Anna Daniels
If you’ve seen 1980’s Superman II, then this one might confuse you at first because Gene Hackman — who played Lex Luthor in 1978’s Superman — did, in fact, appear as the cunning supervillain in the sequel, as well as in the colossal 1987 flop Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. However, while no other actors took over as Lex in Superman II, Hackman’s lack of cooperation with the production necessitated another kind of 11th-hour replacement.
There are a whole host of books, interviews, and even a 2006 documentary – You Will Believe: The Cinematic Saga of Superman – about the behind-the-scenes drama during the making of the first two Superman films. As it turns out, there was an ongoing, bitter conflict between the producers and director Richard Donner, culminating in Donner being fired from Superman II and replaced with Richard Lester.
According to Glen Weldon’s 2013 book Superman: The Unauthorized Biography, Donner commanded a great deal of respect and loyalty among the cast and crew. Some of the creative team refused to continue with Superman II after Donner’s firing, and Gene Hackman reportedly joined them in leaving the movie. While Hackman had finished all of his principal photography before Donner’s firing, reshoots were called for, and Hackman refused to return for them out of loyalty to the original director. As a result, Hackman was replaced by body and voice doubles for the reshoots.
Written by: Looper
