Superman in film the script, giving it a serious feel with Christ-like overtones. Christopher Reeve was cast as Superman, having initially failed to impress the Salkinds before bulking up. Brando meanwhile, despite spending less than two weeks on the shoot, and not even reading the script until then, earned $3.7 million up front, plus 11.75% of the gross profits from the film. The film was a success both critically and commercially, being released during the Christmas season of 1978; it did not have much competition, leading the producers to believe that this was one factor in the film's success. Shooting of the two
Christopher Reeve before Reeve's accident, the Salkinds sold the rights to the character of Superman again, this time to Warner Bros. at large. "There was supposed to be a fifth Superman movie titled "Superman Reborn", but because of studio shifts, the terrible box office ["Superman IV"] got, and...Reeves's [sic] accident, it never saw the light of day." Reeve's first role after 1978's "Superman" was as Richard Collier in the 1980 romantic fantasy "Somewhere in Time". Jane Seymour played Elise McKenna, his love interest. The film was shot on Mackinac Island in mid-1979 and was Reeve's favorite film ever to shoot. After the