Christopher Reeve Thought Richard Pryor's Cast Was What Sunk Superman III

And it could have been even worse. Indeed, Richard Donner himself once complained about what might have been the worst fanciest gag in a Superman movie. It seems several writers and producers wanted "Superman" to be more largely slapstick than it was, and someone actually thought of including a cameo from actor Telly Savalas, reprising his role from the show. hit policewoman from 1978 "Kojak". Yes, Savalas was to include his signature catchphrase. Wisely, the gag was written. In Reeve's words:

"In the first draft of 'Superman,' there was a scene where Superman sees a bald man walking down the street. Thinking it's Lex Luthor, he rushes over to stick him up and take him away. But it's Telly Savalas, who says, "Who loves you, baby?" to the startled Superman and offers him a lollipop. That's the kind of insane stuff that Dick Donner immediately got rid of."

Adapting Superman into a feature film seems oddly difficult. Donner managed to make two excellent Superman movies in 1978 and 1980 (Donner's planned version of "Superman II" was largely salvaged for eventual DVD release), but it's largely been in decline ever since. "Superman III" was dumb, and "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," produced by The Cannon Group, was unbearably cheap. Tim Burton was sadly unable to do his "Superman Lives," while Bryan Singer's 2006 tribute sequel "Superman Returns" was more of a landmark than a movie. Later, Zack Snyder's 2013 Superman movie "Man of Steel" was clunky, overworked, destructive, and almost unbearable, often using flowery prose to cover its overall aesthetic superficiality.

Another great Superman movie might be made one day, but the world is still waiting.