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Superman III: The Junkyard Cut (* unfinished project? *)

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 (Edited)

A lot of Superman III is being tweeked by me using some of Richard Lester’s leftover Superman II footage (given I liked the Donner cut as it was), to make it much darker. Whilst a lot of the earlier material I have has been made in sloppy movie maker…but fear not, I’ve since moved up to adobe premiere.

I’ve been “locked out” of the Supermancinema forums for reasons not revealed to me…so in light of this, I’m moving the project here, where I’m sure I’ll have some help and advice from people who are more experianced with this sort of thing.

III has become steadidly more popular in contrast to it’s place in history, I think it’s due to the fact that somewhere in this movie, there DOES lie a great Superman film, all that needs to be done is to throw away certain things like humour

Here’s the breakdown as it is presently

1. The credits are in space

2. The Paris scene will serve as the opening, good little prolouge that sets up Lois’s deserved vacation after experiancing that sort of thing, set the Daily Planet footage from II before it, and the footage from III afterwards.

3. Gus Goreman’s first scene won’t even be the pre-credits sequence, but when he pulls his car up to go to work. His job won’t even be mentioned or seen, I want to make Goreman look like an eccentric, yet already succesful, computer genius who willingly goes ahead with Webster’s schemes. No comedy, because when Pryor’s serious in this movie, he has some of the best moments (when he stands up to Webster and asks him to build the computer for instance, that was just awesome, and that will be honoured here)

4. Goreman’s entire scenes in Smallville have been cut.

5. Goreman’s creation of the dark Kryptonite is’nt altered either

6. Superman does’nt save Ricky from the feilds at all. Clark departs his picnic with Lana to stop the chaos in Columbia after picking up the feirce winds with his super-hearing.

7. The first thing Evil Superman does after arriving too late to stop the Bidge, is he destroys the fourtress of solitude , then he sinks the navy barge for Webster, then he fights himself in the Junkyard (to make it seem like killing aquatic life thanks to the oil spill and condemming people to certain death if the ship sinks snaps him out of it)

9. Somewhere in between, Gus develops a conscience and tries to destroy the machine, but the thing gains indepedence as before and turns on it’s masters.

10. When Clark is thrown into the compactor, I’m going to fade to the “other” FOS scene with Clark calling out for his father, then picks up the green crystal, as if a wake up call, we cut back to Clark smashing through the compacter and strangling his evil self, winning the battle.

11. Things pretty much carry on as normal here, but by this point, Superman is fighting the computer, NOT Webster, as it fires the missles etc. Video game stuff will be minimised.

12. Superman gets in the cave, computer hits him with the Kryptonite, and I’m going to include small cuts that make it look like this is the dark Kryptonite sample, and that Superman is flasbacking to what happened when he was dosed with this the last time, and is trying to restrain himself from reliving the nightmare. I want this to look elegently chilling., then Goreman saves the day. Superman defeats and destroys the computer, as normal.

13. We end the movie with Clark’s encounter with Brad at the hotel, then Superman repairing the damage to the Naval ship (well, leaving oil to spill for hours to fight a giant computer that threatnes billions of lives beats fixing the Leaning Tower of Pisa anyday), then flying off above the planet.

14. Several scenes will use John Willams music.

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You have some interesting ideas. Moving the Eifel Tower scene to S3 could work if you cut out most of the dialog. Or maybe dub everyone but Lois and Sup in French and then write some subtitles!

In your rough edit, did you edit out all of the horrible attempts at humor? And does the movie still make sense?

Working on: Superman: Son of Jorel

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This could be really interesting if you can make it work, especially by losing the humor

where have i been all this time ?
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This sounds wonderful. The "evil Superman" scenes and the car junkyard fight are among the best moments in the entire quadrilogy (actually, they're my very favorite minutes in all four films) and Superman III is an unjustly maligned picture. Even with Pryor's awful "funny" sequences it's a good film (although the "general" scene in Smallville is so painfully horrible that it makes Nuclear Man I in Superman IV look like Marlon Brando's footage - I'm glad to see you're obliterating every trace of it... ), incomparably better than, for instance, "Superman Remakes" - and with such changes, it may become a great one...
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You'll find that the movie DOES make sense without all the comedic baggage...and it's not even remotley as short either.

