As Warner Bros. finds itself in the midst of a super-powered reset in the DCU, the Hollywood giant will look back with a new collection of classic Superman movies.
Newly-minted DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn recently unveiled his plans for DC's Man of Tomorrow, with a new Superman film on the way written by Gunn himself.
After a couple of misses on the Superman movie front as of late, Gunn is looking to harken back to the Kryptonian's big-screen history, focusing on a "younger" Man of Steel.
This all comes following the mishandling of another Superman in Henry Cavill, who will not be moving forward with the character after a brief, but ill-fated return last year.
The Ultimate Superman Box Set
A new Blu-Ray collection has been announced (via Screen Connections) by Warner Bros., spotlighting the classic Christopher Reeves Superman films.
The Superman 1978-1987 5-Film Collection features all four of Reeves' Superman movies (Superman, Superman II, Superman III, and Superman IV), as well as the late Richard Donner's director's cut of Superman II.
The box set is said to be a part of "the year-long centennial celebration for the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros.," spotlighting one of the big screen's first superhero blockbuster franchises.
Each of these Ultra HD Blu Rays comes packed with a number of special features including making-of documentaries, classic Superman and Superman-adjacent cartoons, marketing materials for each movie, and commentaries from creatives who made the movies happen.
The box set release on April 18 and comes in stunning Fortress of Solitude-themed packaging.
The full list of each movie included and its special features can be seen below:
Superman
- Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spangler
- The Making of Superman – vintage featurette
- Superman and the Mole-Men – vintage featurette
- Super-Rabbit – 1943 WB cartoon
- Snafuperman – 1944 WB cartoon
- Stupor Duck – 1956 WB cartoon
- TV Spot
- Teaser Trailer
- Theatrical Trailer
Superman II
- Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
- The Making of Superman II – 1980 TV Special
- Superman’s Soufflé – Deleted scene
- Fleischer Studios’ Superman vintage cartoons
- Theatrical trailer
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut
- Commentary by Richard Donner and Tom Mankiewicz
- Introduction by Richard Donner – featurette
- Superman II: Restoring the Vision – featurette
- Deleted scenes
- Famous Studios vintage cartoons
Superman III
- Commentary by Ilya Salkind and Pierre Spengler
- The Making of Superman III – 1983 TV special
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailer
Superman IV: The Quest for Peace
- Commentary by Mark Rosenthal
- Superman 50th anniversary special – 1988 TV special
- Deleted scenes
- Theatrical trailer
DC Looks Back at Reeves' Superman
For a generation of people, Christopher Reeves' Superman was THE big screen superhero. And now those avid fans can finally have all of those original adventures in one place sitting on their shelf.
These sorts of collections are nothing new for Warner Bros. (WB). The studio takes just about any opportunity it can to package films across its library together. However, this particular case feels like anything but a cash grab.
The first Superman film turns 45 years old in 2023, with WB simultaneously celebrating its 100th birthday, so now feels like the perfect time to honor a very important part of movie-making history.
Plus add in the fact that these movies were one of the last times a beloved version of the character was seen on the big screen, and it only adds to Reeves' importance to the world of super-powered blockbusters.
DC can only hope they can capture some of that magic again with the upcoming Superman: Legacy. With James Gunn on board the project, it seems like it has a good chance, but only time will tell on if the studio can outdo this collection of Superman movies.
The Superman 1978-1987 5-Film Collection is set to release both physically and digitally on April 18.
