{{Infobox Film
| name           = Superman film series
| image          = Theultimatesupermancollection.jpg
| image_size     = 
| caption        = Superman Ultimate Collector's Edition 
| director       = Richard Donner (''Superman & Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut'') <br> Richard Lester (''Superman II & III'') <br> Sidney J. Furie (''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'') <br> Bryan Singer (''Superman Returns'')
| producer       = Alexander Salkind & Ilya Salkind (Superman I, II & III) <br> Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus  (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)  <br> Jon Peters (Superman Returns)
| writer         = 
| music          = John Williams (Superman, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut) <br> Ken Thorne (Superman II & III) <br> Alexander Courage ( Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) <br> John Ottman ( Superman Returns)
| cinematography = Geoffrey Unsworth (Superman, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut) <br> Robert Paynter (Superman II, III) <br> Ernest Day (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) <br> Newton Thomas Sigel (Superman Returns)
| editing        = Stuart Baird (Superman) <br> John Victor-Smith (Superman II, III) <br> John Shirley (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace) <br> John Ottman (Superman Returns)
| distributor    = Warner Bros. (Superman, II, III, Returns) Cannon Films ''(in association with Warner Bros.)'' (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
| released       = 1978-2006
| runtime        = 
| country        = 
| language       = English
| budget         = (Superman: $55,000,000) <br> (Superman II: 54,000,000) <br> (Superman III: 30,000,000) <br> (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace: 17,000,000 ''estimated'') <br> (Superman Returns: 204,000,000)
| website        = 
| amg_id         = 
| imdb_id        = 
}}

The '''''Supergirl'') based on the fictional DC comics character of the same name. The series was conceived in 1973 under producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind. Between these and other producers, five films were made as of 2006.  

The original four Man of Steel films starred reboot the series followed. For 19 years, the series was stuck in Batman'' and ''Batman Returns'', and Nicolas Cage were once attached to the series for production of ''Superman Lives'', a cancelled film that created many rumours and tension for the studio. After ''Superman Lives'' was cancelled and several unsuccessful attempts were pitched, Bryan Singer directed ''Superman Returns'' in 2006, a semi-sequel to the first two Reeve films.

== Reeve series ==
===''Superman'' (1978)===

thumb|200px|left|[[Christopher Reeve as Superman.]]
In 1973, producer Alexander to buy the rights to Superman. They hired Jaws'' went over budget.<ref name="one on one"></ref> Marlon Brando and Gene Hackman signed on to play Jor-El and Lex Luthor respectively, and Guy Hamilton was hired to direct. However, Brando was faced with an obscenity lawsuit in Italy over ''Last Tango in Paris'', so they couldn't shoot there, but Hamilton was unable to shoot in England as he had been violating his tax payments. The Salkinds chose their star over their director, and Richard Donner was hired. Donner hired Tom Mankiewicz to polish the script, giving it a serious feel with Christ-like overtones.<ref name="believe"></ref>

Christopher Reeve was cast as Superman, having initially failed to impress the Salkinds before bulking up.<ref name="one on one"/> Brando meanwhile, despite spending less than two weeks on the shoot,<ref name="one on one"/> and not even reading the script until then,<ref name="believe"/> earned $3.7 million up front, plus 11.75% of the gross profits from the film.<ref name="one on one"/> The film was a success both critically and commercially, being released during the Christmas season of 1978; it did not have much competition, leading the producers to believe that this was one factor in the film's success.<ref>''Pierre Spangler, Look up in the Sky! The Amazing Story of Superman.''</ref>

===''Superman II'' (1980)===

Shooting of the two films was marred by Donner's bad relationship with the Salkinds, with Richard Lester acting as mediator.<ref name="believe"/> With the film going over-budget, the filmmakers decided to temporarily cease production of ''II'' and move that film's climax into the first film.<ref name="one on one"/><ref name="believe"/> Despite ''Superman'''s success, Donner (whatever the case might have been) did not return to finish ''Superman II'',<ref name="believe"/> and they replaced him with Lester, who gave the film a more tongue-in-cheek tone. They also cut Brando for financial reasons, while John Williams quit as composer as he turned his attention to other projects.<ref name="one on one"/> Still, ''II'' was a financial and critical success, despite its main competition in 1981, Steven Spielberg's ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''.

