Reeve's earnest Superman is the definitive version and he remains the standard by which all other actors who have played the Man of Steel are judged.
The first two Superman movies, which were produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, were global blockbusters. Donner's original film innovated the special effects technology that made audiences believe Superman could really fly, and the first two films are wildly imaginative and heartfelt adventures that pioneered the modern superhero movie. Unfortunately, Superman movies had run their course and they sold the rights to Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus of Cannon Films.
However, the Cannon Films-produced return of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor, Superman IV was an embarrassment to everyone involved and grossed a paltry $36-million worldwide. With Superman IV crashing and burning, there was virtually no chance Reeve would agree to return for Superman V.
Despite their failure, Cannon Films did intend to make Superman V at one point and earmarked Reeve to return as the Man of Steel. Cannon's plan was to take an even cheaper route and cobble together 45 minutes of unused footage from Superman IV as the basis for a fifth movie. However, nothing came of it, and Cannon, which was in the red after numerous cinematic failures, folded in the early 1990s. The movie rights to Superman reverted back to the Salkinds, but they created a Superboy TV series instead of a movie.
Still, in 1991, screenwriter Cary Bates pitched an idea for Superman V to Alexander and Ilya Salkind, which would star Christopher Reeve once more. Bates' plan was to ignore Superman III and IV (something Bryan Singer also chose to do when he directed Superman Returns, despite an infamous attempt by Warners to make Superman Lives starring Nicolas Cage and directed by Tim Burton.
In 1995, Christopher Reeve suffered a tragic accident when he was thrown from his horse during an equestrian competition. The accident left Reeve a quadriplegic, although he heroically persevered. Following his rehabilitation, Reeve became a champion for stem cell research, spinal cord research, and people with disabilities, establishing the Christopher Reeve Foundation (which is now the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation). Reeve also returned to acting and he even appeared in season 2 of Smallville, where he ed the torch to the small screen's newest Man of Steel, Tom Welling. Christopher Reeve died on October 10, 2004, but the final years of his life proved the real-life man was more heroic than appearing in Superman V would ever allow him to be.
