Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (partially lost original cut of DC superhero film sequel; 1987): Difference between revisions

From The Lost Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
mNo edit summary
(Cleaning up the writing, correcting errors and adding info.)
Line 5: Line 5:
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
}}
}}
''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' was the fourth film in the ''Superman'' movie franchise. Staring Christopher Reeves as Superman, the movie was released in theaters on July 24, 1987, to horrible reviews. '''Forty-five minutes of footage from ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' was cut from the movie following a failed test screening.''' Among the footage cut from the film was Superman fighting the villain Nuclear Man (played by Mark Pillow) fighting in a club. The design of Nuclear Man was significantly different from the final cut as he was said to reassemble the villain Bizzario. This further implies that the addition of Nuclear Man as a villain was done much later on during production. Also cut was a scene of Clark Kent visiting his parent's grave in Smallville. Despite many deleted getting released on the deluxe DVD edition of ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' in 2006, most of the deleted scenes have yet to be released.
''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987) was the fourth and final film in the original ''Superman'' movie franchise starring Christopher Reeve as Superman. Suffering greatly from budget cuts and a heavy-handed, implausible script, the film was released to wholly negative reviews and lacklustre box office. In a failed effort to salvage it, '''forty-five minutes of footage from the film was cut following a failed test screening.'''  


==Plot==
==Plot==
The film starts with Clark Kent inheriting the Kent family farm in Smallville. Upon returning to Metropolis, Clark Kent finds that the Daily Planet has been taken over by business tycoon David Warfield (Sam Wanamaker). Superman stops a nuclear arms race between the Soviet Union and the United States by going around Earth, collecting all of the nuclear warheads, and throwing them into the sun. Lex Luther breaks out of prison and steals a strand of Superman's hair from a museum.  
The film starts with Clark Kent pondering his decision to sell the family farm in Smallville. Upon returning to Metropolis, Kent finds that the Daily Planet has been bought out by business tycoon David Warfield. Meanwhile, a nuclear crisis is looming between the world's superpowers, forcing Superman to grapple with the question of interference in human affairs. Ultimately, he decides to intervene, working with all nations of the world to collect and destroy their nuclear missiles by hurling them into the Sun. At the same time, Clark is working to fend off the advances of Lacey Warfield, the tycoon's daughter and new publisher of the Planet.


Lex Luther (Gene Hackman) goes to the nations whose nuclear stockpile was destroyed by Superman, attaches the strand of Superman's hair to a missile, launches to the missile, the missile is then intercepted by Superman, thrown into the sun, causing a glowing ball of energy to discharge, and creates the movie's main villain Nuclear Man. Eventually, Nuclear Man makes his way to the Daily Planet where he kidnaps David Warfield's daughter Lacy (Mariel Hemingway) and goes into space. Superman flies from the moon causing an eclipse and nullifying Nuclear Man's powers. Nuclear Man is killed, while Lex Luther is subsequently captured and taken back to prison.
Lex Luthor, having been broken out of prison by his nephew Lenny, reacts to the newfound peace by setting himself up as a profiteer with the help of several shady international arms dealers. To protect their efforts (and, naturally, destroy Superman on general principles) Luthor also steals some of Superman's DNA and uses it to create an equally superpowered villain via cloning technology. This accounts for most of the cut footage, as the entire plot thread involving Luthor's first attempt at a 'Nuclear Man' - an utter failure whom Superman easily defeats - was excised from the film. Nuclear Man the second, a much more impressive model, is born when Luthor manages to attach the remaining Super-DNA to a missile heading into the Sun. Thus also gifted with radioactive powers, the newly reborn NM does in fact manage to seriously wound Superman in their first battle.


