DC Comics’ Superman movie, established by Jerry Siegel with Joe Shuster in June 1938, has appeared in numerous movies nearly since his birth. In 1941, he made his film debut inside a series of animated shorts, followed by roles in two feature serials in 1948 as well as 1950. The first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, featuring George Reeves, was released in 1951 by an independent studio, Lippert Pictures. Ilya Salkind, Alexander Salkind, and Pierre Spengler bought the movie rights to the Superman character in 1974. Richard Donner was recruited as its director after reading a number of screenplays and directed both Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) at the same time. Before this was agreed to finish the first picture, Donner already had shot 80% of Superman II with Christopher Reeve. Following the release of Superman, the Salkinds dismissed Donner and hired Richard Lester to complete Superman II.
Lester returned for Superman III (1983), as well as the Salkinds went on to create the related 1984 spin-off Supergirl before selling the rights to Cannon Films, resulting in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, which received mixed reviews (1987). Before Warner Bros. fully purchased the Superman rights in 1993, Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman draught.
Warner Bros. would produce and afterwards cancel Tim Burton’s Superman Lives, starring Nicolas Cage; Wolfgang Petersen’s Batman vs. Superman; and J. J. Abrams’ written Superman: Flyby, which was split between filmmakers Joseph “McG” Nichols and Brett Ratner, during an 11-year period. In 2004, the company recruited Bryan Singer to take over the movies, as well as Superman Returns was released in 2006, starring newcomer Brandon Routh. In the same year, Donner’s director’s cut of Superman II was released. Despite excellent reviews, Warner Bros. was displeased with Superman Returns’ box office results, and Singer’s planned sequel was scrapped.
The studio almost made a Justice League movie has George Miller directing as well as D. J. Cotrona as Superman, however the project was abandoned in 2008.
Man of Steel, helmed by Zack Snyder and featuring Henry Cavill as Superman, restarted the franchise in 2013. Man of Steel arguably marked the beginning of the DC Extended Universe, a film series aimed at competing with the phenomenally popular Marvel Cinematic Universe. Ever since, Cavill had reprised his role as Superman in Snyder’s DCEU movies Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) as well as Justice League (2017), and also the director’s cut of Justice League, Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021).
Also Read: All that you must know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe