Editing Superman II (section)

{{short description|1980 superhero film by Richard Lester}}
{{for|the 2006 re-edited version|Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name                = Superman II
| image               = Superman II.jpg
| caption             = 1981 US theatrical release poster
| director            = [[Richard Lester]]{{efn|[[Richard Donner]], the film's original director, was fired from the film in March 1979 after 75 percent of it had already been filmed. Lester took over directing duties and, as he could not be credited according to the [[Directors Guild of America]] unless he shot 40 percent of the film, re-shot most of the film.{{sfn|Mankiewicz|Crane|2012|pp=212–213}}{{sfn|Rossen|2008|p=126}}}}
| producer            = [[Pierre Spengler]]
| screenplay          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Mario Puzo]]
* [[David Newman (screenwriter)|David Newman]]
* [[Leslie Newman]]}}
| story               = Mario Puzo
| based_on            = {{Based on|[[Superman]]|[[Jerry Siegel]]|[[Joe Shuster]]}}
| starring            = {{Plainlist|
* [[Gene Hackman]]
* [[Christopher Reeve]]
* [[Ned Beatty]]
* [[Jackie Cooper]]
* [[Sarah Douglas (actress)|Sarah Douglas]]
* [[Margot Kidder]]
* [[Jack O'Halloran]]
* [[Valerie Perrine]]
* [[Susannah York]]
* [[Clifton James]]
* [[E. G. Marshall]]
* [[Marc McClure]]
* [[Terence Stamp]]}}
| music                = [[Ken Thorne]]{{efn|Original [[Music of Superman|Superman themes]] by [[John Williams]]}}
| cinematography       = [[Robert Paynter]]
| editing              = John Victor-Smith
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
* Dovemead Ltd.
* International Film Production}}
| distributor          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Columbia Pictures|Columbia]]–[[EMI Films|EMI]]–[[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Distributors]] (United Kingdom)
* Warner Bros. (United States)}}
| released             = {{Film date|1980|12|4|Australia|ref1=<ref name="Australia release" />|1981|4|9|United Kingdom|ref2=<ref>{{cite news |title=Entertainments (cinema listings)|newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=April 9, 1981 }}</ref>|1981|6|19|United States|}}
| runtime              = 127 minutes
| country              = United Kingdom<ref name="Superman II">{{cite web|title=Superman II|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/56701-SUPERMAN-II|website=American Film Institute|access-date=December 21, 2015}}</ref><br />United States<ref name="Superman II" />
| language             = English
| budget               = $54 million<ref name="boxoffice">{{Cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Superman-II#tab=summary |title=Superman II (1981) |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=December 28, 2020 |archive-date=June 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220615043608/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Superman-II#tab=summary |url-status=live}}</ref>
| gross                = $216.3&nbsp;million<ref name="BOM"/>
}}
'''''Superman II''''' is a 1980 [[superhero film]] directed by [[Richard Lester]] and written by [[Mario Puzo]] and [[David Newman (screenwriter)|David]] and [[Leslie Newman]] from a story by Puzo based on the [[DC Comics]] character [[Superman]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Release – Superman II |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/64725?view=release |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090120021614/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/64725?view=release |archive-date=January 20, 2009 |access-date=July 10, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16442/superman-ii |title=Superman II (1980) |website=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |access-date=July 10, 2011 |archive-date=March 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220320092801/https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16442/superman-ii |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Superman 2 credits" /> It is the second installment in the [[Superman in film#Salkind/Cannon film series (1978–1987)|''Superman'' film series]] and a sequel to ''[[Superman (1978 film)|Superman]]'' (1978). A direct continuation of the first ''Superman'', [[Christopher Reeve]] reprises his role as [[Superman]]. The returning cast includes [[Gene Hackman]], [[Terence Stamp]], [[Ned Beatty]], [[Sarah Douglas (actress)|Sarah Douglas]], [[Margot Kidder]], [[Marc McClure]] and [[Jack O'Halloran]].

The film's plot features the arrival of [[General Zod]] and his comrades on Earth, following their release from the [[Phantom Zone]] (a prison that had been made by the people of Krypton). Zod seeks revenge for imprisonment by pursuing the planet's last son, Kal-El, alias “Superman.” As a result, Kal-El, who had unknowingly freed them, must now face threats from his long-dead home planet. Zod also allies with [[Lex Luthor]], who still aspires to world domination. The hero also faces an internal conflict, torn between his duties as Earth's hero and his desire to live amongst them solely as Clark Kent, and especially with his love interest, [[Lois Lane]].

In 1977, producers [[Alexander Salkind|Alexander]] and [[Ilya Salkind]] decided that they would film ''Superman'' and its sequel simultaneously; [[principal photography]] began in March 1977 and ended in October 1978. Tensions rose between original director [[Richard Donner]] and the producers, as a result of which a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, 75 percent of which had already been completed, and simply finish the first film. After the release of ''Superman'' in December 1978, Donner was fired as director (a controversial decision) and replaced by Lester. Several members of the cast and crew declined to return to complete the sequel in the wake of Donner's firing. In order to be officially credited as the director, Lester re-shot most of the film: principal photography resumed in September 1979 and ended in March 1980.

The film was released in Australia and most of Europe on December 4, 1980,<ref name="Australia release">{{Cite book |last=Langford |first=David |title=The Sex Column and Other Misprints |year=2005 |publisher=[[Wildside Press]] |isbn=978-1-930997-78-3 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=n78kYbvUd_8C&pg=PA42 42]}}</ref> and in other countries in 1981. It received positive reviews from film critics, who praised the performances of Hackman, Kidder, Stamp and Reeve, as well as the visual effects and the humor. It grossed $216 million worldwide against a production budget of $54 million, which meant it was a box office success, albeit less so than its predecessor. A sequel, ''[[Superman III]]'', was released in June 1983, for which Lester returned as director.

A [[director's cut]] of the film, restoring the original vision for the film under Donner's supervision, titled ''[[Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut]]'', was released on November 28, 2006, in various home media formats.