==Cast==
Superman is able to recover using the last vestige of Kryptonian power that had been hidden on the farm and sets out to re-engage Nuclear Man, who in the interim has developed a fixation on Lacey - the explanation for this being another casualty of the deleted plot thread wherein the original NM first met her. NM II, accordingly, kidnaps and whisks her into outer space (where she has no trouble breathing, and at one point is in freefall). Superman naturally rescues her and manages to defeat Nuclear Man; he then delivers a speech to the world's powers regretting his decision to intervene, and sees Luthor safely back behind bars, . As a coda, former publisher Perry White triumphantly announces that he has managed to buy the Daily Planet back from Warfield.
*Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent/Superman  
*Margot Kidder as Lois Lane
*Gene Hackman as Lex Luther
*Jackie Cooper as Perry White
*Clive Mantle as Nuclear Man (cut from the movie)
*Mark Pillow as Nuclear Man  
*Sam Wanamaker as David Warfield
*Mariel Hemingway as Lacy Warfield  


==Confirmed Changes==
==Confirmed Changes==
Due to reception from various test screenings, a few of the scenes for ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' were cut from the final film. The following scenes were cut and have not been released:
As a last-minute response to overwhelmingly negative reception from various test screenings, ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' was cut from two hours 15 min to 90 minutes, in an attempt to streamline the plot and focus more on the big setpiece battles. Unfortunately, as noted, this created some serious plot holes that did not help a film already struggling for credibility.<ref>[https://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=articles/unreleased-stuff2 A Superman fan site that talks about the deleted scenes from ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace''.] Retrieved 23 Dec '21</ref> <ref>[https://supermaniv.com/deletedscenes/ Another fansite list of the deleted scenes, including screenshots and info about their appearance in other media.]</ref>


*Clark Kent visits his parent's grave in Smallville where he places flowers on their tombstone.  
Among the major cuts and changes:
*Nuclear Man's overall design was changed from resembling Superman to the final design.
 
