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

Why did Christopher Reeve leave Supergirl?

Although no formal contract had been signed yet, Christopher Reeve agreed to appear in "Supergirl" and took an active stance, including suggesting ideas for the scene in which Superman and Supergirl first meet on Earth. was showing. The director of this film was originally offered to Robert Wise, the director of `` West Side Story '' (1961) and `` Star Trek '' (1979), by the Salkind family, but Wise declined. Reeve therefore recommended that director Janot Schwartz, who directed the sci-fi romance film ` `Somewhere in Time '' (1980), which he starred in between the ` `Superman '' series, would be perfect for fantasy direction.

`` Somewhere in Time '' was a work that also influenced the filming of the `` Superman '' series. In Superman II , the sequence in which Clark Kent and Lois Lane go to Niagara to do research, and then Superman takes Lois to the North Pole was postponed at Reeve's request. This is because Reeve was supposed to take part in ``Somewhere in Time'' immediately after this shooting was finished, but when he went to the next production without being able to play Superman, he was asked by the main character's playwright. I was afraid that the role would be rough. Therefore, he thought that if he filmed the love scene with Lois at the end, it would be a smooth transition between roles.

The first condition that the Salkind family wanted from a film director was whether they could make a hit film. Therefore, the process of selecting a director begins with reference to the list of box office results. Speaking of which, Jannot Schwarz's latest work, `` Somewhere in Time '', although it gained cult popularity in later years, was not a hit when it was released and does not meet the standards. However, his previous work was a huge hit. `` Jaws 2 '' (78). Filming began with John D. Hancock directing, but there was chaos on set, and Schwartz was suddenly brought on as the pinch hitter manager. Although it may not be on par with the previous film `` Jaws '' (1975), directed by a young Steven Spielberg, it is a sequel that satisfies the audience with a solid level of perfection. He was a perfect match for glasses.

“Jaws 2” preview

Schwartz said he thought it was the wrong person when he got the call asking him to direct "Supergirl." Schwartz, who is close friends with Richard Donner, felt that a strong-armed director like Donner was best suited to direct the Superman movie, but he didn't think it would be directed at him. When I headed to London for a meeting, a script was already ready for review. The script was written by David O'Dell, who skillfully created an otherworldly fantasy in ` `The Dark Crystal '' (1982), which strongly reflected the intentions of Ilya Salkind, and was based on the earlier story idea for `` Superman III '' mentioned above. The content was developed. Brainiac appeared as an enemy character, and it was a large-scale story that took place not only on Earth, but on multiple planets including Krypton.

In this initial version, Superman would be there to greet Supergirl when she landed on Earth and teach her how to use her powers. The movie included scenes of them flying together in the sky, but eventually Brainiac transforms Superman into an old man and imprisons him in a castle on the top of a mountain. The story then shifts to a planet, where Superman serves as the MacGuffin that motivates and moves the film forward, with Superman returning to Earth after a victorious battle to free her. With this structure, Superman only needs to appear at the beginning and end, and since he is mostly a prisoner and has aged in prison, there is no need for Reeve to play him. However, since rescuing him is the center of the story, it was possible to use Superman while also having Supergirl play an active role.

However, this initial concept was unable to keep up with the production costs due to its grandiose worldview, so it was changed to a more realistic version that would only take place on Earth. However, an even bigger incident occurs that will shake up the success or failure of the movie. Important characters disappeared one after another.

As production preparations progressed, Reeve suddenly said, ``It's strange that I'm in this movie.'' This offer seemed a little out of the blue, as ``Supergirl'' was about to be born as a movie with its own charm, with Superman meeting Supergirl and Reeve meeting Schwartz. After filming Superman III , he realized that it was a failure and decided he shouldn't be involved with Superman any more, or perhaps he realized that Supergirl was shrinking from its original concept. Maybe he thought he should step back.

In the end, in the movie, Superman is mistaken for Supergirl, and the car radio says, ``He has flown off to hundreds of trillions of light years as a messenger of peace,'' but he is never seen. Supergirl enrolls at an all-girls school as Clark Kent's cousin, and coincidentally becomes roommates with Lois Lane's sister (!) Lucy, who works for the Daily Planet, and looks at the picture of Superman posted in her room with envy. They just appear in the scene.

In addition, Warner Bros. requested that Brainiac's character be omitted, similar to their reaction to the early story ideas for Superman III . Even so, Brainiac, whose name comes up every time he is made into a movie, has an unfortunate fate. In addition to " Superman III " and "Supergirl," he is also scheduled to appear in Tim Burton's "Superman Lives," which was scheduled to be released in 1998 and in which Nicolas Cage would play Superman(production has been canceled). His appearance was also considered in the sequels of `` Superman Returns '' (2006) and `` Man of Steel '' (13).

In this way, ``Supergirl'' lost the important presences of Superman and Brainiac, and was forced to rebuild from scratch.

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