Superman (1978 film) father on Earth. "Superman" was originally scheduled to be released in June 1978, the 40th anniversary of "Action Comics 1", which first introduced Superman, but the problems during filming pushed the film back by six months. Editor Stuart Baird reflected, "Filming was finished in October 1978 and it is a miracle we had the film released two months later. Big-budgeted films today tend to take six to eight months." Donner, for his part, wished that he had "had another six months; I would have perfected a lot of things. But at some point, you've gotta turn the picture over." Warner
Clark Kent (Smallville) a more ideal actor to play this superpowered farm boy than Tom Welling, with his wholesome, honest face and heroic good looks—Welling not only resembles Christopher Reeve physically, but has all of the earnest charm that made Reeve the quintessential Superman." "The Free Lance–Star"s Ron Hedelt likened Welling's performances as Clark Kent to that of Christopher Reeve's performances in the "Superman" films, stating that Welling manages to portray a "... sweet, unassuming teenager ..." while showing Clark struggle with the truth about himself. Comics2Film's Rob Worley also wrote of the physical resemblance Welling has to Christopher Reeve, noting that the