: ''Süpermen Dönüyor''; also known as "Turkish Superman") — a Turkish adaptation directed by Kunt Tulgar and starring Tayfun Demir as Superman.
* 1980: ''Superman'' — Indian Telugu-language film starring N. T. Rama Rao as Superman.
* 1987: ''Superman'' — Indian Hindi-language film with Puneet Issar as Superman.
* 2012: ''The Death and Return of Superman'' — short film released on YouTube by writer Max Landis.

Animated Original Movies universe

The DC Universe Animated Original Movies is a direct-to-video animated film series that often features Superman in a leading or supporting role.

Pre-Donner films (1941–1951)

''Superman'' (1941–1943)

Superman first appeared in cinemas in a 17-part series of theatrical animated shorts, between 1941 and 1943. They were released by Paramount Pictures. Of those 17 shorts, 9 were produced by Fleischer Studios, and the further 8 by its successor, Famous Studios. Superman was voiced by Bud Collyer (who also played Superman on ''The Adventures of Superman'' radio series) for the Fleischer-produced shorts and Lee Royce for the Famous-produced shorts.

Kirk Alyn serials

''Superman'' (1948)

The first appearance of Superman in live-action film was in ''Superman'' (1948), a 15-part film serial from Columbia Pictures, starring Kirk Alyn as the titular character ( uncredited), Noel Neill as Lois Lane, and Tommy Bond as Jimmy Olsen.;

''Atom Man vs. Superman'' (1950)

The 1948 ''Superman'' was followed up by '' Atom Man vs. Superman'', another 15-part serial from Columbia Pictures, the first installment of which was released in 1950. The serial featured the same main cast including Kirk Alyn as Superman, with the addition of Lyle Talbot as Lex Luthor, also known as the "Atom Man".

''Superman and the Mole Men'' (1951)

Shot on a low budget, Lee Sholem's ''Superman and the Mole Men'' (1951) served as a trial run for the syndicated TV series '' Adventures of Superman'' (airing 1952–58), for which the 1951 film became a two-part pilot episode titled "The Unknown People".

Both the film and the subsequent TV series starred George Reeves as Superman. Lois Lane, on the other hand, was played by Phyllis Coates in the film and the first season of the show, but was re-cast in later seasons with Noel Neill (who also played the character in the previous Kirk Alyn films). The film was produced by Barney Sarecky with the original screenplay by Richard Fielding (a pseudonym for Robert Maxwell and Whitney Ellsworth).

In 1954, the short film '' Stamp Day for Superman'' was produced for the U.S. Treasury to promote "Stamp Day", featuring Reeves and Neill.

Salkind/Cannon film series (1978–1987)

In 1973, producer Ilya Salkind convinced his father Alexander to buy the film rights to Superman. They hired Mario Puzo to pen a two-film script and negotiated with Steven Spielberg to direct, though Alexander eventually landed on Richard Donner. ''Superman'' (1978) and ''Superman II'' (1980) were shot simultaneously.

''Superman'' (1978)

Guy Hamilton was hired to direct, with Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman signing on to play Jor-El and Lex Luthor, respectively. With pre-production taking place in Rome, complication arose when it was discovered that Brando could not film in Italy as he faced an obscenity lawsuit over ''Last Tango in Paris'' (1972). As a result, production would subsequently move to England in late 1976, but Hamilton was unable to shoot in England as he had violated his tax payments. To replace Hamilton, the Salkinds hired Richard Donner, who in turn brought on Tom Mankiewicz to polish the script, giving it a serious feel with Christ-like overtones.

There was a lengthy search for a lead, and a number of famous figures turned down the role, including Robert Redford and Burt Reynolds. Eventually, Christopher Reeve was cast, and underwent an exercise regimen to bulk up, gaining before filming. Margot Kidder was cast as Lois Lane.

With a budget of US$55 million, the 1978 ''Superman'' was the most expensive film made up to that point. It was a success both critically and commercially.

''Superman II'' (1980)

Despite the success of 1978's ''Superman'', director Richard Donner did not return to finish its sequel. Evidently, production of both films were marred by Donner's bad relationship with the Salkinds, for which Richard Lester acted as mediator.

With the film going over budget, the filmmakers decided to temporarily cease production of ''Superman II'' altogether, moving its climax into the first film. Eventually, it was completed with Lester, who gave it a more tongue-in-cheek tone relative to the first film. Nonetheless, ''Superman II'' was another financial and critical success, despite stiff competition with ''Raiders of the Lost Ark'' the same year.