===''Superman III'' (1983)===

For the third installment, Ilya Salkind wrote a treatment that expanded the scope to a cosmic scale, introducing the villains Brainiac and Mr. Mxyzptlk, as well as  Supergirl.<ref name="believe"/> The original outline featured a bizarre father-daughter relationship between Brainiac and Supergirl, which led to an even more bizarre romance between Superman and Supergirl, as the two were cousins in the comics. [http://www.supermancinema.co.uk/superman3/general/script/s3_original_idea.pdf] Warner Bros. rejected it, instead turning ''Superman III'' into a showcase for co-star Richard Pryor as computer wizard Gus Gorman, who under the manipulation of a millionaire magnate, creates a form of Kryptonite that turns the Man of Steel into an evil self. The re-tooled script<ref name="believe"/> parred Brainiac down into the film's evil "ultimate computer",<ref name="one on one"/> and despite the film's success many fans were disappointed, in particular with Pryor's performance diluting the serious tone of the previous films, as well as controversy over the depiction of the evil Superman.<ref name="believe"/>

===''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' (1987)===

Cannon films picked up an option for a fourth Superman/Reeve film, with Reeve reprising the role due to his interest in the film's topic regarding nuclear weapons. However, Cannon decided to cut the budget of ''Superman IV: The Quest for Peace'' from $35 million to $17 million, and the poor special effects and heavy re-editing led to the film's poor reception.<ref name="return"></ref> Warner Bros. decided to give the franchise a break following the mixed reception of the last two Superman films.<ref name="believe"/>

==Failed projects==
===''Superman V''===
After the failure of ''Ilya and Alexander Salkind.<ref name=White>{{cite news|author =Mike White|title=''Superman'': Grounded|publisher=Cashiers du Cinemart|date=|url= 
http://www.impossiblefunky.com/archives/issue_15/15_superman.asp?IshNum=15|accessdate= 2008-02-03 }}</ref> After having produced ''Superboy'', Ilya was inspired to produce another Mark Jones.<ref name=Salkind> </ref>

The story had Superman dying and resurrecting in the shrunken, bottled Kryptonian city of Kandor. The premise of Superman's death and rebirth coincidentally predated ''The Death of Superman''. Salkind, Bates and Jones developed two drafts of the script, with Christopher Reeve set to reprise the leading role.<ref name=Salkind/><ref></ref>

===''Superman Reborn''===
</ref>}}

Upon viewing the success of ''commercial film, claiming he was primarily advised to perform the script in a style for the new teenage generation of the 1990s. In addition major toy companies insisted on seeing Lemkin's screenplay before the deadline of the Star Wars'' and ''The Lion King''.<ref name=lionwars></ref>

Lemkin's script (also titled ''Superman Reborn'') featured Doomsday. When he professes his love to her, his life force jumps between them, just as he dies, impregnating Lois.<!--Immaculate conception (as used on other sites) doesn't refer to conception without intercourse, so it's wrong to use it here--> She gives birth to a child who grows 21 years in three weeks, and is essentially, the resurrected Superman. Warner Bros. was overly disappointed with the script, feeling it contained underlying themes with ''Batman Forever'' (1995).<ref name=forever></ref> 

Peters brought in Rosewood'' (1997),<ref name=Doomsday>Hughes, p.175</ref> with his script (dated December 20, 1995) introducing Brainiac creating Doomsday, infused with The Force). Other villains included Parasite and Beetlejuice Goes Hawaiian''.<ref name=Gross2></ref> One of the projects that caught Smith's eye was ''Superman Reborn'', and he later convinced Warner Bros. to let him write the screenplay, thinking Poirier's draft didn't respect the Superman comic book properly.<ref name=Doomsday/>

===''Superman Lives''===
thumb|175px|right|Teaser poster that premiered at [[American International Toy Fair in 1997,<ref name=White/> designed by Sylvain Despretz<ref name=Despretz>Hughes, p.181</ref>]]

blur in flight, creating a giant spider in the third act. Nevertheless, Smith accepted the terms, realizing that he was not being hired for his vision, but to execute a pre-ordained idea.<ref name=Black/> Peters and Warner Bros. forced Smith to write a scene involving Brainiac fighting polar bears at the Chewie's cuddly, man. You could make a toy out of him, so you've got to give me a dog."<ref name=Gross2/> Smith claims this was because of the recent re-release of the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, saying that Peters wanted Brainiac's robot assistant L-Ron to be voiced by Dwight Ewell, calling him, "a gay R2-D2 with attitude."<ref name=Gross2/> Peters was able to recycle his giant spider idea in ''Wild Wild West'' (1999), a film he produced.<ref>Hughes, p.185</ref>

Smith's draft (titled ''Superman Lives'') had Brainiac sending Doomsday to kill Superman, as well as blocking out the sun to make Superman powerless (Superman's energy is fueled by sunlight). Brainiac teams with Mercy, Jason Lee as Brainiac and Jason Mewes as Jimmy Olsen.<ref></ref>

Batman'' and ''Batman Returns''), he would only reply, ''"Not exactly."''<ref></ref> Industrial Light & Magic was set for work on special effects.<ref name=ILM>Hughes, p.184</ref>

thumb|175px|right|Design for the Superman suit by James Carson and Sylvain Despretz<ref name=Despretz/>

