Warner Bros. is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year and part of the celebration includes looking back at the company's biggest hero - Superman. The company has a new 4K collection of the five beloved Christopher Reeve Superman films on the way as part of the festivities, bringing a piece of DC history home in one box. The officially-titled Superman 1978 - 1987 5-Film Collection is set to release on April 18 both on 4K Ultra HD Disc and digital.
The collection remasters Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, Superman III, and Superman IV in one package for the first time, using HDR to give the films a wider range of color than ever before. Each case containing the discs is also housed in a box with art that depicts Superman's crystalline Fortress of Solitude and the Man of Steel himself standing front and center. The discs are the definitive editions of each Superman film release, complete with not just the remasters, but TV spots, vintage Superman cartoons, making of featurettes for each film, TV specials, theatrical trailers, and every deleted scene from the five films.
Superman: The Movie has a legendary reputation, paving the way for superhero films to come and benefiting from an iconic run by Reeve as the Man of Steel and the creative guidance of Richard Donner at the helm. It was enough to earn Donner three Academy Award nominations and eventually earned the film a spot in the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2017. Superman II was a complicated case, however. Donner didn't see eye to eye with producers and was eventually fired from the film with a majority of it filmed, leaving Richard Lester to pick up the pieces. While Lester's Superman II works well in its own right, The Richard Donner Cut pieces together Donner's original creative vision, restoring footage that was originally cut and even changing some elements of the story, including bringing back Marlon Brando as Jor-El. Superman III and IV don't share the sterling reputation of their predecessors, but they are still crucial pieces to the full story of Reeve's Superman tenure.
Across the four films, Reeve got to star alongside some top-notch actors of the time. In addition to Reeve, Margot Kidder and Gene Hackman featured prominently in every film through their excellent performances as Lois Lane and Lex Luthor respectively. Other actors involved with the franchise throughout the years include Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Sarah Douglas, Jack O’Halloran, Valerie Perrine, Susannah York, Terrence Stamp, Richard Pryor, Annette O’Toole, and Robert Vaughn among others.
Pick Up the Superman 1978 - 1987 Collection for a Piece of DC History
The whole collection will set fans back $99.99, which isn't terrible considering the typical cost of 4K remasters. These films play a key role in the history of superhero films and the set revives them in their best state yet for future generations to see where the superhero craze began. For serious collectors, this box set is only the beginning too as an Amazon-exclusive steelbook edition of the collection including a Superman ‘78 #1 collectible comic book, photo book, 3D lenticular, and a certification of authenticity is also set to release. The individual films will also be sold separately in stores.
The Superman 1978 - 1987 5-Film Collection will be available for purchase digitally and physically on April 18. Check out the classic Superman: The Movie trailer below.