November 28, Warner Home Video will release "Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut", a revised version of director Richard Lester's 1980 sequel to Richard Donner's "Superman: The Movie".
Donner was replaced midway through "Superman II" with Lester, the noted UK director of The Beatle's "A Hard Day's Night", "Help!" and "The Three Musketeers" (1973), a big box office hit for the Salkind production team.
In 1978, the Salkinds hired Lester as an uncredited producer for "Superman: The Movie", to film back to back with "Superman II".
After the first film was released in 1978, the Salkinds released Donner from "Superman II", replacing him with Lester, who re-shot an estimated 75% of the film, resulting in his director's credit.
The Donner footage was later 'intregrated' into TV versions of the film with Lester's footage.
The version of "Superman II", now being prepared for the DVD, features Donner's never used original footage including a never-before-seen beginning, different ending and 15 more minutes of actor Marlon Brando as 'Jor-El'.
