2015 Movie News Archives

August 13, 2015: Australian Premiere of "The Death of 'Superman Lives'; What Happened?"

TDOSLWH On Wednesday night here in Sydney, I attended the Australian premiere of "The Death of 'Superman Lives'; What Happened?", the full-length documentary about the never-made Tim Burton film starring Nicolas Cage as Superman.

Director Jon Schnepp and Producer Holly Payne flew out from the USA to attend the screening, and participate in a Q&A panel afterwards. I'd interviewed Jon twice on "Radio KAL Live!" over the past few years, and was looking forward to meeting he and Holly in person.

The premiere was held at the Hayden Orpheum cinema in Cremorne, a retro-style theatre with art deco stylings that was in itself worth the trip. My sister Carolyn and I lined up behind the large crowd that was preparing to enter Cinema 5 for the screening, found a couple of good seats and waited with anticipation.

The documentary itself, which runs for about 2 hours, is a fascinating insight into what could have been. Far from being the joke that many people think it would have been, "Superman Lives" could have been the most astounding and visually stunning superhero film ever made. It may well have been a critical flop, but it also could have been a cult classic. It's really hard to judge which way it would have gone.

Jon Schnepp not only managed to dig up a wealth of information, visual art, physical models and archival video footage, but he's put it together in such a way that the collection of it all is both hilarious, intriguing and sometimes poignant.

Jon and Holly After the screening, Jon and Holly took to the stage area in front of the big screen, where they spoke about the documentary, answered questions, and spoke at length about the stories behind the stories. The Q&A nearly went for as long as the documentary itself, with Jon and Holly only too eager to speak about their personal experiences making the film. They're both engaging speakers who have an obvious passion for their craft while also being fans themselves.

At around 11pm the Q&A wrapped up and the audience filed out, some to buy the DVD/Blu-ray of the documentary, others just to meet Jon and Holly to congratulate them on their film. Earlier in the day I'd messaged Jon to welcome him to Australia and tell him how much I was looking forward to the screening. Halfway through the screening of the film, my iPhone buzzed in my pocket, and a quick glance at it revealed a reply from Jon telling me to make sure I came up to him after the screening to introduce myself in person.

Eventually making my way forward through the line, I arrived at the table he and Holly were sitting at, introduced myself, took a quick photo, had a brief chat, and soon after exited the Hayden Orpheum with my "The Death of 'Superman Lives'; What Happened?" Blu-ray in hand, a signed movie poster and display card.

I haven't had a chance to open the Blu-ray yet, but I'm looking forward to sitting down to watch the Special Features. Although it won't be in one sitting, as I believe there are around 8 hours of bonus material, on top of the documentary itself, included on the disc.

Jon and Holly with Steve Younis As a Superman fan you'll be amazed at how close we got to getting what would have been a Superman movie like no other. The interviews are so interesting. It's crazy to think that Jon Schnepp had completed the film before Jon Peters agreed to be interviewed, because Peters steals the show. His inclusion, the things he says, the way they tie in with what others reveal about him and the project... It's both laugh-out-loud funny and a little bit scary.

"The Death of 'Superman Lives'; What Happened?" is not only an interesting insight into the Superman movie we never saw, but also a peak behind the curtain of how Hollywood works... and doesn't work.

Do yourself a favor. Go to TDOSLWH.com and purchase the DVD or Blu-ray of the documentary.

Steve Younis



2015 Movie News

Listed below are all the Movie News items archived for 2015 organized into various categories:

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” Movie News:

“Justice League” Movie News: “Justice League: Throne of Atlantis” Movie News: “Justice League: Gods and Monsters” Animated Movie News: LEGO Animated Movie News: Christopher Reeve Movie News: Other Movie News:

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