There are still a few superhero films planned for the beginning of the second half of 2024. Warner Bros. and DC will Joker: Foil for Two with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga in October, while Sony is still Venom: The Last Dance And Kraven the Hunter on his schedule, which was due to the miserable release of Madame Web beginning of the year.

So far, Marvel Studios’ Deadpool and Wolverine is the only successful comic book movie to come out this year, dominating the box office by record margins and being well received by fans and critics alike. However, there is another superhero movie coming out this year that is flying under the radar. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will only have a limited release in theaters, but could still be the surprise hit of the year in the superhero world.

It’s a different kind of superhero movie

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• Christopher Reeve first played Superman in Richard Donner’s 1978 film and subsequently portrayed the character in three further sequels.
• Donners Superman The film is still considered one of the best superhero films of all time.
• Audiences loved Reeve for his portrayal of Superman because of the seriousness and humility he brought to the role.

Unlike the other, more traditional superhero films coming out this year, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a documentary about the life of one of the most famous actors to ever wear a cape. Although Reeve was not a real superhero, his life is a remarkable story that is on par with the DC character he played for years. The superhero genre has spawned a lot of different stories, but the documentary has not received as much attention as it did with the upcoming Superman Film.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story tells the actor’s story of stardom and the near-fatal horseback riding accident he suffered in 1995. After the incident, Reeve became an inspirational figure by becoming an activist. Reeve’s story is familiar to many who grew up with him as Superman, but now a new generation will discover his story, which served as an inspiration and in many ways captures the spirit of the character that put him in film history.

It will be DC Studios’ first release

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• Warner Bros. founded DC Studios in 2022 as a new division that aims to emulate Marvel Studios’ success with the MCU.
• Warner Bros. Discover CEO David Zaslav has hired James Gunn and Peter Safran as co-CEOs for DC Studios.
• In addition to projects set in the interconnected DCU, DC Studios will also produce Elseworlds projects such as Batman – Part II.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story premiered at Sundance in January and its success at the film festival led to a bidding war between studios for distribution of the film. In a somewhat surprising move, Warner Bros. Discovery acquired the documentary for $15 million. This will make it DC Studios’ first release, although it is not part of the new DCU, which is set to launch in December with Creature Commands.

DC launching a new brand under the new studio logo will have an impact on future perception and could be the perfect first project to fall under that logo. Gunn’s Superman hits theaters next summer, but it feels right that the studio is releasing a documentary about Reeve as DC wants to both honor the past and move forward with the most important film in Gunn’s franchise on the horizon.

It has already received rave reviews

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• The upcoming documentary was directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.
• In association with Fathom Events, the film will have a limited release on September 21 and 25, the latter date being Reeves’ birthday.
• HBO, CNN Films and Max will also Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.

Since Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and many have already seen it, adding to the excitement as it received rave reviews. The high praise is one of the reasons for the bidding war between studios for the film. Many have celebrated the film because it shows Reeves’ strength and friendships and how he truly becomes a hero after so many years as a hero in the real world.

There is no trailer yet for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story but the excitement is certainly there when a film gets such good word of mouth after a film festival that it could be in the running for an Oscar. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story has only 21 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes so far, but currently holds a 100% rating, with all critics so far supporting the documentary’s strong message.

Superhero movies are currently in an interesting phase where they are not as successful as they once were, but movies like Deadpool and Wolverine show that the genre can still bring huge hits to the studios. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story will be a superhero film with a difference, delving into the extraordinary life of a man who lived up to the icon he graced on screen. When actors take on a superhero role, some become larger than life figures in society, such as Robert Downey Jr. because of the personal struggles that haunt them off-screen and have become so public. Christopher Reeve’s life is the ultimate example of this, and the upcoming documentary aims to provide a superhero film that shows just how inspirational these prominent figures can be.

When many think of superhero movies, they think of the grand scale and interconnectedness of a universe. However, they can also showcase the power of the human spirit, and no story can embody that more than one that actually happened in reality. While so many heroes have flooded the screens, Superman has disappeared from the spotlight for a while. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story could be the perfect first step to bring the character back to the forefront before Gunn Superman Film. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story has the potential to surprise moviegoers this fall, not just because it’s technically a superhero movie, but because it’s more than just a movie that’s likely to impress audiences.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

Reeves’ rise to film stardom began with a near-fatal horseback riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He then became involved in spinal cord injury treatment and disability rights.

director

Ian Bonhôte, Peter Ettedgui

Release date

January 21, 2024

Authors

Ian Bonhôte, Otto Burnham, Peter Ettedgui

Duration

106 minutes

Main genre

documentary