>>SATURDAY 31st JULY

WE'RE BACK

We're back; got some minor issues to sort out so the site is not all back on-line, but it should be all sorted by early next week. The gallery section will return in a better format, which has yet to be determined. Lots to look forward to; maybe some surprises later this year…we shall see. I'm already researching on the next Donner Superman 2 article.

SUPERMAN 2 THE ANIMATED MOVIE

Superman 2 The animated movie was promised for earlier this year; unfortunately, we couldn't get it out to you for that period, and there's a very good reason for it: it's a much more detailed and bigger picture, Seang has outdone himself; I've seen some of the chapters, but even those will have been tweaked by now. It's not finished, but he's not far off now. It will be worth the wait. Another trailer will be available very soon.

>>SUNDAY 18th JULY

DAMPEN OPTIMISM: SUPERMAN 2 EXTENDED CUT

I want to dampen everyone optimism that we'll see an extended cut of Superman 2 on dvd soon; WB have not started work on the project, or looking likely to anytime soon. WB have not explicitly said YES, we will be doing this. I do believe it's a question of 'when', I just don't think it's worth getting too excited at this stage. Some quarters think this is a Donner re-cut, it will never be, and I don't think Donner can realistically edit a film which was creditted to Lester unless he gave his blessing. I still think every unused Donner scene should be featured in a supplementary section, maybe with the exception of the Brando scenes

SARAH DOUGLAS ON CONAN THE DESTROYER

Thanks to Jacob's efforts, he managed to get Sarah Douglas in touch with a U.K. that owns the rights to Conan The Destroyer; Sarah recorded her first commentary track for the dvd. She talks about Conan, working with the other actors, her career and also about Superman. It's a region 2 dvd that is coming out in September.

AN E-MAIL WHICH SUMS UP BRANDO AS JOR-EL

This e-mail sums what I want to convey about Brando and his legacy for now:

I just found out from cnn.com that Marlon Brando passed away this morning. Here are my thoughts:

Marlon Brando's first movie was Superman. At least for me it is. Of course, I know that On the
Waterfront, Guys and Dolls, The Godfather, and Last Tango came first, but it was Marlon`s most human take on Jor-El that first impressed me when I saw his name streak triumphantly on a movie screen in January 1979 and May 2001.

In Superman, I believe that Marlon played the Ideal Father Figure that Men of any age Desire or
Themselves Aspire to be: Wise, Firm, Convicted, but above all, Loving. As Jor-El, Marlon never talked
down to us, and was certainly not imposing nor over the top about it. And that's what I will always
remember about any of Marlon's performances, his honesty towards the moment, touching audiences when they least expect to be touched. If you want a good example of this honesty, check out Vito's final talk with Michael in Godfather, and of course, his talk with Kal-El in the Fortress after "The First Night".

Marlon Brando is at peace now, and his contributions to film and modern popular culture shall
never be shelved. But in my mind, he will always be Jor-El. And Superman will always be his first movie!

We lost a good actor today. And I know he's probably out there checking out the 28 Known Galaxies even as we speak.

Best Always, Armando Davila-Toro

BANDWIDTH TROUBLES

Over the last few weeks this website has become increasingly popular again, unfortunately my allocated bandwidth is not enough, so expect this website to shut down within 7-10 days for a few days. I'm looking at alternative hosting, feel free to send suggestions.

>>THURSDAY 8th JULY

MARLON BRANDO

Like many of us, Superman introduced us to Marlon Brando - his work on the first film divides the film critics; to me he's very good and played the part well. He may not have given much thought to the film; the role of Jor-El was never a taxing one, it never calls for extraordinary acting, but even when he's pedestrian he's so compelling to watch.

His work on Superman 2; the symbolic Biblical scenes with Marlon leaves my mouth-watering. These scenes, which were filmed in late March to early April 1977 are the holy grail of Superman movie fans, it's such a shame that has to be the death of Marlon which will probably clear the track of legal hurdles to restore the scenes for an eventual dvd release.

There's not much else I can say really :( He lived a rollercoster life and as one reader mentioned, he did it his own way!