It was announced in April 1997 that filming would begin early-1998.<ref></ref> That June, ''Superman Lives'' entered pre-production,<ref name=conceive/> with an art department employed under production designer Rick Heinrichs.<ref name=effort/> Burton decided to hire an episode of ''The Death and Return of Superman'', Strick claimed he understood some of the elements of Smith's script. Strick's rewrite featured Superman questioning his existence and abilities, thinking of himself to be an outsider on Earth. In his wake he's threatened by Brainiac and Lex Luthor, and the two amalgamate into "Lexiac," what Strick called ''"a schizo/scary mega-villain."''<ref name=tinkerbell>Hughes, p.180</ref> Superman is later resurrected by the power of 'K', a natural force representing the spirit of Krypton, as Superman defeats Lexiac.<ref name=tinkerbell/> (The Lex Luthor-Brainiac amalgate concept was used in an episode of ''Justice League Unlimited'').

Art designer Sylvain Despretz claimed the art department was assigned to create something that had little or nothing to do with the Superman comic book. Despretz also claimed that Peters ''"would bring kids in, who would rate the drawings on the wall as if they were evaluating the toy possibilities. It was basically a toy show!"''<ref name=Despretz/> Peters saw a cover of ''National Geographic'', containing a picture of a skull, going to art department workers, telling them he wanted the design for Brainiac's space ship to have the same image. Burton gave Despretz a concept drawing for Brainiac, which Despretz claims was ''"a cone with a round ball on top, and something that looked like a emaciated skull inside. Imagine you take Merlin's hat, and you stick a fish bowl on top, with a skull in it."''<ref name=skull>Hughes, p.183</ref> Concept artist Rolf Mohr claimed he designed a suit for The Eradicator for a supposed scene when he turns into a flying vehicle.<ref></ref> At one point, Peters wanted to have the Eradicator to carry a certain "Eradicator Stick," claiming he had visions for images of posters and toys coming out contain the Stick.<ref name=lionwars/>

Burton chose Metropolis,<ref name=skull/> while Sleepy Hollow''.<ref name=contract/> At this point in production, $30 million was spent, with nothing to show for it.<ref name=ILM/> To this day, Burton has depicted the experience of ''Superman Lives'' as one of the worst experiences in his life, citing various differences with Peters and the studio, stating, ''"I basically wasted a year. A year is a long time to be working with somebody that you don't really want to be working with."''<ref></ref>

===Aftermath===
Warner Bros. enlisted the aid of Dan Gilroy to rewrite Wesley Strick's script as a means to lower the $190 million budget, which he brought down to $100 million. However, Warner Bros. was still less willing to heavily move forward on production, due to financial reasons with other film properties,<ref></ref> having Gilroy turn in two drafts.<ref name=Gross3></ref> Disappointed by the lack of progress on the film's production, aspiring screenwriter/comic book fan Alex Ford was able to have a script of his (titled ''Superman: The Man of Steel'') get accepted at the studio's offices in September 1998. Ford pitched his idea for a film series consisting of seven films, and his approach impressed Jon Peters and Warner Bros., though he was later given a farewell due to creative differences.<ref name=White/> On the experience, Ford quoted, "I can tell you they don't know much about comics. Their audience isn't you and me who pay $7.00. It's for the parents who spend $60 on toys and lunchboxes. It is a business, and what's more important, the $150 million at the box office or the $600 million in merchandising?"<ref name=Gross3/> 

With the Gilroy script, Peters offered the director's position to Lobo as the main villain, but the studio did not proceed with further involvement.<ref name=Attanasio>Hughes, p.186</ref> Oliver Stone was then approached to direct Wisher's script, but declined,<ref name=White/> while in April 2001, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' revealed Paul Attanasio was hired to completely start on a new script, earning a salary of $1.7 million.<ref name=Attanasio/>

===''Batman vs. Superman''===

'''''Superman''''' est une saga américaine mettant en scène le super-héros Superman composée de :
*Superman'' un serial en 15 chapitres interprété par Kirk Alyn et Noel Neill<!--; recounts origin story; then fights the Spider Lady-->.
*1950: ''Atom Man vs. Superman'' un serial en 15 parties interprété par Kirk Alyn, Noel Neill et Lyle Talbot.<!-- Fights Atom Man / Lex Luthor.-->
*1951: ''Superman and the Mole Men'', film interprété par George Reeves et Phyllis Coates.
<!--*U.S. Treasury.-->

* ''1979) de Richard Donner
* ''1980-1981) de Richard Lester
* ''1983) de Richard Lester
* ''1987) de Sidney J. Furie
* ''2006) de Bryan Singer
La saga comprend les films en préparation :
* ''L'Homme d'Acier'' de Bryan Singer
* ''Superman VII''  de Bryan Singer
Les acteurs ayant enfilé le costume au célèbre ''"S"'' sont Kirk Alyn, George Reeves, Christopher Reeve (quatre films) et Brandon Routh,  tandis que les actrices ayant incarné Lois Lane sont Noel Neill, Phyllis Coates, Margot Kidder (quatre  films) et Kate Bosworth. 

