``Supergirl'' Why didn't Superman appear in ``Supergirl''? [That's when movies were born Vol.2]

Failure of Superman III

In 1981, Richard Pryor, a popular comedian, appeared on NBC's popular program ``The Tonight Show'' and began talking passionately about `` Superman II '' toward the end of the show. He had previously said in Variety magazine that he wanted to appear in `` Superman, '' and his comments on this highly rated program were a perfect way to appeal to him.

NBC “The Tonight Show”

Since the previously mentioned story idea for `` Superman III '' was scrapped, the production team thought that bringing Richard Pryor into the role would be a refreshing move. However, it also meant eliminating Supergirl, Brainiac, and Mr. Mixi's Pitork. In fact, in the finished film, a computer replaces Brainiac as Superman's enemy, but this is likely due to Brainiac being an android created by a computer.

Furthermore, during this period, Pryor was in a private relationship with Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the film, and some speculated that there may have been some behind-the-scenes maneuvering behind his appointment. In reality, Kidder's presence was nothing more than a nuisance, as he publicly protested the removal of Richard Donner as director and abused the production team. In fact, Lois was only given a small role in Superman III from the initial concept to the completed film. According to Ilya Salkind, Superman's relationship with her had already reached its climax in the second film, so they needed to find a new heroine. However, as evidenced by the story idea of ​​having Lois marry Supergirl, it's clear that they were trying to dilute Lois' presence even if the series continued.

Richard Lester, who had been hired as an assistant for the first film, became the director for the second film, but had no intention of directing the third film. In fact, since he had saved the Superman movie from such a predicament, he hoped that in return Warner would pay for the production of his project, but in a business-like world, such loans and loans are not allowed. It didn't exist. Immediately after he declined the offer, Lester's wife was stunned. Lester is asked what he was thinking when he receives an unbelievable salary, and he hastily makes a phone call to change his previous words.

If Lester had teamed up with Pryor when he was making The Knack (1965) and other Beatles films, he might have made a revolutionary comedy film. In fact, ``When I look at him (Pryor), I am reminded of John Lennon. They are both people that you can't help but fall in love with as soon as you meet them.'' (`` The Man Who Photographed the Beatles' ') Lester left behind these words, but it is difficult to expect that from the `` Superman '' series.

In the end, " Superman III " had its highlights in the opening scene with Lester's large-scale slapstick and the fight between Clark Kent and Superman(good vs. evil), but the inorganic battle with a giant computer, It ended up being a strange movie that felt like an extra part that spent a lot of time portraying Pryor. After all, `` Superman II '' seems to have been a miraculous hybrid film created by the successful combination of Richard Donner's seriousness and Richard Lester's lightness.

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