Superman III was the third of four films starring actor Christopher Reeve as Superman. The franchise kicked off with 1978’s critically acclaimed and commercially successful Superman and was followed by 1981’s Superman II (see entries). The Superman character is based on comic books published by DC Comics.
       Superman III was also the third and final Superman movie that father and son Alexander and Ilya Salkind produced, aided by their longtime producing partner Pierre Spengler. Director Richard Lester, who took over Superman II after director Richard Donner was fired, returned to direct this film. Writers David and Leslie Newman, who wrote portions of the Superman and Superman II screenplays, wrote the script.
       In May 1980, a full year before Superman II was released, the Salkinds announced plans for Superman III. The 16 May 1980 HR reported that during the International Film Festival in Cannes, France, the producers flew biplanes with banners touting the Superman films and announcing preproduction of Superman III. In the 22 May 1980 HR, Ilya Salkind announced a budget of $30-$35 million for Superman III, explaining that the first two Superman films had a combined cost of $109 million. Ilya Salkind attributed two thirds of that $109 million price tag to the first film, stating the “start-up cost” of developing the flying technique had been quite high. The 27 May 1980 LAT reported the Salkinds had discussions with Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis about taking over the franchise due to the high costs, but those talks fell through
       Although Christopher Reeve had insisted he would not don the Superman suit for a third movie, the 22 May 1980 HR reported the Salkinds had a signed option from the actor for the third film.
       A year later, in May 1981, a month before Superman II was released in the United States, the Salkinds again flew biplanes with banners touting the Superman franchise over Cannes during the prestigious film festival. The 27 May 1981 Var reported one of the banners stated “Superman III: Now in Production.” However, an investigation by Var showed the film was not yet in production, but rather in early storyline discussions. Only actor Christopher Reeve was signed for the film, although producer Pierre Spengler said they held options on most of the cast including Jackie Cooper as “Perry White” and Margot Kidder as “Lois Lane.”
       However, producers were considering dropping “Lois Lane” from the third movie. The 24 Aug 1981 People magazine said the Salkinds thought they had taken the Superman-Lois Lane relationship as far as it could go since Superman bedded Lois in Superman II. Kidder told People that she was being dumped from the series and thereby losing her $1.5 million salary because she had spoken out publicly about the way the Salkinds had fired director Richard Donner from Superman II. The 23 Aug 1982 DV said Kidder and the producers had a “mud-slinging match” over their respective differences and haggled over her salary for Superman III. Ultimately, Kidder agreed to appear in two bookend scenes at the opening and close of Superman III, a total of five days of filming.
       For a love interest, the writers used “Lana Lang,” one of Clark Kent’s classmates in high school. The “Lana Lang” character figured prominently in the comics books and had appeared briefly in 1978’s Superman during a scene with a teenage Clark Kent. The producers cast actress Annette O’Toole as “Lana” at the suggestion of husband and wife screenwriting team David and Leslie Newman, who wrote the part with O’Toole in mind after seeing her in a stage play in San Diego, CA, the 1 Sep 1982 Var reported.
       Actor Richard Pryor, who was a major box-office draw, campaigned to be a part of the film. Promotional materials in AMPAS library files indicate Pryor announced during a summer 1981 appearance on the late-night talk show The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson that he was a “Superman freak” and even acted out scenes from the second movie which he had just seen. Pryor also told the 5 Jul 1981 Var that he hoped to be in the film. Writers David and Leslie Newman saw his Tonight Show appearance and told the Salkinds of his interest and soon Pryor was signed to play “Gus Gorman.”
       In an interview with writer Jake Rosen for his 2008 book Superman vs. Hollywood (Chicago Review Press, Inc.), producer Ilya Salkind explained they initially envisioned Superman III as a science-fiction extravaganza with the villainous android super-computer Brainiac seizing control of Superman’s psyche and splitting him into two halves, one good, one evil. Titled Superman vs. Superman, the movie would have also introduced the mischievous magical imp Mr. Mxyzptlk from the comic books as well as Superman’s super-powered cousin, Supergirl, preparing her for a spin-off movie. However, Warner Bros, which had exclusive distribution rights and also owned the character since it owned DC Comics, felt the scenario was too science-fiction heavy and used too many lesser known characters from the Superman comic book lore. Consequently, that storyline was dropped, but the idea of a good Superman fighting an evil Superman survived into the final screenplay, as did the super computer wreaking havoc on Earth.
