Apparently, the original director had been fired during production, and the studio had reworked the film to fit a more commercial vision. This workprint was an earlier, more experimental version, deemed too radical for release.
The footage was grainy and rough, with a strange, warbled soundtrack. But as the images began to coalesce, Alex realized that this was no ordinary Superman footage. This was a workprint - a rough, unedited cut of a Superman film that nobody knew existed. superman workprint
The context of the workprint is inseparable from the turbulent production of Superman: The Movie (1978) and its sequel. Donner, the visionary behind the first film, famously shot both movies simultaneously to save costs. By the time Superman was released to massive acclaim, Donner had completed approximately 75% of Superman II . However, tensions with producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, particularly over budget and Donner’s refusal to cede creative control, boiled over. In a move that shocked Hollywood, Donner was fired. In his place, the Salkinds hired Richard Lester, a director known for zany comedies like A Hard Day’s Night . Lester was tasked with reshooting a significant portion of the film to ensure he received sole directorial credit. The resulting theatrical cut of Superman II is a tonal patchwork—Donner’s dramatic gravitas clashing with Lester’s slapstick (most notoriously the "supermarket amnesia kiss" and the "flying into the Eiffel Tower" gag). Apparently, the original director had been fired during
But Alex had already made up his mind. He was determined to share the Superman workprint with the world, no matter what it took. Little did he know that this was just the beginning of an epic adventure... But as the images began to coalesce, Alex
: In 2006, Warner Bros. located nearly 30 minutes of this deleted footage, which was eventually included as a bonus feature on the Superman IV Deluxe Edition DVD.
For film collectors and Superman enthusiasts, there is a holy grail that sits right alongside the Richard Donner Cut of Superman II : the legendary .