The ‘Superman’ movie Christopher Reeve didn’t want to make: “He did it under some duress”
The story of Christopher Reeve is one of tragedy and triumph. The actor rose to fame playing Superman in the 1970s and 1980s, his all-American good looks and effortless charisma making him the perfect vessel for the Man of Steel. However, in 1995, his life was changed forever when he was thrown from his horse whilst riding in a competition. The accident left him paralysed from the neck, reliant on a wheelchair and ventilator for the rest of his life.
The rest of Reeve’s story is just as fascinating, as chronicled in the fabulous 2024 documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, but it’s his time as the legendary comic book hero that continues to intrigue people the most. He played Clark Kent four times in his career, battling villains like Lex Luthor (a de-moustached Gene Hackman) and General Zod (Terence Stamp) and winning the heart of Margot Kidder’s Lois Lane.
The first two entries in this quadrilogy are widely regarded as classics. Sadly, things take a massive swing in the wrong direction following Superman III, which came out in 1983. Then, three years later, came Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Considered one of the worst superhero movies ever made (which is really saying something), the movie was completely torn to pieces by anyone who saw it. A flimsy plot, weak acting, and special effects that looked like they were done in about five minutes completely sank any chances it had of succeeding. The movie was so bad that plans for any more sequels were scrapped. The ‘Superman’ film franchise wouldn’t be revived for almost 20 years.
One unlikely expert on this cesspit of a film is Morgan Freeman. He worked with Reeve on Street Smart, the movie he’d made immediately before Quest for Peace. According to the velvet-voiced star, the pressure of being Kal-El had serious consequences on the rest of Reeve’s life. “He was so wholly swallowed [by] the Superman myth or the myth of Superman that by the time he did Superman II, he had completely internalized that image and character,” he told Film Freak Central. “Eventually, I think he realized the lie of that persona, so that when Superman III came around as it inevitably must, he did it under some duress.”
According to Freeman, who would play a DC character himself in Christopher Nolan’s ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy, Reeve wanted to take on characters that were the antithesis of the near-invulnerable demigod. “He started to desire, more and more, weaker roles – I should say more human parts,” he said. Unfortunately, The Cannon Group, the production company behind ‘Superman’, had other ideas. “Cannon wants to make Superman IV and he doesn’t want to make it at all,” Freeman revealed. “He ultimately couldn’t resist, the money was stupid, but he held them up so that he could do Street Smart.”
Reeve was wise to doubt Cannon. The company suffered a major financial crisis during the production of The Quest for Peace; a major factor in why it turned out so shoddy. If only he’d said no, but sadly, the almighty dollar is more powerful than any colour of Kryptonite.
Despite the latter two movies being flops, Reeve’s legacy as Superman remains secure. He was just too good – both on the screen and off it – for two lousy pictures to tarnish his image.
