superman films have always had a curse to them......
maybe singer is superstitious and thats why he changed the suit.
Maybe some of your fave actors wouldn't touch the role because of this.
Cover of the June 16, 1959 edition of
New York Post, reporting the death of George Reeves
The
Superman Curse refers to a theory that is based on a series of misfortunes that have plagued creative people involved in adaptations of
Superman in various media, particularly actors who have played the role of Superman on film and television.
The curse in a nutshell:
If you play the strongest man on Earth, you will either die an untimely death or end up in the weakest position possible. The curse is "somewhat well-known in popular culture", though some would deny the curse, stating that several
Superman-related actors, such as
Bud Collyer and
Teri Hatcher, continued with successful careers after their association with the franchise. Another factor that attempts to better explain the curse is the "no cape or on-screen time" rule, meaning that actors of the
Smallville TV series have not been cursed due to the Superman outfit not being worn, or that voice actors who have played Superman in radio or animated adaptations, namely Bud Collyer and
Tim Daly, have escaped the curse.
[1]
Siegel & Shuster
Writer
Jerry Siegel and artist
Joe Shuster created Superman in the 1930s but their employer
DC Comics held the
copyright to the character. In 1946, the two sued DC, arguing that they were inadequately compensated for the character. The
New York Supreme Court limited their settlement to
$60,000 each, a small sum compared to the millions of dollars Superman comic books, films, television series, and merchandise grossed. In 1975, in response to a campaign launched by Siegel and Shuster and joined by many prominent
comic book creators, DC agreed to pay the two lifetime pensions of $35,000 a year and give them credit in every adaptation of the character. While Siegel and Shuster were respected in comic book
fandom for Superman, neither went on to work on any other high-profile comic books after Superman.
The Fleischer Brothers
Brothers
Max and
Dave Fleischer (two early pioneers of 20th century animation) founded
Fleischer Studios, which produced the original
Popeye,
Betty Boop, and
Superman cartoons. Shortly after bringing Superman into
animation, the Fleischers began feuding with one another; their studio slumped financially until they were forced to sell to
Paramount Pictures, which ousted the Fleischers and rearranged their company as
Famous Studios. Although Dave Fleischer went on to a career as a
special effects advisor at
Universal Studios (which now owns many of Paramount's sound feature films released before 1950), Max died penniless at the
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital.
Kirk Alyn
Kirk Alyn played Superman in two low-budget 1940s serials but failed to find work afterwards, saying that casting directors thought he was too recognized as Superman. He eventually retired to
Arizona. He made an uncredited cameo appearance in the 1978 film
Superman: The Movie as the father of young Lois Lane, who witnesses young Clark Kent racing their train (his wife is portrayed by
Noel Neill, also uncredited, who played Lois Lane in the Kirk Alyn Superman movies as well as on
The Adventures of Superman from 1952 to 1958).
[2] Alyn developed
Alzheimer's disease before passing away of related causes at the age of 89 in 1999.
[edit] George Reeves
George Reeves played Superman in the
1951 film
Superman and the Mole Men and the ensuing television series
Adventures of Superman. Like Alyn, he was recognized only for that role. On June 16, 1959, days before he was to be married, Reeves was found dead of a gunshot wound at his home with his
Luger near him. The death was ruled a suicide but other theories persist.
John F. Kennedy
In 1963,
U.S. President John F. Kennedy's staff approved a Superman story in which the hero touts the president's physical fitness initiatives, scheduled to be published with an April 1964 cover date. On November 22, Kennedy was shot and killed but, at the request of successor
Lyndon B. Johnson, DC published a reworked version of the story.
[3]
Danny Dark
Danny Dark, best known for being the voice-over king of commercials, voiced the role of Superman/Clark Kent on the long-running Saturday morning cartoon series
Super Friends from 1973 to 1985. He died on June 13, 2004 of a
pulmonary hemorrhage at the age of 65. It has been argued that as a voice actor and not a live-action portrayal of Superman, Dark's death was natural, unlike the dubious death of George Reeves or terrible accident of Christopher Reeve.
Richard Donner
Richard Donner was hired to direct
Superman: The Movie and
Superman II. With the completion of the first film and about 25% of the sequel left to finish, Donner was fired from the project; director Richard Lester was hired to finish and direct
Superman II. Around 50% of Donner's film was scrapped and re-shot by Lester, delaying the theatrical release until
1980. In 2006, Donner released
Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut on DVD with all of his footage restored and most of Lester's removed.
The notion that Donner was actually "cursed" by his association with Superman is a subject for debate. While his falling out with the Salkinds led to a re-working of
Superman II, he has since directed all four
Lethal Weapon films starring
Mel Gibson and
Danny Glover, the big screen adaptation of
Maverick starring Gibson in the role once made famous by
James Garner,
The Goonies, and
Scrooged with
Bill Murray. Donner also co-wrote issues of the Superman comic book,
Action Comics with his former assistant
Geoff Johns.
Christopher Reeve