       Principal photography began on 21 Jun 1982, according to the 2 Jul 1982 DV production chart. Interiors were filmed at Pinewood Studios outside London, England, the studio where the first two movies were shot. The automobile junkyard scenes were filmed on Pinewood’s backlot using demolished American cars owned by an American expatriate in Britain who specialized in finding spare parts for American vehicles. Beginning on 17 Aug 1982, the production moved to Alberta, Canada for five weeks of location shooting, the 1 Sep 1982 DV reported. Downtown Calgary doubled as Metropolis, while the nearly town of High River was used for the Smallville scenes.
       Superman III opened on 1,759 screens on 17 Jun 1983, earning $13.4 million in its first three days of release, according to the Box Office Mojo website. After seven weeks in theaters, the film had grossed $58.4 million.
       Reviews were mixed. The 17 Jun 1983 NYT commented, “anyone who has been following the Superman saga will find this installment enjoyable enough, but some of the magic is missing.” The 8 Jun 1983 Var said the film put its “emphasis on broad comedy at the expense of ingenious plotting and technical wizardry.”
       Christopher Reeve was not happy with the final movie, feeling it ventured too far into camp and slapstick comedy. He remained silent while the film was in release, but afterwards let his displeasure be known. The 3 Jul 1986 LAHExam reported that Reeve called Superman III “the Harvard Lampoon version” of the earlier movies, while Reeve told the 2 Jan 1987 LAT that the movie “parodied” the characters and that he “didn’t subscribe to the style of Superman III.” In his 1998 memoir Still Me (Random House), Reeve complained that the writers wrote a movie that “became more a Richard Pryor comedy vehicle than a proper Superman film.”
       A fourth installment in the franchise, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (see entry), with Christopher Reeve playing the title role for the final time, was released in summer 1987, but the Salkinds were not involved with it.
       However, the Salkinds were the producing team behind a spin-off movie, Supergirl (1984, see entry), about Superman’s super-powered cousin. They were also responsible for the syndicated television series Superboy, about the teenaged Superman in college, which ran for 100 episodes between 1988 and 1992.
       Several other Superman television series have aired, but the Salkinds were not involved. A cartoon series, Superman: The Animated Series aired for fifty-four episodes between 1996 and 2000 on the WB (Warner Brothers) network. A live-action Superman series, Lois and Cark: The New Adventures of Superman starring Dean Cain and Terri Hatcher aired on ABC (American Broadcasting Company) from 1993-1997. Another live-action television series, Smallville, about a teenaged Clark Kent discovering his powers and becoming a superhero, aired from 2001 to 2011 on the WB network and later the CW network. Actor Tom Welling starred in Smallville, while Annette O’Toole played Clark’s mother, Martha Kent.
       In 2006, director Bryan Singer released Superman Returns (see entry), starring Brandon Routh as Superman/Clark Kent. In 2013, the Superman movie series was rebooted with director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel (see entry), starring Henry Cavill in the title role. In 2016, a sequel, Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice (see entry), came out with Cavill reprising his role as the "Man of Steel."
       End credits state: “Made by Dovemead Limited at Pinewood Studios, London, England and on various locations including Alberta and Italy.”
       End credits acknowledge: “The producers wish to thank: the government of Alberta and the city of Calgary; and: British Petroleum; National Park Service – Glen Canyon; National Park Service - Statue of Liberty; Pentax; Time; American Express; Johnny Walker; Trans World Airways; Diversified Products; Schlitz; Trailways; Webster’s office furnished by Zarach; refinery resources by Turbo Southern Alberta Refinery; car muncher by Mono Pumps.”