“Don’t ever forget”- Lois Lane to Superman in Richard Donner’s SUPERMAN II

*updated*
Recently Warner Brothers has announced the release of a new ultra-set of Superman DVDs. This set is to include the Richard Donner version of the film.
For those of you who don’t know the history of Richard Donner with this film let me give you some cliff notes.

Richard was hired by the Salkinds to direct Superman and Superman II. The two films were to be shot simultaneously with Donner at the helm. The Executive producers, The Salkinds, agreed that Dick Donner should direct both films. But lurking in the shadows was another Dick. Hiding under the title Associate Producer was Richard Lester Director of A HARD DAYS NIGHT. Lester was present on set during the filming. Lesters’ only true job was to report back to the Salkinds on Richard Donners progress. When the production fell behind schedule and began going over budget it was Lester who suggested they halt production on SUPERMAN II and finish SUPERMAN in order to meet their release date.
The first film was finished but The Salkinds didn’t like what they had heard from the mole, Richard Lester. The Salkinds fired Richard Donner and hired a NEW director to finish the second film.
Who did they hire?
Richard Lester, the mole.
This caused a huge disruption on set. The news of Donners termination was not well received by anyone on the project (except for Lester and the Salkinds who only talked to Lester.) Gene Hackman walked off the set never to return. Lester had to complete the film without him by using photo doubles and voice impersonators.
So Richard Lester goes on to finish the second film using the footage Donner had shot and reworked the Mario Puzo penned script in order to get the second film out in time for its release date.

There has been much speculation on who REALLY did direct SUPERMAN II. So much so that a project was started a few years back to locate all the existing footage from this movie and assemble an ultimate version if you will. This was a massive undertaking. When all the footage was brought together from all over the world the answer was clear.

WHO DIRECTED SUPERMAN II?

With all the footage put together including the main and end titles, Richard Donner’s footage falls short of 50% of the film by minutes. All the footage that can be used to make a coheasive story that is.
Richard Lester must be billed as the Director.
While I would much like to see the movie Donner envisioned I dont think it is possible. Unless you fill in the missing action with storyboards or animatics and that cannot be considered a final Donner approved version... can it? Oh wait...
There is a way...

Donner directed and completed two key segments that were never shown to the public. Segment one is an alternate version of Lois Lane figuring out Clark is Superman. Instead of it happining at Niagra Falls it happens at the Daliy Planet. By her drawing a hat and glasses onto a picture of Superman that appears on the front page of the newspaper. She confronts Clark and jumps out the window in the hopes Superman will save her. Instead Clark simply puckers up and does a super blow to ensure that Lois lands on something safe... a fruit vending cart instead of the sidewalk full of pedestrians. (LOIS IS NUTS )

The second and most interesting Donner scene never shown is the Marlon Brando scene. After Superman gives up his powers just so he can screw Lois Lane he returns to the fortress of solitude to regain his powers. He finds the green crystal and activates it. JOR EL, his father, appears in the flesh. This reinforces the fact that these are not recordings of his parents but indeed their essence. JOR EL can and does transfer all his power Cal El, Superman. In a sense he commits suicide to give his powers to his enfeebled son. The interesting thing is that the original Donner version did not have Superman give up his powers simply because he wanted to fuck Lois. The original way he lost the power was quite different. Remember back in Superman:The movie where Superman saves Lois by somehow reversing time and saving her from being buried alive in the earthquake? There was a Big Marlon Brando floating head that said "It is forbidden for you to interfere with human history" Well, he wasn't kidding. In the Donner version of the sequel Superman is stripped of his powers because he saved Lois. He is forced into the chamber as punishment for what he had done. I dont believe that sequence was ever completed.

So there you go.Those two sequences alone could bring the total Donner footage up to the 70% mark. But again these scenes can not be put in without taking away several plot points filmed by Lester.
With all that footage reinserted this may indeed tip the scales and a Donner version may be possible.

It just wont make any sense thats all.