*Lacy slaps Nuclear Man after he gets out of a tanning booth.  
*Extended footage of Clark Kent's trip home to Smallville, including a scene in which he visits and places flowers on his parents' grave.
*Clive Mantle's role as Nuclear Man was cut and Mark Pillow was cast in his place.
*A montage combining new and repurposed footage of Clark (Kal-El) escaping Krypton as a baby, including Jor-El and Lara placing him in the rocket with the green glowing crystal he encounters in the finished film.
*Gene Hackman voice audio for ''Nuclear Man'' was cut and Mark Pillow voiced Nuclear Man along with playing Nuclear Man
*An extended scene of Clark waking up on the morning after his return to Metropolis, in which the earlier Krypton flashback is revealed as a dream. He hears news of the growing nuclear crisis on the radio, receives a phone message from Lois warning him not to be late for an important meeting (later revealed as Warfield's takeover announcement) and generally bumbles his way out the door as per usual.
*Dialogue between Lois Lane and Clark Kent in Club Metro as well as them dancing were cut.  
*A few moments of additional footage featuring Jeremy, a little boy whose letter to Superman asking him to solve the crisis kicks off the central plot dilemma. The scene in the finished film ends as soon as he suggests writing the letter to his classmates; the original scene extends to him starting to write the letter.
*Nuclear Man entering Club Metro and falling in love with Lois Lane was cut.  
*Extended footage of Lex and Lenny Luthor at the museum, where they steal Superman's hair from an exhibit.
*A fight between Superman and Nuclear Man in the Metro Club was cut.<ref>[https://www.supermanhomepage.com/tv/tv.php?topic=articles/unreleased-stuff2 A Superman fan site that talks about the deleted scenes from ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace''.] Retrieved 23 Dec '21</ref><ref>[https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/what-happened-to-superman-iv’s-nuclear-man--153703667.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAE4B7wAvIZBvWOB-glqpMhVZOXLKxh3zqxC6uxlbn8PUy_38ZSZq2lQGam-j7q7bUaFDZ9Stgs8ONxdSQIMWXhc6MUKIIOj13tHVHlvPIW3dwgkWN040gLvr6ulEm2Zfv9WOC9FBMZ9ZR4HatgEKZTHUpA6rm0bg4SHhZoKTI3MK An interview with Mark Pillow on Nuclear Man's reduction in ''Superman IV''.] Retrieved 23 Dec '21</ref>
*All of the lengthy subplot involving Clive Mantle as the original Nuclear Man, who encounters Clark and Lacey while the two are out on the town as part of a new Daily Planet feature 'Metropolis After Dark'. This NM was evidently designed to be reminiscent of DC villain Bizarro, an awkward, bumbling clone of Superman with most of the same powers but without intelligence. NM the first tries to romance an unwilling Lacey, and is easily dispatched by Superman, who tosses him into a power grid after a short battle, vaporising him. Afterward, we see Lenny Luthor collecting the ashes and returning them to Lex for a second try, explaining the 'organic material' that is later used in NM II's creation.
*A quick sequence of Lois and Lacey in a cafe prior to heading to the United Nations meeting. The two bond over their troubles with men.
*A second, much larger section of the plot thread involving Jeremy. In the final movie he is next seen as Superman joins him at the UN to announce his decision to destroy all nuclear weapons; an intervening scene in which Superman visits the boy's classroom to explain why he ''isn't'' going to interfere (thus explaining a later Daily Planet headline that adds weight to Superman's change of heart) was removed.
*Various extended shots of the UN representatives from various nations listening to Superman's speech.
*Nuclear Man's world tour of minor acts of destruction - intended to display his power and slow down Superman - originally began with a tornado destroying a small town; Christopher Reeve's daughter Alexandra plays a little girl he rescues. Possibly to extend the runtime to an acceptable length, this scene appears to have been kept (in various stages of editing) in least some overseas prints of the finished film, and the original TV version.  
*Another stop on the tour, after the two return from battling in space: Nuclear Man flies over a military parade in Moscow and re-activates a nuclear missile, aiming it at the crowd. Superman uses his ice breath to disarm the launcher. Again, this scene was kept in a number of versions, probably for the same reason.
*Changes to the second Nuclear Man's look and costume to tone down the resemblance to Superman. Additionally, Gene Hackman's original voice recordings for Nuclear Man's voice (as it was intended to resemble Luthor's) were scrapped and actor/model Mark Pillow voiced the character as well as playing him.<ref>[https://uk.movies.yahoo.com/what-happened-to-superman-iv’s-nuclear-man--153703667.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9lbi53aWtpcGVkaWEub3JnLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAE4B7wAvIZBvWOB-glqpMhVZOXLKxh3zqxC6uxlbn8PUy_38ZSZq2lQGam-j7q7bUaFDZ9Stgs8ONxdSQIMWXhc6MUKIIOj13tHVHlvPIW3dwgkWN040gLvr6ulEm2Zfv9WOC9FBMZ9ZR4HatgEKZTHUpA6rm0bg4SHhZoKTI3MK An interview with Mark Pillow on ''Superman IV''.] Retrieved 23 Dec '21</ref>
*Another quick setup sequence of Lois angrily calling Clark, receiving no answer, after Wakefield shows off the 'SUPERMAN DEAD?' headline on the next day's paper. This prompts her visit to him shortly after.
*In an early draft of the script, there was a short extension of the scene in which Luthor fires the arms dealers. He asks Nuclear Man II "what's to fear?". NM replies "Destiny!" upon which an upset Luthor grabs an umbrella and shades his creation (who loses power out of direct sunlight). It's unclear if this was filmed, but most likely was among the lines Hackman originally recorded.
*An alternate ending in which Superman shows up at Jeremy's school to take him flying. On their return to the ground, Jeremy excitedly reports to his classmates that there's no boundaries up there, "It's all one world!"


