12 Movie Scenes You Didn’t Know Were Reshoots
3. The Richard Donner Cut - Superman 2
If you think Zack Snyder's Justice League coming to HBO Max was the first DC Comics movie to have a change of director and re-release with the original vision you would be mistaken.
Only a few days into the production of Superman 2, the filmmakers were more than two weeks behind schedule, and director Richard Donner had developed strong tensions with the Salkind family, who owned the movie rights to Superman.
In July of 1977 a new co-producer, Richard Lester, was brought on board to help right the sinking ship. His main job was to be the messenger between Donner and the Salkinds, who were no longer on speaking terms. A little while later Lester and Donner formed an effective working relationship and Lester was enlisted as a second unit director.
Still behind on time and with Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty and Valerie Perrine all finished on the movie, filming on Superman 2 was brought to a halt with the team demanded by the Salkinds to finish up what was left of the film's first instalment, Superman.
When Superman 2 came back into production it was not with Richard Donner but Richard Lester, who completed the remaining 25% of filming that was needed. The following years came with a flurry of fan edits using some of Donner's original footage, until 2006, when Warner Brothers gave fans Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut.