Superman IV possible rumored release....?

[crazy_asian_man]

This is in no way official, but with the news that a ton of Reeve-Superman related stuff was found at WB- and with a hint that a Superman IV restored MAY be in the works-

Of course, first thing: yeah, any Reeve Superman material is exciting- (well, SIII being the least)....

But a stranger question is: with the tv cut of STM being worked on by Warner Archives and then being released---

Why would they keep it secret rather than building up anticipation with its release?

The Donner cut was announced early on, but the sales seem weird to calculate, because it was mixed into different sets.

On the flip side (thankfully) the tv cut boasted great sales- which I hope means an SII tv cut one day.
Donner said he wasn't happy (though fans were) that it got released--- hopefully he doesn't try to stop an SII tv cut from coming out-if anything, it's a better cut of his own material than the Donner cut was.

Anyhow- some cautious optimism and wondering why the secrecy if it is true...

[atp]

Superman IV waa better than the Donner cut of Superman 2

[Metallo]

Hard to see how it would be workable but I’m not saying there isn’t something to it. The recent STM releases had things like important anniversaries and demand behind them though.

I’m sure there’s some demand for a new IV release but it’s so small it would only be from true die hards. What would it be? An extended cut like the Japanese laserdisc? The US tv cut? Would it be a workprint or assembly cut like the first release of the aliens 3 assembly cut? It’s hard to imagine it not being one of those three things or some hybrid. If they do a longer cut than we’ve ever seen with improved fx I’d buy it but I can’t see that happening.

I could see a new better hybrid/extended/ultimate cut of II before I could see anything done for IV. Especially since II’s anniversary is coming up next year. If I were them I’d try a big blu ray set of extended cuts for all four movies and maybe even Supergirl. It would be the most bang for our bucks and have I and II as the main draw for the majority of fans. Last year really was the time to do it though since it was a huge anniversary year for Superman. So many different Superman projects celebrated milestone dates.

[crazy_asian_man]

Feb 2, 2019 18:15:11 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Hard to see how it would be workable but I’m not saying there isn’t something to it. The recent STM releases had things like important anniversaries and demand behind them though.

I’m sure there’s some demand for a new IV release but it’s so small it would only be from true die hards. What would it be? An extended cut like the Japanese laserdisc? The US tv cut? Would it be a workprint or assembly cut like the first release of the aliens 3 assembly cut? It’s hard to imagine it not being one of those three things or some hybrid. If they do a longer cut than we’ve ever seen with improved fx I’d buy it but I can’t see that happening.

I could see a new better hybrid/extended/ultimate cut of II before I could see anything done for IV. Especially since II’s anniversary is coming up next year. If I were them I’d try a big blu ray set of extended cuts for all four movies and maybe even Supergirl. It would be the most bang for our bucks and have I and II as the main draw for the majority of fans. Last year really was the time to do it though since it was a huge anniversary year for Superman. So many different Superman projects celebrated milestone dates.

If they found all the pieces available- then re-editing and some jiggering of some of the fx shouldn't cost an arm and a leg- (especially if they don't have to pay the Brando estate anything)--- also, since the tv cut came out of the blue and not seemingly tied into any anniversary and made good money, I'm guessing that (if this is actually happening) it encouraged (I'm hoping) the release of more Reeve Superman material.

On the plus side, the fx were SO bad for the theatrical, if they have access to the green screen materials, I can't imagine that it would cost that much to have superior fx--- but, you're right. If Battlestar Galactica's release wouldn't consider it, I doubt WB would.

Still.... if they include some missing scenes to make it whole, (the disco scenes!!!!) I'd definitely be interested, if only for completion's sake.... and.... wouldn't it be odd if it turned out that a re-edit under a different editor with all the available materials would significantly improve it?

[Metallo]

Well if the SII Donner cut showed us anything it’s that WB has to be willing to put the time effort and money in to making it look good. Some of the new fx there looked awful. They don’t have to spend tons but they can’t spend pennies on it either. There’s also the issue of making the Fx and compositing look authentic for the time and not look like something modern. Again SII. It should have been easy but the Jor-El hologram compositing looked vastly different than what we saw in stm.

[crazy_asian_man]

Feb 4, 2019 9:49:11 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Well if the SII Donner cut showed us anything it’s that WB has to be willing to put the time effort and money in to making it look good. Some of the new fx there looked awful. They don’t have to spend tons but they can’t spend pennies on it either. There’s also the issue of making the Fx and compositing look authentic for the time and not look like something modern. Again SII. It should have been easy but the Jor-El hologram compositing looked vastly different than what we saw in stm.

Prior to the RDC- I viewed the director's (re)cut of "Payback" and was suprised to listen to the commentary and hear how inventive corners had to be cut on THAT film--- and this is during a time when dvds were making substantially more money than now---

So.... after that, I'm suspicious of any real budget for 'straight to dvds' at this point---

But, then again...
Hollywood has suprised us-

Blade Runner with it's 5-disc cut
Dune with the tv cut (though not on blu ray sadly)

And... of course, most recently, the out-of-the-blue remastering of the tv cut of STM.

I'd of course love for them to spend the time and money properly on restoring the Superman movies properly, but just too disappinted in how the RDC came out to trust WB would be willing to put up the money/resources for that.

Add to that- Donner seems to have a mixed reaction to SII, and Sydney Furie is still mia....

[Metallo]

There were some extenuating circumstances. With Blade Runner even though it’s a cult film that flopped Ridley had the clout back then to get the final cut done. Especially since it was released post Gladiator. I know he was working on it before that but after that kind of hit WB was even more willing to continue. The poor performance of Blade Runner 2049 really showed where the property stands with the public at large though.

