Hey everybody,

I don't know how many of you have heard yet, but sometime in the Fall and before Christmas, Warner Brothers will be releasing a 14 disc DVD set of Superman I - IV, and Superman Returns. Some of the things that will be included in the set are both the Theatrical Version and an Extended Cut of Superman The Movie, as well as the Theatrical and newly edited Donner Cut of Superman II.

Unfortunately, the same can not be said for Superman III or IV. In an online discussion, Warner Brothers stated that they have located all of the deleted footage from Superman IV, and while they are planning to present some of it in a deleted scenes section, they do not plan on including an Extended Cut of the film.

For anyone that isn't aware, the original version of Superman IV, that was shown in Test Screenings, was 134 minutes. However, by the time of it's Official Theatrical Release, the film was trimmed down to 89 minutes, leaving many loose ends. Some of the footage that was removed from the film included: Lex Luthor's first attempt at creating a Nuclear Man, which turned out more like Bizarro; Clark and Lacy's date at a Metropolis nightclub, where Superman encounters and battles the first Nuclear Man; Superman visiting Jeremy's school, and explaining why he can't help rid the Earth of Nuclear Weapons; Extended battle sequences between Superman and Nuclear Man.

In addition to this, Warner Brothers has made no mention of any plans for Superman III. Superman III also has a pretty fair amount of deleted footage, which is sometimes shown in various TV edits. I have actually seen a good deal of this footage, and must say I feel that it improves the film.

Now I realize that Superman III and IV are not regarded as highly as the first two films, and some fans will even say that they don't care for them. However, they are still part of the Superman legacy, and shouldn't be ignored, especially in a 14 disc set. I'm sure that I'm not the only one, who would like to see Extended Cuts of all four films included in this collection.

I wanted to let everyone know that I have recently started a petition, asking Warner Brothers to please include both the original 134 minute version of Superman IV, as it was seen in Test Screenings, and a Special Extended Cut of Superman III in the upcoming DVD Release. I don't know if it will make any difference, but it couldn't hurt, and it's worth a try. I hope to get about 10,000 signatures by the end of August, then sending it to Warner Brothers Home Video Department.

The petition can be viewed and signed at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/smec34/petition.html

You may have to type the address out, I'm not sure his will show up as a link. Or you can visit www.petitiononline.com and enter extended cuts of Superman III & IV in the search area. Any help spreading the word would be tremendously appreciated. I hope you'll all sign it, and tell everyone you know to do the same. Thanks.