10 Movies That Needed Reshoots For INSANE Reasons
9. So The New Director Could Be Credited - Superman II
It's no secret that production on Superman II was an abject nightmare, in large part because it was initially shot at the same time as the first film.
Both movies were shot simultaneously by Richard Donner, though due to ongoing disagreements between Donner and producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind, the decision was made to halt filming Superman II and focus on finishing the first.
After Superman's release, however, Donner was fired as the director of Superman II despite having 75% of the movie already in the can, at which point the Salkinds brought Richard Lester onboard to complete the film.
However, in order for Lester to be formally credited as the director of the movie, he had to have shot at least 40% of it, and so ended up reshooting the vast majority, in turn substantially transforming the style and tone from Donner's original vision.
Superman II was decently received though largely accepted to be a step down from its predecessor, yet fans eager to see Donner's version of the film finally got their wish in 2006, when the "Donner Cut" was released on home video, assembled from all the footage the director shot before being dismissed.
Despite its rough edges, many critics and fans consider it an improvement over Lester's theatrical version.