Superman II: Green Cut
Well, you must be wondering whatever happened to this project, huh? Well, it's been a long road to get to this point and it's bad news. Over to the editor to explain all:
Work on the fan re-edit of "Superman II" known as "Green Cut," is officially being halted permanently. This may sound strange because most people believed the project to already have been halted two years ago. Actually the work only took a break. Before we get into specifics, let's answer one burning question once and for all…
What the hell does "Green Cut" mean anyway?!?!?
Small question, long answer.
The fan re-edit of "Superman II" (not the archival project "Restored International Cut") was always intended to have an official name. "Fan Edit" just didn't cut it. We all hope the WB will release an official "Special Edition," and this was never intended to be confused with an official release. The project needed it's own identity, something to set it apart and make it instantly identifiable as something different. Long before an actual cover for the project was even being worked on, an idea was already drawn up for a new logo using Chris' "S" crest, with a roman numeral "II" behind it for the printed / Internet artwork. The thought process behind the logo idea simply meaning "A unique version of Christopher Reeve's Superman II." The logo was a good start, but it wasn't enough.
During the making of the "Rough Opening" of the fan edit, the original titles were borrowed from "Superman The Movie" to make the new film feel more like the original Donner classic. But borrowing the titles was an incredibly lame cheat, and they ended up looking like exactly what they were…borrowed. To make the titles feel more unique, and to shamelessly try to hide the fact they were stolen from the first film, they were colored a variety of hues to see if anything could be done with them. Green worked surprisingly well, and fit into the logic of the film. The original titles in STM appeared to be glassy and crystalline, as if they were somehow suggesting they were of Kryptonian origin. The only two colors of crystal seen at that point (not including Lester's red crystal used in his re-shot opening of SMII) were clear / blue, or the famous green one sent in Kal-El's ship. So logic dictated that green would be the obvious choice, but in truth, all hues were tried, and green happened to work the best. That idea alone could explain the title "Green Cut," but there was another inspiration that really sealed the deal.
During that time, ideas were already jumping around about what changes the fan edit would actually have. The pivotal scene that mostly needed help was the famous one involving Clark getting his powers back in the fortress. Originally shot by Richard Donner, it's easily the most sought after lost footage featuring Marlon Brando committing a form of suicide to give Clark his powers back. Lester's version hopelessly drops the ball, and actually shows nothing. Clark picks up the glowing green crystal, and when next we see him, all is returned to normal. The audience is supposed to fill in the blanks that somehow the crystal helped in returning his powers. Compared to Donner's version, it feels completely empty. Could anything be done to make the scene work better?
It had been suggested many times that Brando be snuck in there somehow, but who really wants a fake Brando? Fans want to see the real lost footage, not some doctored version of Marlon's likeness, no matter how cleverly you stick him in there. But what alternatives does that leave? The idea actually sprung from the footage itself. When Chris picks up the crystal, his movements are very slow and controlled. Apart from Chris' facial performance, it's a very static shot. It almost looks like a temporary unfinished visual effects plate, the crystal isn't even pulsating, and there's plenty of screen space for something to be happening. But what? What if the crystal itself were the actual source of his returned powers? So with a little CG magic, the green crystal in the new scene is actually 'recharging' him with green energy. Nicknamed the "Green Scene," it was the only deliberate effort in the entire fan edit to do something new to the film. The rest of the changes were merely fixing things fans have complained about for years, or adding in as much Donner footage as possible.
