The story of Superman's creation by two young men is well documented, as is the history of the character in comic books and graphic novels over the last seventy years. The character as contained in the static pages of comic books is only part of the story. The Last Son of Krypton has conquered virtually every other media form on the planet as well.
The Richard Donner Era
In 1978, an unknown actor named Christopher Reeve made audiences believe that a man could fly. Richard Donner directed what effectively was the first great superhero film of the modern era. Superman - The Movie was a cinematic and critical triumph. Donner also directed Superman II, but disputes over money pushed him out of the director's chair before the film was finished. Superman II was also wildly successful, despite the directorial change. Recently, Superman II - The Richard Donner cut has been released to DVD, showing audiences the film that might have been.
The Destruction of a Hero
Superman III, a movie that inexplicably paired The Man of Steel with Richard Pryor, is widely regarded as the worst superhero movie ever made. Terrible dialog, clunky direction and a ridiculous plot combined to make Superman a punchline. Remarkably, it could have been worse. An early treatment of the film from producer Ilya Salkind would have put Superman in a romantic relationship with Supergirl, his cousin (at least in the comic books) and had him fighting on horseback like a knight in shining armour. Many of Salkind's ideas from this treatment found their way into 1984's Supergirl.
Superman IV - The Quest for Peace was a last ditch attempt to save the franchise, but it was simply not to be. No further films in the series were made.
Television of Steel
One year after the disappointing release of Superman IV, a version of the Last Son of Krypton came to television. Superboy was produced in a style reminiscent of the Christopher Reeve films and ran for four seasons until 1992.
The Man of Steel wasn't out of work for long. In 1993, Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher brought new life and a new sense of fun to the character in Lois and Clark - The New Adventures of Superman. The show ran for four successful seasons, with Clark and Lois tying the knot in season three.
In 2001, a new vision of Superman once again reinvented the character. Smallville focussed on Clark Kent and his time in Smallville before becoming Superman. The show's motto was "No Flights, No Tights" and it has more or less stuck to that promise. Now in it's eighth season, Clark has started work at the Daily Planet and seems poised to move to Metropolis, thus rendering the show's name moot.
Returning to Theaters
Brian Singer directed 2006's Superman Returns which was intended as a loose sequel to the first two films starring Christopher Reeve. Brandon Routh donned the cape and tights and brought the hero back to the silver screen. While financially successful, Superman Returns was not widely successful with fans of the character and in 2008, Warner Brothers announced that among its next four DC Comics related projects would be a reboot of the Superman franchise.
James Richardson - James Richardson is a freelance writer of fiction and non-fiction. He is the resident critic and recap writer of the television show LOST ...
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