‘Superman: The Movie’ Director Richard Donner Has Passed Away at 91

Richard Donner

He terrified us with a story of how the Antichrist could rise to power even as a child. He made our hearts soar when he made us believe that a man could fly and save the world. He left us in stitches when he gave us a story about two cops who were getting too old for their line of work. But sadly, Richard Donner is no longer with us.

 

Deadline has left us with the sad news that Richard Donner has passed away at the age of 91. No cause of death has been revealed at this time, but he is survived by his wife, Lauren Shuler Donner, who he married in 1985. Donner began his career in Hollywood as a screenwriter for four episodes of the anthology series Men of Annapolis, though he aspired to be an actor. After getting a small part in the television series Of Human Bondage and speaking with director Martin Ritt, he changed his aspirations toward directing, which led to Donner taking on a number of television projects, such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E.Get Smart, and The Fugitive.

 

His first breakout success in the film industry came with 1976’s The Omen, a horror movie which showcased how dark forces could position the ambiguously-innocent child fated to become the Antichrist on a path to ultimate power. From there, he was hired to make Superman: The Movie in 1978 and, alongside Christopher Reeve, accomplished the difficult task of bringing the realm of comic book storytelling to a cinematic level that could stand alongside other blockbusters like Jaws or Star Wars. 1985 saw Donner collaborate with Steven Spielberg and Chris Columbus on the family-friendly adventure movie The Goonies, and 1987 saw Donner pair Mel Gibson with Danny Glover for the Lethal Weapon series, which would get three sequels. Donner had several other memorable movies under his belt, including Scrooged, Maverick, and 16 Blocks.

 

Donner’s contributions to the superhero genre are nothing short of invaluable. Superman: The Movie remains an all-time classic decades later, serving as the template for which all superhero movies that followed have acknowledged. Although he was ultimately dismissed from Superman II and replaced with director Richard Lester, much of the film that he made is still present and he was able to recut what he could into his own version decades later. The production company that he formed with his wife would later bring lots of undiscovered talent into the realm of Hollywood, including longtime DC Comics writer Geoff Johns and Marvel Cinematic Universe architect Kevin Feige, who both started as interns for the Donners that dormed together. The Donners would also provide the foundation for Fox’s iteration of the X-Men film franchise with the original film in 2000, which alongside 1998’s Blade and 2002’s Spider-Man helped usher in a new era of comic book movies that has dominated the blockbuster landscape today.

 

Richard Donner was a true visionary in every sense of the word, and helped inspire generations of filmmakers with a legacy that will live on for years after today. May he rest in peace.