In 2006, after many requests for his own version of ''Superman II'', Donner and producer Michael Thau produced their own cut and released it on November 28 that year. The ''Donner Cut'' received positive response from critics as well as from the stars of the original film; according to the studio, the cut made Donner "the first director in history to be able to complete a film he left during production with nearly all his footage in the can".

''Superman III'' (1983)

For the third installment, Ilya Salkind wrote a treatment that expanded the film's scope to a cosmic scale, introducing villains Brainiac and Mister Mxyzptlk, as well as Supergirl. Warner Bros., however, rejected and retooled the script into their own film, trimming Brainiac down into the film's evil "ultimate computer". The final product co-starred comedian Richard Pryor as computer genius Gus Gorman, who is manipulated into making fake Kryptonite that corrupts Superman.

Despite its success, fans were disappointed, in particular with Pryor's performance diluting the serious tone of the previous films, as well as controversy over the depiction of the evil Superman. Salkind's rejected proposal was eventually released online in 2007.

''Supergirl'' (1984)

Along with gaining the film rights to Superman, Alexander and Ilya Salkind also purchased the rights to the character of Superman's cousin, Supergirl.

''Supergirl'' was released in 1984 as a spin-off of the Reeve films; Reeve was slated to have a cameo but he ultimately backed out, though his likeness appears in a photo. It stars Helen Slater in her first motion picture in the title role, with Faye Dunaway (who received top billing) playing the primary villain, Selena, along with Marc McClure reprising his role as Jimmy Olsen.

Although the film received mostly negative reviews from critics and fared poorly at the box office, Slater was nominated for a Saturn Award for her performance.

''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987)

Cannon Films picked up an option for a fourth film, directed by Sidney J. Furie, with Reeve reprising the role due to his interest in the film's topic regarding nuclear weapons. Several others reprised their roles as well, including Kidder (Lois Lane) and Hackman (Lex Luthor). Cannon decided to cut the budget, resulting in poor special effects and heavy re-editing, which contributed to the film's poor reception.

Although the film was a minor financial success, Warner Bros. decided to end the series, following the mixed to negative reception of the last two films.

''Superman Returns'' (2006)

Following several unsuccessful attempts to reboot the franchise, Bryan Singer, who was said to be a childhood fan of the 1978 film, was approached by Warner Brothers to direct a new Superman film. He accepted, abandoning two films already in pre-production, '' X-Men: The Last Stand'' (which would come to be directed by Brett Ratner) and a remake of '' Logan's Run''. To work on the film, Singer brought his entire crew from '' X2''.

For the lead role, Brandon Routh was chosen in part because of his resemblance to Christopher Reeve; in fact, Routh had been signed by his manager several years earlier due to this resemblance. Singer followed Richard Donner's lead in casting a relatively unknown actor as the titular character and more high-profile actors in supporting roles, such as Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. Through digitally-enhanced archive footage, Marlon Brando, who had died in 2004, appears in the film as Jor-El.

As backstory, the film uses the events of the 1978 film and ''Superman II'', while ignoring the events of '' Superman III'' and '' Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' and its spin-off ''Supergirl''. Singer's story tells of Superman's return to Earth following a 5-year search for survivors of Krypton. He discovers that, in his absence, Lois Lane has given birth to a son and become engaged.

''Superman Returns'' received positive reviews and grossed approximately US$391 million worldwide.

DC Extended Universe (2013–2023)

''Man of Steel'' (2013)

In June 2008, Warner Bros. took pitches from comic book writers, screenwriters and directors on how to restart the ''Superman'' film series. During story discussions for ''The Dark Knight Rises'' in 2008, David S. Goyer, aware that Warner Bros. was planning a ''Superman'' reboot, told Christopher Nolan his idea on how to present Superman in a modern context. Impressed with Goyer's concept, Nolan pitched the idea to the studio in February 2010, who hired Nolan to produce and Goyer to write based on the financial and critical success of ''The Dark Knight''. Nolan admired Singer's work on ''Superman Returns'' for its connection to Richard Donner's version, and previously used the 1978 film as casting inspiration for ''Batman Begins''. Zack Snyder was hired as the film's director in October. Principal photography started in August 2011 in West Chicago, Illinois, before moving to Vancouver and Plano, Illinois. The film stars Henry Cavill as Kal-El / Clark Kent / Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Michael Shannon as General Zod, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and Russell Crowe as Jor-El. The film was released in June 2013.

