Presenting recent and scarce additions to my collection from the vast archive of SuperFan William S. Wilson –
The above double-page vintage promos from 1985 culled from the pages of weekly Variety are a Cannon Films showcase published during what could be arguably described as their prime. The announcement of Superman IV was quite the coup for new producers Menachem Golan and Yoram Globus who look rather pleased (along with the board, bottom pic) with their acquisition of the Superman Motion Picture Property from the Salkinds, shortly before slashing its intended budget and ultimately delivering the picture that would kill the franchise…
My thanks to Chris King for re-assembling the artwork & Mr. Wilson for his continued generosity…
1988 was a landmark year for the Superman character – his 50 year anniversary was intended by DC Comics to be a grand event celebrated across all mediums.
Beyond featuring on the cover of Time magazine it was instead a subdued occasion with only the best-forgotten TV special (hosted by Dana Carvey) to mark it. The film series had bowed out on a sour note with disappointing returns and poor critical and audience response to Superman IV: The Quest For Peace. Initiators of the Superman Film series, Alexander and Ilya Salkind would eventually buy the rights back from The Cannon Group Inc. after premiering their SuperBoy TV show to similarly lukewarm notices. Though the series would continue for three seasons, Superman would be noticeably absent from our screens for some time…
From the top – Vintage magazine ad, scarce A3 size pop-up promo card for video rental, an original copy in library case and the UK Laserdisc…
More entries from the Big Red Book of illustrations by Martin Asbury showing the tail-end of the Excised Tornado sequence and the continuation of the ‘Round The World’ battle moving to the Great Wall Of China…
The Cannon Group, Inc. is synonymous with a bygone era of cult cinema and straight-to-video trash and all the more fascinating for it –
I urge anybody with an interest in movies from the 1980’s to go here for a comprehensive and surprising list of all the pictures they were responsible for (including a plethora of projects announced but never made, among them Spider-Man, Captain America and Masters Of The Universe, Part II).
Among the many unique moments in their history is the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Manchester’s Cannon Cinema Multiplex by none-other than Christopher Reeve, in the UK for the shooting of Cannon’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace…
Presenting recent and scarce additions to my collection from the vast archive of SuperFan William S. Wilson –
