Audio Video News

Hot on the heels of the currently in theaters Superman Returns, Warner Brothers announced a slew of new DVD releases of the original films. There has been no formal announcement of any of these titles appearing on HD DVD or Blu-ray (Warner supports both formats), but we can hope.

All of the Superman titles will be in stores on November 28th. The most exciting of the bunch is Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut ($24.98). According to Warner: "Donner had already shot most of the Superman II footage during Superman: The Movie. But as production on the sequel continued, creative differences between the director and the film’s producers became irreconcilable and Donner left the project. Although Richard Lester was hired to finish production, he chose to make major changes to the film, leaving only vestiges of Donner’s original vision and concepts in the version of Superman II that was ultimately released to theaters...Richard Donner has become the first director in history to be able to complete a film he left during production with nearly all his footage 'in the can.' Adding back a substantial amount of that unused footage, the director has seen his original vision restored and brought to fruition."

I'm looking forward to this new cut. I always thought that Superman II as it appeared in theaters was fun, but too "cartoony." (OK. it is based on, a comic book, I'll give you that!) Donner's original was built on a more solid, emotional, and mythically rich foundation. It also provided a model for the best superhero films to come.

Also due on the same date is a Four Disc Special Edition of Superman: The Movie at $39.92 (I wonder whose job it is to decide if a price should be $39.92 or $39.99?!). It will include both the 1978 theatrical version and the 2001 extended edition with commentary from director Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz, plus archival footage of additional scenes and screen tests. Many of the latter may be the same as those that appeared in a recent Superman documentary on the The History Channel. One actress who auditioned certainly would have made a feisty Lois: Stockard Channing. She may well have gotten it if the box office results for Grease had been in before the casting was finalized.

On the same day we'll also get Richard Lester’s version of Superman II in a new Two Disc Special Edition. Oddly it's more expensive than the Donner version at $26.99! There will also be new deluxe editions of the far less compelling Superman III and IV and, finally The Christopher Reeve Superman Collection at $79.92. The latter is an 8-disc (!) boxed set including all the above except for the Richard Donner Cut of II. If that isn't enough, the DVD (and possibly HD DVD and/or Blu-ray) releases of the new Superman Returns can't be far behind.

Warner is planning on a Super fall!