Ces films ne sont autre que l'adaptation des comics homonymes.

=Superman I • II • III • IV • V=
==Synopsis==

La planète Krypton est sur le point d'exploser. Jor-El, grand scientifique, ne peut cependant convaincre personne de ce drame imminent. Il décide de sauver son fils unique, Kal-El, en le plaçant dans une sonde spatiale afin qu'il puisse quitter la planète avant sa fin. Kal-El arrive sur la planète Terre, où il se fait recueillir aux États-Unis par un vieux couple, les Kent, qui l'élèvent et le rebaptisent "Clark". Alors qu'il grandit, Clark/Kal-El découvre que, du fait de sa nature extraterrestre, il possède des pouvoirs surhumains. Clark décide alors de combattre le mal et le danger sous toutes leurs formes, en tant que Superman, l'Homme d'Acier.
===Détails===
* Titre français : ''Superman''
* Titre original : ''Superman''
* Pays d'origine : 
* Format : Couleur, 35 mm
* Catégorie : Super-héros
* Genres : Drame, science-fiction

{|border="0" align="center" style="border: 1px solid #999; background-color:#FFFFFF"
|-align="center" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!'''#'''
!'''Titre'''
!'''Sous-titre'''
!'''Réalisateur'''
!'''Sortie '''
!'''Sortie '''
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
||'''1'''||''|''The Movie''||[[Richard Donner||1978||1979
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
||'''2'''||''|''The Adventure Continues''||[[Richard Lester||1981||1980
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
||'''3'''||''|''Superman vs. Superman''||[[Richard Lester||1983||1983
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
||'''4'''||''|''Le Face-à-Face (The Quest for Peace)''||[[Sidney J. Furie||1987||1987
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
||'''5'''||''|''The New Superman''||[[Christopher Reeve||1992 (abandonné)||1992 (abandonné)
|-bgcolor="#EFEFEF"
|}
# ''Superman I'' remporta un immense succès lors de sa sortie, tant l'adaptation des comics était attendue et le casting ambitieux. Le film raconte comment Superman devient le super-héros qu'il est aujourd'hui de sa naissance sur Krypton à sa première "mission" contre Lex Luthor. Christopher Reeve se fit connaître (et est encore aujourd'hui connu) pour ce rôle.
# ''Superman II'' avait commencé à être tourné à la fin du premier, toujours sous la direction de Richard Donner mais les studios l'écartèrent du projet, ce qui poussa Marlon Brando à partir également et à demander que toutes les scènes déjà tournées avec lui soient supprimées. Beaucoup de scènes ont donc été retournées et le père de Superman est remplacé par sa mère lors des flash-back. Le réalisateur fut Richard Lester et le film reprend la trame des trois prisonniers perdus dans l'espace au début du premier film.
# ''Superman III'' sort trois ans après. Cette fois, Richard Lester ne reprend pas le travail d'un autre et s'adonne à la comédie via Richard Pryor ainsi qu'à un combat intérieur entre Clark Kent et Superman et un bon Superman contre un méchant. La trame de ce troisième volet s'étend également sur la jeunesse de Clark à Smallville. Lois Lane n'apparait que cinq minutes à l'écran en punition de la mauvaise réaction de l'actrice Margot Kidder suite à l'arrivée de Richard Lester sur le second film.
# ''1987 et marque le grand retour de Lex Luthor (incarné par Gene Hackman), absent dans le troisième film, tandis que le reste du casting est identique aux films précédants. La réalisation fut proposée à Richard Donner (premier film) et Richard Lester (deuxième et troisième films) ainsi qu'à Wes Craven avant de finir entre les mains de Sidney J. Furie. Superman y combat l'Homme Nucléaire, son clone invincible créé par Lex Luthor.
# ''1992 et devait reprendre les 44 minutes coupées du quatrième film mais fut annulé.
==Distribution==
===Production===
* Scénario : Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Mario Puzo
* Musique : John Williams
* Production : Alexander Salkind, Pierre Spengler
* Sociétés de production : Warner Bros.
===Distribution===
* Christopher Reeve : Superman / Clark Kent / Kal-El
* Margot Kidder : Lois Lane
* Gene Hackman : Lex Luthor
* Annette O'Toole : Lana Lang
* Marlon Brando : Jor-El
* Terence Stamp : Zod
* Sarah Douglas : Ursa
* Jack O'Halloran : Non
* Jackie Cooper : Perry White
* Marc McClure : Jimmy Olsen
* Richard Pryor : Gus Gorman