Superman II
1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Superman II is a 1980 superhero film directed by Richard Lester and written by Mario Puzo and David and Leslie Newman from a story by Puzo based on the DC Comics character Superman.[7][8][9] It is the second installment in the Superman film series and a sequel to Superman (1978). A direct continuation of the first Superman, Christopher Reeve reprises his role as Superman. The returning cast includes Gene Hackman, Terence Stamp, Ned Beatty, Sarah Douglas, Margot Kidder, Marc McClure and Jack O'Halloran.
| Superman II | |
|---|---|
 1981 US theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Richard Lester[lower-alpha 1] |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by | Mario Puzo |
| Based on | |
| Produced by | Pierre Spengler |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Robert Paynter |
| Edited by | John Victor-Smith |
| Music by | Ken Thorne |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by |
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Release dates | |
Running time | 127 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom[5] United States[5] |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $54 million[6] |
| Box office | $190.4 million[6] |
The film's plot features the arrival of General Zod & his comrades on Earth, released from the prison of the Phantom Zone made by the people of Krypton. Zod seeks revenge by pursuing the planet's last son Kal-El, alias Superman. Kal-El, who unknowingly freed them, must now face the threats of his long dead home planet. Zod also aligns with the returning Lex Luthor who still desires world domination. The hero is also in conflict with his duties as Earth's hero and desire to live amongst them solely as Clark Kent, especially with his love interest, Lois Lane.
In 1977, it was decided by producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind that they would film both Superman and its sequel simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions rose between original director Richard Donner and the producers in which a decision was made to stop filming the sequel, of which 75 percent had already been completed, and finish the first film. Following the release of Superman in December 1978, Donner was controversially fired as director, and was replaced by Lester. Several members of the cast and crew declined to return in the wake of Donner's firing. To be officially credited as the director, Lester re-shot most of the film in which principal photography resumed in September 1979 and ended in March 1980.
The film was released in Australia and mainland Europe on December 4, 1980,[3] and in other countries throughout 1981. It received positive reviews from film critics who praised the performances of Reeve, Stamp, and Hackman, the visual effects, and the humor. It grossed $190 million against a production budget of $54 million, a box office success but less than its predecessor. A sequel, Superman III, was released in June 1983, for which Lester returned as director.
A director's cut of the film, restoring the original vision for the film under Donner's supervision, titled Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, was released on November 28, 2006 in various home media formats.