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The fictional character Superman, a comic book superhero featured in DC Comics publications, has appeared in various films since his inception.  After being introduced to cinemas first in a series of animated cartoon shorts in 1941, and two serials in 1948 and 1950, the first Superman feature film, Superman and the Mole Men, starring George Reeves, was released in 1951.

Ilya and Alexander Salkind and Pierre Spengler purchased the Superman film rights in 1974.  After numerous scripts, Richard Donner was hired to direct the film, filmingSuperman (1978) and Superman II (1980) simultaneously.  Donner had already shot eighty percent of Superman II with Christopher Reeve before it was decided to finish shooting the first film.  The Salkinds fired Donner after Superman's release, and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish Superman II.  Lester also returned forSuperman III (1983), and the Salkinds further produced the 1984 spin-off Supergirl before selling the rights to Cannon Films, resulting in the critically panned Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).  Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth Superman script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights entirely in 1993.

Over the course of eleven years Warner Bros. would develop and then cancel Tim Burton's Superman Lives, which would have starred Nicolas Cage, Wolfgang Petersen'sBatman vs. Superman, and the J. J. Abrams scripted Superman: Flyby, which went between directors Joseph "McG" Nichols and Brett Ratner. The studio hired Bryan Singer to take over the franchise in 2004, releasing Superman Returns in 2006, which starred newcomer Brandon Routh. Donner's directors cut 


Superman in Film

for Superman II was also released that year. Despite positive reviews, Warner Bros. was disappointed with the financial performance of Superman Returns, and canceled Singer's proposed sequel. The studio nearly went in production of a Justice League film with George Miller directing and D.J. Cotrona as Superman, but it was shelved in 2008 and the film series was rebooted in 2013 withMan of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan. Henry Cavill will reprise the role of Superman in 2016 with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.