>>THURSDAY 29th SEPTEMBER

IS DONNER TOUCHING THE SUPERMAN 2 DVD?

As you know I reported a few days ago that Richard Donner showed no interest in tackling the Superman 2 DVD. Well, hmmm, things may have changed. I was explicitly told that Dick wasn't touching the film but that's yesterday's news - getting any details is going to be difficult. I'm searching for confirmation and as soon as I know, and it's safe to confirm, I'll update you.

Oh, Stuart Baird is not involved with the cutting.

>>THURSDAY 29th SEPTEMBER

SUPERMAN DVDS - A SENSIBLE WISHLIST

I've drawn up a list of features for next year's Superman DVDs which I think are sensible given the political nature of the productions and the fact that the studio has to work to a budget. I'm taking into account the fact that Superman 3 and 4 are universally disliked as Superman films but a little effort could elevate them into a decent package for the fans and the general movie buying public. I haven't included commentary tracks for 3 and 4 for obvious reasons but Sidney J. Furie on IV would be nice but I don't think he'd want to spend time talking about it.

It's extremely important to introduce the long cuts of 3 and 4 on DVD, especially 4 because of the vital 50 minutes that was cut prior to the theatrical release. There's no doubt in my mind that the film would be greatly improved and actually make sense. The original negatives for Superman IV are stored at Deluxe Film Labs, Denham, England.

If Brando makes it on to the Superman 2 DVD, Warner have an excellent opportunity to market the entire set of films beyond the fans. The Brando material is the deal breaker; we are talking about an iconic figure of the 20th century here.

Anyway, here's the list:

Superman The Movie
- Theatrical cut of the film
- option to listen to the original soundtrack
- Update documentary to include Chris Reeve's legacy.

Superman II
Disc 1
- Remastered original theatrical cut.
- Dolby Digital 5.1
- Richard Lester deleted scenes.
- Commentary track by Sarah Douglas, Terence Stamp and Jack O'Halloran.
- Trailers.

Disc 2
- Richard Donner's film with storyboards filling in the missing scenes.
OR
Deleted Scenes as a supplement.
- New music or use existing cues from the original film.
- Commentary track by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz.
- New Documentary or the Original making of documentary. Maybe a round-table discussion on how they'd plan to top the first film.

Superman III
Disc 1
- Remastered theatrical cut.
- Dolby Digital 5.1
- Trailers.

Disc 2
- Extended cut remastered.
- Dolby Digital 5.1
- Original making of Documentary.

Superman IV
Disc 1
- Remastered theatrical cut.
- Dolby Digital 5.1
- Trailers
- Original footage documenting the making of the film.
(Available from Pathe Archives in France)

Disc 2
- 132 minute rough cut of the film.
- Remastered audio.

>>MONDAY 26th SEPTEMBER

SUPERMAN 2 SE DVD - THANK YOU

Things are looking good, very good. Warner Bros and Ilya Salkind have negotiated successfully for release of the Donner footage but there's still a lot of work to be done. After eight years of letter writing and pestering here and at HTF, you guys have forced the studio to look at this seriously and they have responded. So, thank you for your efforts, it's really appreciated.

Thanks to Ilya Salkind for his efforts in all of this.

I just hope we get to see everything. We are going to see Brando in Superman 2 yippie!

>>THURSDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER

THE SALKIND COMPANY AND THE NEW DVDS

Ilya Salkind will be involved in the making of the new Special Edition DVDs next year. In what capacity, I do not know. I imagine he'll be involved with the Superman 2 and 3 discs :) I expect the DVDs to hit stores around October/November 2006.

Thanks to Oliver H for the additional info.

>>FRIDAY 16th SEPTEMBER

SUPERMAN SPECIAL EDITION DVDS NEXT YEAR

The U.K. division of WarnerHomeVideo has confirmed that they are planning special edition releases of the Superman sequels. I'm going to get confirmation on this as soon as I can. I'm confident that Superman 2 will get the treatment it deserves but don't expect a re-cut because Donner won't touch it. Superman 3 and Superman 4 are going to be interesting. All sequels require picture re-mastering and beefed up audio.

Thanks to Martin-El for the scan taken from DVD Monthly.