For example, for pacing, when Gorman refuses to do what Webster wants at first (to send the Oil carriers to the middle of the atlantic ocean)...I cut to Lana talking to Brad...THEN back to Webster asking Goreman what it is he wants. Dramatic pacing that elevates Goreman beyond comedy releif, giving the audience time to digest his mysterious ultimatum (all of the scenes in the original were Webster and Goreman talk about the computer come one after the other, obviously to give Pryor more screen time, but as stated above, this does'nt work in terms of dramatic pacing)

Some things I could'nt cut out, either because it's too interlinked with the story (Goreman's superman impersonation and his telling Webster how Superman tharwted the maveric storms caused by the Vulcan Sattelite I figured was the LEAST offensive thing to keep, given I could'nt explain why he was wearing a pink table cloth if I DID reedit the scene, and I have two versions. Don't worry, as soon as he says "I can't ski", we cut to another scene entirley) or because I actually LIKED some scenes. But if you're expecting traffic light signs beating each other up, Clark blowing his secret ID to teach Ricky bowling, and Superman blowing out olympic torches, don't worry, there is'nt any.
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I'm a lurker over at Superman Cinema; very interesting place that is. With the all the spotlight on Superman II lately, it's nice to see the "black sheep" of the franchise, III and IV, finally being given some attention. While I'm of course looking forward to all the various edits of II coming in response to the RDC, I think III and IV have a lot of untapped potential (I'm really looking forward to ADM's Superman Redeemed). Superman III has always been a guilty pleasure of mine; it gets a bad rap and sure, next to I and II it's kind of a dissapointment, but I still find it to be a very enjoyable film. Anyway, here's some general feedback to your outline:

-Are the space credits from the TV version or have you re-created them in the style of I and II somehow?
-You said all of Gus' Smallville scenes have been cut, so how does Superman get exposed to the tar Kryptonite?
-I like the concept of Evil Superman destroying the Fortress. Doesn't make sense in II, but it would here. I would recommend additional special effects added for that scene though, as the "dissapearing" effect from the RDC isn't too convincing.
-I understand cutting out Pisa and the Olympics, but seeing as how Reeve is amazing as Evil Superman, I'd think it would benefit to keep the scenes with him and Webster's girlfriend and the scene in the bar.
-A thought I had in editing Superman III would be to have Superman hear Jor-El in his head (inspired by Superman Returns), and that's what makes him finally break down and split into two. What I had in mind was "The virtuous spirit has no need for thanks for approval, only the knowledge that what has been done is right." And maybe have "is right" repeat a few times, getting louder and louder until Superman breaks down. I suppose a "My son..." to start it off would be appropriate as well. What do you think?
-I see where you were going with using the Lester green crystal scene, but I think it would seem really out of place.
-No Lana working at the Planet? I think that's an essential conclusion to the Clark/Lana story of the film. In the films I like Lana better than Lois, as she loves Clark for who he is, and I like to think that in that continuity they end up together (the ring, etc.).

Just some thoughts from a fellow Superman fan. III is definitely the more salvagable of the aformentioned "black sheep" as it is, as you said, almost a good film already. In contrast, the only things IV have going for it are Superman's speeches on nuclear disarmament and Gene Hackman back as Lex Luthor. The special effects are atrocious, Nuclear Man is ridiculous, and the entire cast looks old and tired (which in fact, they were). What a shame.
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Originally posted by: Commander Courage-Are the space credits from the TV version or have you re-created them in the style of I and II somehow?[/quote]

I'm really not sure yet, I'm already tinkering majorly with the opening to begin as soon as Krypton explodes, then fading into the tv space credits, but I'm also wondering if I should go an original route. It depends on how it fits.

-You said all of Gus' Smallville scenes have been cut, so how does Superman get exposed to the tar Kryptonite?

Got me there actually, I left almost the whole rally scene in there, with the exception of 99% of Goreman's rants as the General, he just poses as one, gives Supes the Kryptonite, and that's it. But no other additional Smallville scenes involving him.

