Superman (1978) (Summer of Superheroes, Part 4)

Our Summer of Superheroes reaches its climax with arguably the most important movie in the genre's history: Richard Donner's 1978 film Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, Gene Hackman, Margot Kidder, and a firmly on-book Marlon Brando.

Join in as we discuss the geophysics of Lex Luthor's evil plot, the other attempts to put Superman in cinemas, the nearly two-year shoot, and our favorite real estate schemes.

Plus: What ideas did Brando have to reduce his workload? Did Donner have a phone in his bathroom? What was the original plan for the time travel finale? And, most importantly, is Clark Kent more super or more man?

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Next week: The 400 Blows (1959)

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Key sources and links for this episode:

• Which Lie Did I Tell? More Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman (2000)
• The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture by Glen Weldon (2016)
• Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru (2019)
• Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024)
• Taking Flight: The Development of Superman (2001)
• Making Superman: Filming the Legend (2001)
• Roger Ebert's four-star review of Superman (1978)
• "The Making of Superman" (EMPIRE Magazine)
• Interview with Producer Ilya Salkind by Barry M. Frieman for SupermanHomePage.com
• "Nick Nolte Doesn't Care about Legacy, and Talks Julia Roberts Feud" (Insider)
• "The Superman Story that Set the Ku Klux Klan Back Years is Now a Comic" (Polygon)