W2m Network

Original Airdate 6/18/13 - This episode has been edited from it's original broadcast.To celebrate the release of Man of Steel we look at the entire Christopher Reeve Superman franchise in a special 2-hour + podcast! It features the usual hosts of Mark Radulich and Sean Comer and they are joined by Robert Winfree and Robert Cooper.In 1973, producer Ilya Salkind convinced his father Alexander to buy the film rights to Superman. They hired Mario Puzo to pen a two-film script, and negotiated with Steven Spielberg to direct, though Alexander eventually landed on someone else. Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980) were shot simultaneously.For the third installment, Ilya Salkind wrote a treatment that expanded the film's scope to a cosmic scale, introducing villains Brainiac and Mister Mxyzptlk, as well as Supergirl. Warner Bros., however, rejected and retooled the script into their own film, trimming Brainiac down into the film's evil "ultimate computer". The final product co-starred comedian Richard Pryor as comp