With STM extended they were cashing in on all the hoopla for the 80th and 40th anniversaries. Any other time with different circumstances WB might not have been willing. All it needed was a remastering right? It’s not like they had to do more like new shots or new effects. That’s a little more work and money.

With Dune the cut was already done. I’m still surprised something like that got a release but in a lot of was it was easy money especially with dvds selling so much better back then. We got directors cuts as extended cuts and alternate cuts of tons of stuff back then. Payback straight up, the Donner cut, the thousand cuts of Alexander despite it flopping.

[crazy_asian_man]

Feb 5, 2019 10:23:24 GMT -5 Metallo said:

There were some extenuating circumstances. With Blade Runner even though it’s a cult film that flopped Ridley had the clout back then to get the final cut done. Especially since it was released post Gladiator. I know he was working on it before that but after that kind of hit WB was even more willing to continue. The poor performance of Blade Runner 2049 really showed where the property stands with the public at large though.

With STM extended they were cashing in on all the hoopla for the 80th and 40th anniversaries. Any other time with different circumstances WB might not have been willing. All it needed was a remastering right? It’s not like they had to do more like new shots or new effects. That’s a little more work and money.

With Dune the cut was already done. I’m still surprised something like that got a release but in a lot of was it was easy money especially with dvds selling so much better back then. We got directors cuts as extended cuts and alternate cuts of tons of stuff back then. Payback straight up, the Donner cut, the thousand cuts of Alexander despite it flopping.

The odd thing is that the stuff Scott fixed (outside of removing the narration) were things that didn't really bother me in the first place, and/or I didn't really pay attention to.

Glad that the Dune cut was released, but even glader with the STM tv cut blu ray release. Dune had a few key scenes that I thought really should have been included, but otherwise..... MANNNN, it's a slow film.

A bizzare part of me is curious about Alexander's multiple cuts..... even moreso how Oliver Stone got so many recuts greenlit.

[Metallo]

Most of the changes were minor. Compared to the theatrical cut I definitely prefer the later cuts without the happy ending that used the countryside footage from The Shining.

Liked that they fixed the optical effect of the eye at the beginning of the film and the obvious stuntwoman when Zora gets shot by Decker. What Scott did was the right way to do these kinds of things. The original version of the film was also still available.

With Alexander I think they let Stone do what he did because of who he is as well as to recoup costs where they could. They were doing everything they could to make some of that money back.

[crazy_asian_man]

Feb 6, 2019 7:48:35 GMT -5 Metallo said:

Most of the changes were minor. Compared to the theatrical cut I definitely prefer the later cuts without the happy ending that used the countryside footage from The Shining.

Liked that they fixed the optical effect of the eye at the beginning of the film and the obvious stuntwoman when Zora gets shot by Decker. What Scott did was the right way to do these kinds of things. The original version of the film was also still available.

With Alexander I think they let Stone do what he did because of who he is as well as to recoup costs where they could. They were doing everything they could to make some of that money back.

In looking at what was missing from the story, I would have really have loved to have seen Scott try to shoot the bit with the extra replicant- Mary- as I really feel like it would have given more balance to the replicant's side of the story. He would have had to recast, but I think with compositing and editing (much like Gladiator in how they worked around the dead actor), this could have worked.

[Metallo]

He probably could have done that. I wouldn’t have minded. But that is another thing he fixed with that inconsistency. They changed Walsh’s dialogue about the number of replicants in the final cut.

Can you believed we are IN 2019 now? Blade Runner is no longer the future. Nuts to think about.

[inebriated87]

While we wait impatiently for more Lenny Luthor, some freako is going to buy this :

Superman IV 35mm print on eBay

Not my listing.

There are movie fans/obsessives who acquire and scan these old 35mm prints and make them available online, warts and all.

Imagine buying this and finding that all the dirt, scratches and hairs on the print had somehow migrated to the scenes with Jon Cryer, congregating to obscure him completely.

[crazy_asian_man]

Feb 9, 2019 2:21:36 GMT -5 inebriated87 said:

While we wait impatiently for more Lenny Luthor, some freako is going to buy this :

Superman IV 35mm print on eBay

Not my listing.

There are movie fans/obsessives who acquire and scan these old 35mm prints and make them available online, warts and all.

Imagine buying this and finding that all the dirt, scratches and hairs on the print had somehow migrated to the scenes with Jon Cryer, congregating to obscure him completely.

I remember how excited I was when hearing that Superman IV was going to be treated 'right' after SIII and the Supergirl movie's failures seemed to kill the series permanently....
and was thrilled that there was a possibilty of that series being resseurected again for a series of 'good' Reeve Superman movies again-

But when it bombed...

Ugh.

It was like having great hopes come back for a series you loved when it was good, miraculously coming back from the dead, against all odds- then crashing again.

(Much like how Days of Future Past resseurected the Singer X-men again.... and then Apocalypse burying it.) ;p

[Metallo]

Or Star Trek V after Star Trek V or Rocky Balboa after Rocky IV. It’s not unheard of so that’s why fans always hope for the best.

Feb 9, 2019 2:21:36 GMT -5 inebriated87 said:

While we wait impatiently for more Lenny Luthor, some freako is going to buy this :

Superman IV 35mm print on eBay

Not my listing.

There are movie fans/obsessives who acquire and scan these old 35mm prints and make them available online, warts and all.

Imagine buying this and finding that all the dirt, scratches and hairs on the print had somehow migrated to the scenes with Jon Cryer, congregating to obscure him completely.

Even though it’s Superman IV of all movies if it’s someone that’s a Superman fan and a cinephile with a preference for movies on film this could be a must have.