On the day of what would’ve been Superman co-creator Joe Shuster’s 101st birthday, SUPERMANIA celebrates with a one-time post outside of our established continuity to bring you an exclusive wild card –
Courtesy of El Club El Planet come these rare pics of the abandoned Tim Burton movie Superman Lives – a project that would ultimately be abandoned only weeks before photography in 1997 in a highly controversial move exemplifying the production hell hampering the characters return to the big screen since 1988. The rejected scripts had begun with Superman V (or Superman: The New Movie) in 1990, Superman Reborn in 1992 and various drafts of what became Superman Lives which was green-lit with the commitment from Burton after the departure of writer/director Kevin Smith.
Lives eleventh-hour cancellation would yield little material in subsequent years save for unconfirmed script rewrites to the point where the whole endeavour verged on myth. Aside from some concept art, a blurred, unconvincing photo of what pertained to be star Nicolas Cage (above) in a bizarre muscle suit and a poster appearing at a Toy fair was the only supposed proof of any pre-production.
Naturally it would be the persistence of fans that would not only unravel the mystery but prove just how close the picture was to becoming reality with photos and even footage from the project no-one ever thought they would see.
And so thanks to Jon Schnepp and others there is, incredibly, a new Superman film made by fans, for fans to enjoy with the fascinating The Death of Superman Lives, What Happened? documentary available now as a digital download (bottom pic). where exclusive interviews with the likes of Burton, Smith and scriptwriters Dan GIlroy and Wesley Strick, are presented in irreverent, watchable style (watch the first 10 minutes).
While little could convince SUPERMANIA Lives was anything but a huge misconception, as an ambassador of the character this documentary highlights an important period in its screen evolution and is therefore intrigued. Indeed, for all the furore surrounding Nic Cage’s casting he nevertheless does embody the Superman comics of the era here (nineties long hair) and would’ve been interesting to watch if nothing else…
At the dawn of DC Comics properties conquest of the silver screen, modern day successors Marvel would gamely go along for the ride in early 1979 with both this fun publication above and its more highbrow twin Starburst (to be featured in an upcoming post).
While Pizzazz may well have been ‘humour in the Marvel manner’, the articles featured about ‘The Big Palooka’ were very well-written and offered some great insights into the upcoming movie and probably best of all, a preview of Richard Donner’s Superman II, where actress/stuntwoman Ellen Bry (fresh from her appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man TV pilot, or feature if you lived in the UK) speaks out regarding a scene that wouldn’t surface publicly for another thirty years…
Following on from the last post and as a prelude to the ‘Super Supper’ came the small matter of the European Royal Charity Premiere of Superman: The Movie, attended by no less than her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Prince Andrew and in aid of the Variety Club of Great Britain and The National Association for Maternal and Child Welfare.
From the same lot as the Dinner memorabilia are the priceless relics above, where the handsome silver card (top pic) presents itself as an application for a ticket to the Press Show (second pic) which was obviously successful as evidenced by the Super-rare ticket from the showing (bottom pic) where seat 25 of the phenomenal EMPIRE Theatre in Leicester Square would be reserved.
Accompanying the ticket would be thick, glossy programme packed full of well-wishes and full page ads for the various sponsors of the event. With far too many highlights to showcase effectively here, Jim Bowers of Capedwonder.com has graciously provided this marvellous PDF to offer the full experience.
So, along with this great footage (hosted by Superfan Oliver Harper) there you have it, the whole event chronicled as best SUPERMANIA can – almost as good as being there yourself short of standing in line and bowing before her Maj…
It is with considerable pleasure that SUPERMANIA presents this latest addition to the archive, a simple, elegant piece of ephemera that may well qualify as one of the most rare items in the collection.
Quite apart from the obvious appeal of the hand-signed autograph (top pic) this 8×6″ 8 page glossy booklet represents excellent provenance by virtue of only being available at the event itself and surviving to this day where most other copies were presumably deemed disposable.
Indeed, this gala dinner at world renowned London restaurant Claridges to mark the European Premiere of Superman: The Movie on December 13th, 1978 (see pics from the night here) had to date yielded little in the way of memorabilia, making this ‘Table Plan for Supper Party’ document a significant piece of Supermovie history.
And quite an evening it must have been, with a guest-list (second & third pics) reading like a glossary of Superman celebrities both onscreen and off, rounding out the 26 tables (fourth pic) alongside such esteemed company as The Earl and Countess of Limerick.
And topping it off is possibly one of the greatest examples of Christopher Reeve’s signatures SUPERMANIA has ever seen – its certainly the largest (at approx. 12cm across) signed in blue marker and underlined – smudged in a few places but is otherwise pristine. The composition of this above the blue ‘Super’ shield makes for quite the striking piece and a stunning souvenir of a glittering occasion…
Though the month of Le film may be over, SUPERMANIA sneaks in one last treat from the pages of French cinema magazine Clap! issue 43 from January 1987.
The Living Daylights may have been the cover story but this glorious pictorial preview (featuring the working title of Superman IV before the addition of the Quest For Peace, or Le face a face) written by Sally Hawkins features a stunning gallery with some rare behind the scenes images.
Should any Superfans be willing to translate the text it would be a pleasure to add it here..!
