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WHEN Superman: The Movie hit cinemas in 1978, it wasn’t just a film — it was a pop culture supernova.
And nearly five decades later, it still makes us believe a man can fly.
But what happened during Superman 1978 behind the scenes is even more fascinating. From Darth Vader helping Superman fly to Death Star tech on Lex Luthor’s set – here are a few things you might not know.
Darth Vader Completed Superman’s Training
David Prowse – the man in the Darth Vader suit – trained Christopher Reeve for his transformation from skinny actor to superhero. Prowse wanted to play Superman himself, but instead was given the role of helping Reeve put on muscle. How? By running in the morning then two hours of weightlifting and 90 minutes on the trampoline. Reeve had been 188 pounds but added 30 pounds of muscle.
Lex Luthor’s Lair May Have Reused Star Wars Props
Filmed in England just after the first ever Star Wars movie, Superman and George Lucas’ space opera have another thing in common. Rumor has it parts of Lex’s underground lair were made from leftover Death Star consoles. Evil genius, meet Galactic Empire.
Christopher Reeve Wasn’t the First Choice
Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, and even Sylvester Stallone were considered for the role. The unknown stage actor Reeve flew circles around them all.
The “You’ll Believe a Man Can Fly” Promise Took A Team
It took over 100 technicians and a variety of techniques to make Reeve soar. At the time, it was revolutionary VFX magic.
The team had tried lots of ideas in pre-production – animation, launching dummies, a remote controlled airplane Superman and lots more that just didn’t work that well.
The flying was a mix of techniques depending on the scene – blue screen, black screen, wires, animation and even umbrella-like poles that were remote controlled to flutter the cape!
Brando Got Paid $3.7 Million… for 12 Days of Work
Plus 11% of the film’s profits. He also refused to learn lines, instead reading them off cue cards and even suggested Jor-El could be a bagel-shaped alien. Or a green suitcase. With his voice, of course.
Gene Hackman Refused to Shave His Head (or Moustache)
Hackman wouldn’t go bald for Lex Luthor. So the “bald” look? It’s wigs. And that moustache? Richard Donner tricked him into shaving it by agreeing to shave his own. This tale is a cracker.
Donner tells the story: “I said, ‘Gene, the mustache – it’s got to go! He said, ‘No, the mustache stays! I said, ‘Look, we’re getting by with the hair and everything but we’ll never get by with the mustache! I said, ‘Come on. You shave yours off and I’ll take mine off’ First he said no. Then he looked at me and said, ‘Alright, but you do it right now. I said, ‘While you’re sitting there, let Stuart take yours off first! I said, ‘Stuart, take off Mr. Hackman’s mustache! Stuart started to shake. He knew now what was going down. And it wasn’t going to be pretty.”
“And he shaves off Gene’s mustache. He said, ‘Okay, sit down. You’re next. I said, ‘I don’t have to’ and I peeled the fake mustache off. Hackman looked at me and his neck went four sizes bigger and the veins in his temple started to throb. He’s a big mother, I knew he was going to knock me through the wall. Gradually a smile came to his face and he laughed and he said, ‘I see what this picture is going to be like, but I owe you one! And from there on in he was a doll. He was a doll on the set with ideas. He was easy to work with. We broke the problem. He had put the chip on his shoulder and I knocked it off and I didn’t get hurt, and he became one of the dear friends of my life.”
Margot Kidder Got the Role Thanks to a Fall
During her audition, Kidder literally fell flat on her face. Director Richard Donner loved the quirky charm and cast her as Lois Lane.
He said: “I just fell in love with her. It was perfect, this clumsy [behavior].”
These Superman 1978 behind the scenes facts prove just how much of its brilliance was down to fate.
That Time Travel Ending Travelled In Time Itself
The time-travel scene at the end of Superman was originally written for Superman II. When producers needed a more dramatic finale, they moved it up. The original ending in the script wasn’t actually that interesting – there was just one missile, which Superman stops from going off and Lois is never killed, or hurt.
The Movie Wasn’t Worthy Of A Best Picture Nomination
Even though it was nominated for 4 Oscar’s, Superman wasn’t even considered in the running for Best Picture award.
It was up for Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound – and missed out on all of them. But it did win for Best Visual Effects.
Christopher Reeves won a BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles and the movie won Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema Award. But it missed out on BAFTAS for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Sound. At the Golden Globes it was only nominated for Best Original Score. Which it lost.
Looking back at just these Superman 1978 behind the scenes moments, it’s clear why the film became a genre-defining classic.
READ MORE: How does Superman 2025 compare to the Christopher Reeve films?