==Availability==
==Availability==
While some of the deleted for ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' were included on the deluxe DVD edition which was released in 2006, the other scenes were in the release. According to people who worked on the film many of the scenes that were cut did not do much if little to advance the overall plot. Thus their inclusion in future releases is not seen as crucial and probably not needed. Due to the low reception of the film, not many people see the necessity of the film, and ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' is overall a forgettable movie. As of now, the deleted scenes for ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' have yet to surface.
 
Given the overall reception of the film and its notably troubled production history (Cannon Films, the production studio, is long since bankrupt) there is very little interest at this point in a fully restored re-creation.  
 
However, many of the cut scenes - including those comprising Clark's morning routine, the first Nuclear Man and the extension of Jeremy's involvement - were already fully completed (including post-production effects) at the time they were removed, and have been made extensively available as deluxe DVD extras and on YouTube. They are also available on various fansites. Most of the rest survive as screenshots in scripts or in other media, including a comic book adaptation of the film.


==External Links==
==External Links==

Revision as of 00:03, 30 January 2022

S4-cemetery.jpeg

Superman at his parent's grave.

Status: Lost

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987) was the fourth and final film in the original Superman movie franchise starring Christopher Reeve as Superman. Suffering greatly from budget cuts and a heavy-handed, implausible script, the film was released to wholly negative reviews and lacklustre box office. In a failed effort to salvage it, forty-five minutes of footage from the film was cut following a failed test screening.

Plot

The film starts with Clark Kent pondering his decision to sell the family farm in Smallville. Upon returning to Metropolis, Kent finds that the Daily Planet has been bought out by business tycoon David Warfield. Meanwhile, a nuclear crisis is looming between the world's superpowers, forcing Superman to grapple with the question of interference in human affairs. Ultimately, he decides to intervene, working with all nations of the world to collect and destroy their nuclear missiles by hurling them into the Sun. At the same time, Clark is working to fend off the advances of Lacey Warfield, the tycoon's daughter and new publisher of the Planet.

Lex Luthor, having been broken out of prison by his nephew Lenny, reacts to the newfound peace by setting himself up as a profiteer with the help of several shady international arms dealers. To protect their efforts (and, naturally, destroy Superman on general principles) Luthor also steals some of Superman's DNA and uses it to create an equally superpowered villain via cloning technology. This accounts for most of the cut footage, as the entire plot thread involving Luthor's first attempt at a 'Nuclear Man' - an utter failure whom Superman easily defeats - was excised from the film. Nuclear Man the second, a much more impressive model, is born when Luthor manages to attach the remaining Super-DNA to a missile heading into the Sun. Thus also gifted with radioactive powers, the newly reborn NM does in fact manage to seriously wound Superman in their first battle.

Superman is able to recover using the last vestige of Kryptonian power that had been hidden on the farm and sets out to re-engage Nuclear Man, who in the interim has developed a fixation on Lacey - the explanation for this being another casualty of the deleted plot thread wherein the original NM first met her. NM II, accordingly, kidnaps and whisks her into outer space (where she has no trouble breathing, and at one point is in freefall). Superman naturally rescues her and manages to defeat Nuclear Man; he then delivers a speech to the world's powers regretting his decision to intervene, and sees Luthor safely back behind bars, . As a coda, former publisher Perry White triumphantly announces that he has managed to buy the Daily Planet back from Warfield.

Confirmed Changes

As a last-minute response to overwhelmingly negative reception from various test screenings, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace was cut from two hours 15 min to 90 minutes, in an attempt to streamline the plot and focus more on the big setpiece battles. Unfortunately, as noted, this created some serious plot holes that did not help a film already struggling for credibility.[1] [2]

Among the major cuts and changes:

