During a time in the early 1990s, it appears Christopher Reeve considered a return for Superman V. The original Superman made Reeve's career, but due to being such an iconic role, it also left him typecast. Reeve also disliked Superman III and IV, feeling they lacked the heart and - in the case of Superman IV - the budget of the first two. Following the fourth movie he essentially swore off playing Superman again in interviews, though during a 1994 Dixie Trek convention, he claimed a good story would have tempted him back. In a 2006 interview (via Superman Homepage), former franchise producer Ilya Salkind claimed he tried to do just that.
Salkind co-wrote a Superman V script that saw the titular hero die but be reborn inside the bottled Kryptonian city of Kandor. By all accounts, it was a solid screenplay that would have gone some way to undoing the damage of Superman IV - which almost made Reeve the villain. Salkind met with Reeve about the project, stating "We had lunch at the Carlisle in New York... Chris was ready to do it." The producer also claims that following the success of Batman, Warner Bros took a more active approach to their comic book movie properties. This led to pressure to end his Superboy series and scrap his Superman V plan.
Christopher Reeve's Superman V Conditions
Ultimately, Salkind walked away from the Superman franchise, which he claimed led to the arrival of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman shortly after. As previously mentioned, Reeve had a mixed relationship with the Superman sequels. His unhappiness with the goofy tone of Superman III - which almost had a better story - saw him reject a planned supporting role in Supergirl, and he felt the failure of the fourth movie damaged his career. In the aforementioned Dixie Trek convention, he told fans that he hadn't shut the door on the idea of playing the role again.
Specifically, Superman V would have to have a solid story and the budget to rival other blockbusters being produced at the time. He felt the chintzy special effects of Superman IV had left audiences feeling "ripped off," which wasn't acceptable. Had the producers of Superman V met those conditions, perhaps he would have donned the Man of Steel's cape one final time. It seems at this time the studio was intent on relaunching the Superman franchise from scratch, with Batman producer Jon Peters brought on to reimagine it. This led to Tim Burton's Superman Lives, an infamous failed reboot that cast Nic Cage as Superman
Superman V Could Have Ended The Reeve Era On A Strong Note
Superman is one of the most important blockbusters of all time and proved comic books could work on the big screen. Sadly, the series got worse with each passing entry, with Quest For Peace being one of the genre's biggest duds. Superman V aimed to redeem the series, presenting a unique setting and scary new villain in Brainiac. It also ended with Superman proposing to Lois Lane, which would have been a perfect capper to Reeve's run as the superhero. Alas, it wasn't to be, and after years in development hell, the property finally came back with 2006's lukewarm Superman Returns.
