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2008 Movie News Archives

April 10, 2008: Christopher Reeve Quote on “Superman V”

It's amazing how things snowball. In recent months we've seen a few items posted on the internet pertaining to what (back in the early 1990s) looked like being a possible fifth Superman movie starring Christopher Reeve.

In a 2006 Superman Homepage exclusive interview, Ilya Salkind revealed that he'd written the story for "Superman V" (also known as "Superman: The New Movie" and "Superman Reborn") with "Superboy" writers Bates and Jones.

A draft script written by Cary Bates, Ilya Salkind, and Mark Jones titled "Superman Reborn" in 1992 was posted online by SupermanCinema.co.uk earlier this year.

Then, thanks to Ilya Salkind, we presented 1991 footage from "Live with Regis and Kathie Lee" in which Christopher Reeve talked about the license being back with the Salkinds and movement on a fifth movie... which sadly never came to be.

Now, we've come across a "Just for Variety" column (shown above right) written by Army Archerd from November 15, 1990, in which Christopher Reeve reveals having met with Ilya Salkind and having been handed a script for "Superman V".

He admits unhappiness over "Superman IV," made by Cannon and Golan-Globus. "Ilya and Alexander Salkind have a fondness and respect for 'Superman,'" Reeve said. "They have a sense about it - to do it right. I have a lot of faith in the Salkinds to put on film what's on paper."

So - will he do it? "It could go either way," he admitted. "The idea would be to go out in a blaze of glory." As the final "Superman"? We recall what Sylvester Stallone answered when asked if "Rocky V" is the last: "It's not written in stone"...

As we all know, "Superman V" or "Superman Reborn" never eventuated, and in May 1995, Christopher Reeve was paralyzed in an accident during an equestrian competition, before passing away on October 11, 2004.