  • Extended footage of Clark Kent's trip home to Smallville, including a scene in which he visits and places flowers on his parents' grave.
  • A montage combining new and repurposed footage of Clark (Kal-El) escaping Krypton as a baby, including Jor-El and Lara placing him in the rocket with the green glowing crystal he encounters in the finished film.
  • An extended scene of Clark waking up on the morning after his return to Metropolis, in which the earlier Krypton flashback is revealed as a dream. He hears news of the growing nuclear crisis on the radio, receives a phone message from Lois warning him not to be late for an important meeting (later revealed as Warfield's takeover announcement) and generally bumbles his way out the door as per usual.
  • A few moments of additional footage featuring Jeremy, a little boy whose letter to Superman asking him to solve the crisis kicks off the central plot dilemma. The scene in the finished film ends as soon as he suggests writing the letter to his classmates; the original scene extends to him starting to write the letter.
  • Extended footage of Lex and Lenny Luthor at the museum, where they steal Superman's hair from an exhibit.
  • All of the lengthy subplot involving Clive Mantle as the original Nuclear Man, who encounters Clark and Lacey while the two are out on the town as part of a new Daily Planet feature 'Metropolis After Dark'. This NM was evidently designed to be reminiscent of DC villain Bizarro, an awkward, bumbling clone of Superman with most of the same powers but without intelligence. NM the first tries to romance an unwilling Lacey, and is easily dispatched by Superman, who tosses him into a power grid after a short battle, vaporising him. Afterward, we see Lenny Luthor collecting the ashes and returning them to Lex for a second try, explaining the 'organic material' that is later used in NM II's creation.
  • A quick sequence of Lois and Lacey in a cafe prior to heading to the United Nations meeting. The two bond over their troubles with men.
  • A second, much larger section of the plot thread involving Jeremy. In the final movie he is next seen as Superman joins him at the UN to announce his decision to destroy all nuclear weapons; an intervening scene in which Superman visits the boy's classroom to explain why he isn't going to interfere (thus explaining a later Daily Planet headline that adds weight to Superman's change of heart) was removed.
  • Various extended shots of the UN representatives from various nations listening to Superman's speech.
  • Nuclear Man's world tour of minor acts of destruction - intended to display his power and slow down Superman - originally began with a tornado destroying a small town; Christopher Reeve's daughter Alexandra plays a little girl he rescues. Possibly to extend the runtime to an acceptable length, this scene appears to have been kept (in various stages of editing) in least some overseas prints of the finished film, and the original TV version.
  • Another stop on the tour, after the two return from battling in space: Nuclear Man flies over a military parade in Moscow and re-activates a nuclear missile, aiming it at the crowd. Superman uses his ice breath to disarm the launcher. Again, this scene was kept in a number of versions, probably for the same reason.
  • Changes to the second Nuclear Man's look and costume to tone down the resemblance to Superman. Additionally, Gene Hackman's original voice recordings for Nuclear Man's voice (as it was intended to resemble Luthor's) were scrapped and actor/model Mark Pillow voiced the character as well as playing him.[3]
  • Another quick setup sequence of Lois angrily calling Clark, receiving no answer, after Wakefield shows off the 'SUPERMAN DEAD?' headline on the next day's paper. This prompts her visit to him shortly after.
  • In an early draft of the script, there was a short extension of the scene in which Luthor fires the arms dealers. He asks Nuclear Man II "what's to fear?". NM replies "Destiny!" upon which an upset Luthor grabs an umbrella and shades his creation (who loses power out of direct sunlight). It's unclear if this was filmed, but most likely was among the lines Hackman originally recorded.
  • An alternate ending in which Superman shows up at Jeremy's school to take him flying. On their return to the ground, Jeremy excitedly reports to his classmates that there's no boundaries up there, "It's all one world!"

Availability

Given the overall reception of the film and its notably troubled production history (Cannon Films, the production studio, is long since bankrupt) there is very little interest at this point in a fully restored re-creation.

However, many of the cut scenes - including those comprising Clark's morning routine, the first Nuclear Man and the extension of Jeremy's involvement - were already fully completed (including post-production effects) at the time they were removed, and have been made extensively available as deluxe DVD extras and on YouTube. They are also available on various fansites. Most of the rest survive as screenshots in scripts or in other media, including a comic book adaptation of the film.

External Links


References