''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016)

David S. Goyer and Zack Snyder respectively wrote and directed ''Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'' (2016), a follow-up to ''Man of Steel'' and the second film in the DC Extended Universe. Christopher Nolan returned as producer, albeit in a lesser role than he had in the first film. Goyer stated at the Superman 75th Anniversary Panel at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con that Batman and Superman would battle, and titles under consideration were ''Superman Vs Batman'' and ''Batman Vs Superman''. Over the next six months, Ben Affleck (as Batman), Gal Gadot (as Wonder Woman), Jesse Eisenberg (as Lex Luthor) and Jeremy Irons (as Alfred Pennyworth) were added to the cast. All have since appeared in other DCEU films as well.

The film was released on March 25, 2016; initially was slated to July 2015, but was delayed in order to give the filmmakers "time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story".

''Justice League'' (2017)

Shortly after filming had finished for ''Man of Steel'', Warner Bros hired Will Beall to script a new ''Justice League'' film in June 2012. With the release of ''Man of Steel'' in June 2013, Goyer was hired to write a new ''Justice League'' script, with the Beall draft being scrapped. Zack Snyder was hired to direct Goyer's ''Justice League'' script. Warner Bros. was reportedly courting Chris Terrio to rewrite ''Justice League'', after having been impressed with his rewrite of ''Batman v Superman''. During post-production of the film, Zack Snyder left the film due to the death of his daughter. Joss Whedon took over the project and wrote and directed reshoots.

''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' (2021)

The divisive reaction toward the theatrical cut of ''Justice League'', with Zack Snyder leaving directorial duties and the theatrical cut of the film in the hands of Joss Whedon, led to an argument comparing the situation to the one experienced by the film ''Superman II''. Both ''Justice League'' and ''Superman II'' had a director who was replaced before the completion of the film (for different reasons), which led to a second director coming in and making substantial changes to the tone of the film. Richard Donner was able to complete his cut of ''Superman II'' in 2005. In the belief that Snyder had shot enough material for a finished film, a campaign for a "Snyder Cut" began online, to allow Snyder to receive a similar treatment to Donner. Arguments were made that Snyder's vision would be more cohesive to the previous films than the actual theatrical cut, which Snyder has not yet seen. Warner Bros. initially remained silent regarding any intention of making a "Snyder Cut".

In March 2019, Snyder confirmed his original cut did exist, and stated that it was up to Warner Bros. to release it. In November, '' Variety'' reported that Warner Bros. was unlikely to release Snyder's version of ''Justice League'' in theaters or on HBO Max, calling it a "pipe dream". In December, however, Snyder posted a photo on his Vero account, which showed boxes with tapes labeled "Z.S. J.L Director's cut", and with the caption "Is it real? Does it exist? Of course it does". In May 2020, Snyder officially announced his cut of ''Justice League'' for HBO Max for 2021 release date. The cut cost $70+ million to complete the special effects, musical score, editing, and additional shooting. Initially the cut was planned to be a four part miniseries, but was instead eventually released as a four-hour film. Snyder said that this version is non-canonical to DC Extended Universe continuity, existing in a slightly alternate universe. Jason Momoa, however, said that James Wan's ''Aquaman'' (2018) takes place after ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' rather than Whedon's version, while ''Wonder Woman'' (2017) director Patty Jenkins said that no DC director considers Whedon's ''Justice League'' canonical, and that she had worked with Snyder to ensure ''Wonder Woman'' maintained continuity with his film.

DCEU cameos (2019–2023)

* Superman made a cameo appearance in the DCEU film '' Shazam!'' (2019), in which he appears briefly at the end. He is played by Ryan Hadley, Zachary Levi's body double, owing to Cavill's unavailability. He appears from the neck down after Billy Batson announces to Freddy Freeman that he invited another person to sit with them at lunch. Upon seeing him, Freddy gasps in shock.
* Superman is referenced in '' The Suicide Squad'' (2021). Amanda Waller states that Bloodsport, a new member of Task Force X, was arrested and imprisoned for shooting Superman with a Kryptonite bullet.
* Superman has made a cameo appearance in the DCEU TV series '' Peacemaker'' (2022), in which he appears briefly in the final episode of the first season. He and the Justice League, with the exception of Batman and Cyborg

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