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Warner Bros. and DC’s brand-new Superman project has unveiled its first official trailer.
The likes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) might have convinced modern audiences that Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) are the most iconic superheroes to have ever graced the silver screen, or any comic book for that matter, but this is definitely not the case.
While, of course, those characters and all the rest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes each have their names and identities permanently etched into the human race’s collective consciousness, there’s one superhero who is, without contest, more iconic than any other superhero who has ever existed or ever will exist. It isn’t a bird, and it isn’t a plane — no, it’s Superman.
Credit: DC / Warner Bros
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But while the vast majority of today’s moviegoers will be most familiar with Henry Cavill’s portrayal in DC Universe (DCU) outings such as Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), it was the late actor Christopher Reeve who brought the character to life on the silver screen, starting with Richard Donner’s 1978 classic, Superman.
Reeve portrayed Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman in four movies: Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Superman III (1983), and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). A true pop culture icon, Reeve is still widely considered to be the best Superman, despite having been followed by several actors, with Henry Cavill, another fan-favorite, being among them.
So beloved, in fact, that Reeve’s iteration of the Man of Steel (AKA the Man of Tomorrow) has been immortalized in many forms of entertainment, most notably in the popular DC Comics series “Superman ’78” (2021 — 2022), which captures the actor’s likeness.
These comics also take place in the same universe established in Richard Donner’s 1978 film and continued in its three sequels.
Credit: Warner Bros.
More recently, Reeve’s likeness was digitally re-created for the purpose of a brief cameo in the DC Universe Multiverse crossover movie The Flash (2023). While this was divisive among fans, many thought it was a touching tribute to the actor.
But Reeve’s story is not without great tragedy. In May 1995, at 42 years old, he sustained a life-changing injury after a horse riding accident.
In the decade that followed, Reeve battled with the immense grief and depression that came with his paralysis. However, despite his unimaginable plight, he continued to work in the film arena while raising his children. The actor was also well known for his human rights activism, and, just one year after his injury, he began to lobby for ground-breaking research that would help combat life-altering spinal cord injuries.
Sadly, after a decade-long fight against his life-changing injury, Reeve passed away at the age of 52.
Credit: DC / Warner Bros.
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Now, a new documentary film titled Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (2024), which tells the story of the actor’s truly inspirational journey from rising star to activist, all the while chronicling his harrowing journey, has unveiled its first official trailer.
“Everybody’s looking for a hero. I am not a hero. That was a part, I played the part, I’m not that man,” Reeve says of his iconic role in the trailer.
Of course, countless people disagree — in his remarkable quest to lobby for ground-breaking research that would transform the lives of many others afflicted with similar spinal injuries and conditions, the actor became known as a “real-life Superman.”
Watch the trailer Warner Bros. Pictures:
“What is a hero?” Reeve asks. “My answer was that a hero is someone who commits a courageous action without considering the consequences. Now, my definition is completely different. I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”
Per Warner Bros., the film follows Reeve’s “astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star,” capturing his “definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman” which “set the benchmark for the superhero cinematic universes that dominate cinema today.”
“Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor,” the synopsis adds, “before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down.
From the directors of McQueen, Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story includes “never-before-seen intimate home movies” and “an extraordinary trove of personal archive material, as well as the first extended interviews ever filmed with Reeve’s three children about their father, and interviews with the A-list Hollywood actors who were Reeve’s colleagues and friends.”
The film is described as “a moving and vivid cinematic telling of Reeve’s remarkable story.”
Credit: DC / Warner Bros.
Like fellow DC superhero Batman, Superman has been portrayed by several other actors in film and television over the decades: Kirk Alyn (Superman, Atom Man vs. Superman), George Reeves (Superman and the Mole Men, Adventures of Superman, Stamp Day for Superman), Johnny Rockwell (The Adventures of Superboy), John Haymes Newton/Gerard Christopher/Ron Ely (Superboy), Dean Cain (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Crisis on Infinite Earths), Tom Welling (Smallville, Crisis on Infinite Earths), Henry Cavill (Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League, Zack Snyder’s Justice League, Black Adam), and Tyler Hoechlin (CBS’ Supergirl, Elseworlds, Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman & Lois).
Now, another Superman movie is in development. It will be the first installment in the new DC Universe created by DC Studios’ co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
Credit: Inside The Magic
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Directed by James Gunn, SUPERMAN (2025) stars David Corenswet (Pearl, Twisters), who replaces Henry Cavill as the titular Kryptonian. It will be the tenth live-action film to star the Man of Steel, following Christopher Reeve’s four outings, Brandon Routh’s 2006 sequel/remake, and Henry Cavill’s four main DC Universe appearances.
The film is scheduled for theatrical release on July 11, 2025.
Yesterday, following the premiere of the trailer for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, James Gunn shared a tweet about the documentary, which he “can’t recommend enough”:
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a powerful and incredibly moving film that I can’t recommend enough. See it in theatres on September 21st and 25th in theatres. #ChristopherReeveStory
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a powerful and incredibly moving film that I can’t recommend enough. See it in theatres on September 21st and 25th in theatres. #ChristopherReeveStory pic.twitter.com/iMD4VSkvwE
— James Gunn (@JamesGunn) August 26, 2024
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is scheduled for limited theatrical release in the US on September 21 and 25, 2024. The film is produced by Passion Pictures (Searching For Sugar Man, The Territory) and Misfits Entertainment (McQueen, Rising Phoenix).
Will you be watching Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story in theaters? Who’s your favorite Superman actor? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!
“}]] Is it a bird..? Is it a plane..? #Superman #SUPERMAN #JamesGunn #DavidCorenswet #DCUniverse #DCU #ChristopherReeve #ManOfSteel #HenryCavill #ChristopherReeveStory Read More