It’s a bird, it’s a plane… no, it’sSuper/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.Yes, the highly anticipated documentary about the lateSupermanactor Christopher Reeve has landed at Warner Bros. Discovery after being acquired in a deal reportedly worth $15 million. A spokesperson said (perDeadline):
“Everyone at Warner Bros. Discovery is incredibly proud to come together as one company to partner with Christopher Reeve’s family and the filmmakers behind Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story and bring his personal journey to audiences the world over. WBD’s DC Studios, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures, HBO, CNN Films and Max are grateful for the opportunity to honor one of our company’s most cherished creative partners and to celebrate Christopher’s rich life and career.”
The WBD family involved in the deal includes the aforementioned DC Studios, Warner Bros. Motion Pictures, HBO, CNN Films and the streaming service, Max. Co-chairman and CEO of DC Studios, James Gunn, responded to the news on social media. Gunn wrote (viaInstagram):
“I saw the stunningly beautiful documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story a couple weeks ago. It emotionally floored me. Peter & I knew DC Studios needed to be involved & I’m grateful to Peter & our WBD family at Warner Bros, HBO, CNN & Max having worked so hard to acquire it. It’s a wonderful film by wonderful filmmakers not only for people like me who love Reeve’s work but for everyone.”
Check out Gunn’s Instagram post in its entirety below:
1978’s Superman: The Dawn of Superhero Spectacle
Superhero films exploded in popularity thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the foundation was laid by the original Superman back in 1978.
You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly
The famous tagline forSuperman: The Movie, “You’ll believe a man can fly,” is just as iconic as Richard Donner’s film itself. But on August 01, 2025, the unthinkable happened when the actor who brought the Man of Steel to life on the big-screen was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident.Christopher Reeve’s family, including his daughter, Alexandra, and his two sons, William and Matthew, all three participate in the documentary, which delves into the devastating injury. And co-director Ian Bonhôte said the Reeve’s children all “bare their souls on the screen” in the film (perDeadline):
“They bare their souls on the screen. And I think that’s rare as well, that people were so ready to go to places and to share with the world and to expose some vulnerability. And I think if you want to get close to an icon and a person, you need people to accept, to share and to let you in their own life because it’s their legacy. Christopher lives through those three lovely people [Matthew, Alexandra, and Will]. So, I think that I want to point out again that the film would not have been what it is without them, the trust they gave us.”
Superman, directed by Richard Donner, stars Christopher Reeve as Clark Kent, an alien from the planet Krypton living on Earth who adopts the persona of Superman to protect humanity. Released in 1978, the film features Gene Hackman as the villain Lex Luthor, who creates a plan that threatens millions of lives. Margot Kidder co-stars as Lois Lane, a journalist at the Daily Planet and Clark Kent’s colleague.
Prior to the injury, Reeve portrayed the Last Son of Krypton a total of four times on the Silver Screen (Superman: The Movie, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace). Reeve also made several guest appearances on the WB and CW’s Superman-inspired television series,Smallville, as Dr. Virgil Swann. William Reeve was also quoted as saying:
“With 2024 being the 20-year anniversary of our father’s death, that felt like the right time to reintroduce him and his heroic story to the world. And as we met the folks at Passion Pictures and Misfits Entertainment, and Ian and Peter and our friends at Words + Pictures, we knew we had the right team. Everything came together in a way that we knew as a family we could be open and honest and vulnerable and hand everything over to them and see what they came back with. And that trust has been rewarded in a way that we’re just so thrilled about and can’t wait for the world to experience as well.”
Check out a brief synopsis forSuper/Man: The Christopher Reeve Storybelow:
“Never-before-seen home movies and extraordinary personal archives reveal how Christopher Reeve went from unknown actor to iconic movie star as the ultimate screen superhero. He learned the true meaning of heroism as an activist after suffering a tragic accident that left him quadriplegic and dependent on a ventilator to breathe.”
At the time of this writing, a theatrical release date and home viewing options forSuper/Man: The Christoper Reeve Storyhave not been revealed yet by Warner Bros. Discovery.