More Brando and Reeve stills at capedwonder.com

SUPERMAN 2 EXTENDED CUT

Warner Bros. want to do a new Superman 2 DVD; hopefully to include all the unseen Donner footage and possibly an extended cut of the film. The letter campaign on 19th June was successful, the idea was to bombard WB with letters and emails, the studio did respond.

Here's a letter followed by the response:

Mr. Jim Cardwell
President
Warner Home Video
4000 Warner Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91522
818-954-6000

Hemant Kaul

Dear Mr. Cardwell,

Next year, 2005, marks the 25th anniversary of the release of Superman
II. As you know, Superman I and II were monumental achievements in the
history of Warner Brothers, and paved the way for other comic book-
based successes, such as the Batman films and Smallville.

As a life-long Superman fan, I can think of no better way to honor this
film than to allow Richard Donner to finally re-edit it to his original
vision and offer it as a special 25th Anniversary DVD release. This
would include the following (as well as several other changes):

* Donner's original opening, where the nuclear warhead Superman hurls
into space in Superman I frees the Kryptonian criminals from the
Phantom Zone.
* The beginning sequences at the Daily Planet where Lois jumps out of
the window to prove that Clark is actually Superman.
* The scenes with Marlon Brando where he helps Clark regain his powers.

I had fervently hoped that this would have been done with the Superman
Collection DVD release in 2001. The extras on the Superman I DVD talked
about Donner's Superman II, but failed to offer a new edit or any of
Donner's deleted footage. It was a story only half complete, and the
25th anniversary is an excellent time to tell the rest.

Mr. Donner has expressed in several interviews his desire to complete
this project. Please give him this opportunity. I guarantee that it
will be worth the investment. I will be one of the first in line to
purchase it.

Thank you and best regards,

Warner Home Video is supportive of an extended version of Superman II on DVD. However, there are complex legal and creative issues that need to be resolved before the film can be re-released. Warner Home Video is presently addressing these issues.

Jim

WB have been aware of the demand for a while now. It was the most requested DVD title at the Home Theater Forum which studios frequent. I can tell you that Ilya Salkind was keen on the idea before the original dvds were released; I expect this hasn't changed; hopefully all parties can resolve the issues quickley!

Even better news is that the project will have Donner onboard if and when WB ask him. James Christie, the author of a book forthcoming on Donner and his films relayed this information to me:

Thought you and the visitors to your website may be interested to know that I had the chance to talk to Donner today about Superman II. There will be more info in my forthcoming book but I would like you all to know the following:

1. Donner never received any calls from Pierre Spengler after Superman The Movie was released.
2. He never received any phone calls from Dick Lester either.
3. A restored DVD version of SII with Donner scenes included will go ahead as long as he is asked to do it. He told me he would love for it to happen, but he must be asked to do it by Warners. They are the stumbling block, not him.
4. He was very upset at the handling of Superman's 're-release' in 2001. He says it was deliberately sabotaged by Warners and those behind the new Superman project, hence why he decided not to go to San Antonio.




VERISIMILITUDE - THE CINEMA OF RICHARD DONNER AND HOTDOG MAGAZINE

Watch out for a biography on Richard Donner coming out in late 2005/early 2006; James Christie, the author tells us more:

It's not an official biography; it is a complete profile of Donner's long career, and an attempt to accurately document his work and to protect his film legacy. To this end Donner has co-operated by doing several interviews with me, and by assisting in contacting many of his friends and colleagues with whom he has worked. So to this end, although it is not strictly 'unauthorised', I would feel more comfortable at this point by not describing it as an officially endorsed project.

Remember those questions I asked you to send? It was for this book. A lot of newly documented anecdotes will also be revealed; I can't wait.
If you want a teaser, Hotdog, a U.K. film magazine has an eight page feature on Superman written by the author of the book, it should be available now! I haven't read it myself yet, but one reader has described it as 'Excellent'.

ONE NEW ANECDOTE FROM SUPERMAN 3

There's an original script to Superman 3 which features Supergirl! Yes, that's right! Supergirl was suppose to be in Superman 3, but it all changed 'cos Warner Bros. wanted a comedy, and it's they who chose Richard Pryor! Ilya Salkind wasn't too happy with the decision. So, this Superman 3 script...Yeah, I don't have it but it's out there somewhere! I can't tell you who told me this, but rest assured, it comes from the best source ever! I hope to get more details. Been told it's spectacular!