Original Airdate 6/18/13 - This episode has been edited from it's original broadcast.

To celebrate the release of Man of Steel we look at the entire Christopher Reeve Superman franchise in a special 2-hour + podcast! It features the usual hosts of Mark Radulich and Sean Comer and they are joined by Robert Winfree and Robert Cooper.

In 1973, producer Ilya Salkind convinced his father Alexander to buy the film rights to Superman. They hired Mario Puzo to pen a two-film script, and negotiated with Steven Spielberg to direct, though Alexander eventually landed on someone else. Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) were shot simultaneously.

For the third installment, Ilya Salkind wrote a treatment that expanded the film's scope to a cosmic scale, introducing villains Brainiac and Mister Mxyzptlk, as well as Supergirl. Warner Bros., however, rejected and retooled the script into their own film, trimming Brainiac down into the film's evil "ultimate computer". The final product co-starred comedian Richard Pryor as computer wizard Gus Gorman, who—under the manipulation of a millionaire magnate—creates a form of Kryptonite that turns Superman into an evil self.

Cannon Films picked up an option for a fourth film, directed by Sidney J. Furie, with Reeve reprising the role due to his interest in the film's topic regarding nuclear weapons. Several others reprised their roles as well, including Kidder (Lois Lane) and Hackman (Lex Luthor). However, Cannon decided to cut the budget, resulting in poor special effects and heavy re-editing, which contributed to the film's poor reception.

Disclaimer: The following may contain offensive language, adult humor, and/or content that some viewers may find offensive – The views and opinions expressed by any one speaker does not explicitly or necessarily reflect or represent those of Mark Radulich or W2M Network.
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