I like the concept of Evil Superman destroying the Fortress. Doesn't make sense in II, but it would here. I would recommend additional special effects added for that scene though, as the "dissapearing" effect from the RDC isn't too convincing.

Don't worry about that. I might splice in footage from movies involving breaking icebergs, to really capture the destruction in a grittier way. Cheating this way does make for a more open movie not limited to "stock" footage.

I understand cutting out Pisa and the Olympics, but seeing as how Reeve is amazing as Evil Superman, I'd think it would benefit to keep the scenes with him and Webster's girlfriend and the scene in the bar.


I can't take out the scenes with Supes making out with her because it's essential to the remastered plot, and because it's just a good scene, so don't worry about that either. As for the bar? That happens shortly after the computer is set up, which will now be set after Supes arrives too late to help with the bridge, where else to drown his guilt than a bar?


A thought I had in editing Superman III would be to have Superman hear Jor-El in his head (inspired by Superman Returns), and that's what makes him finally break down and split into two. What I had in mind was "The virtuous spirit has no need for thanks for approval, only the knowledge that what has been done is right." And maybe have "is right" repeat a few times, getting louder and louder until Superman breaks down. I suppose a "My son..." to start it off would be appropriate as well. What do you think?


Sounds plausible enough to be a decent substitute for the dream state crystal scene. Indeed, that specific narration opens up Superman III before Krypton explodes and the credits appear. I could also have Jor-El saying "remember me, Kal-El" over and over again, which dazes and confuses the evil side of Superman, and prompts the good side to emerge from the compactor.

-No Lana working at the Planet? I think that's an essential conclusion to the Clark/Lana story of the film.


No, it's there. I was'nt very specific in the outline to avoid a lot of spoilers and to keep up the suspense, but since it confuses some people (no fault but mine), I may have to be more leniant on that.
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Updated with a few "in progress" shots. These clips are VERY rough and are not meant to be the definitive versions, this is merly for help and suggestions


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u07QJpZf-cQ

This is Goreman's introduction, you'll notice his entire slapstic scene with the rotating bar has been taken out, this edit was HEAVILY risky as I had to make sure crucial dialouge was'nt missing, and that it was still maintained that Goreman beleived he was facing punishment for embezzlement. The scene has now been cut to nake it seem Goreman is literally backing into a corner rather than play around on the bar as Webster calmly begins telling him about other things
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Well, more good news folks, I won't have to use the "General Gorman" scene after all. I know how to turn Superman evil WITHOUT the use of any of that...and you'll love it. You'll just...love it
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvy9vOIEv54

And here is that sequence
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It's a clever idea, but the execution isn't perfect yet. The beginning of the shots in the cave with Webster saying "He's here!" seems a little out-of-place and too panicked in the new context. If you could somehow edit the sound there so that he just says "here!" or better yet, use some of his calmer dialog from elsewhere in the film - that'd be great. The edit would seem less jarring then and perhaps Webster would seem more calculating and in control.

To contact me outside the forum, for trades and such my email address is my OT.com username @gmail.com

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Hmm...how about cutting out Webster's panic, and simply relying on the alarm, Vera's comment about "locking the tracking systems" on the target, and allow Webster's calmer dialouge about the power of computers?
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That might work. I think it may be to abrupt that way though. I think having Webster say something before the alarm is the way to go, just hard due to the nature of the shots.

To contact me outside the forum, for trades and such my email address is my OT.com username @gmail.com

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This defiantly sounds like a great project I have always had a soft spot for 3 It was the first of the Superman films I seen on the Big screen when I was young. I just watch the 3 youtube Clips the only thing I seen that is out of place in clip 3 would be like klokwerk said when Webster says "He's here!" is out of place. Other than that it was a great clip will be keeping a eye on this Goodluck
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Wow, this is nostalgic.

Alas, any existing version I had of this is lost to time, some of the ideas made it into a different edit by Fathermerrin on FE.Org (The Definitive Smallville Cut) so see if you can have some luck with that.

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Was this finished? are you still making this? I really want to see this cut.