Superman (Salkind films) him to contradict Jor-El's orders to avoid altering human history, time traveling to save her from dying. Superman instead takes the advice of Jonathan Kent, his father on Earth. One of the most important aspects in the first and second films was the romantic relationship between the two main characters; Clark was hopelessly in love with Lois and even gave up his powers in order to be with her as depicted in "Superman II". The character and the portrayal by Christopher Reeve has garnered positive reviews by film critics and many other journalists. American Film Institute ranked Reeve's take on
Superman in film (1980) simultaneously. Donner had already shot eighty percent of "Superman II" with Christopher Reeve before it was decided to finish shooting the first film. The Salkinds fired Donner after "Superman"s release and commissioned Richard Lester as the director to finish "Superman II". Lester also returned for "Superman III" (1983), and the Salkinds further produced the 1984 spin-off "Supergirl" before selling the rights to Cannon Films, resulting in the poorly reviewed "" (1987). Ilya Salkind commissioned a fifth "Superman" script before Warner Bros. acquired the rights entirely in 1993. Over the course of eleven years, Warner Bros. would develop and then