Hope. It has been in short supply. And in the absence of hope, it’s too easy to let despair creep in. But in times of trouble, myself – and countless others like me – look to heroes who can provide a beacon of light, guiding us out of the darkness.
Superman has been one of those heroes for decades. In fact, every generation has their own Superman, from Henry Cavill or Tyler Hoechlin to the soon-to-be-showcased David Corenswet. Mine was Christopher Reeve, the star of some of the best Superman movies ever made. And he’s about to become the focus of one of the best movies you will see in 2024. Watch the trailer for the upcoming documentary Super/Man above.
Christopher Reeve played Superman for director Richard Donner beginning in 1978. As the tagline for the motion picture promised, Reeve helped us to believe that a man could fly. Audiences had seen other actors play Superman over the years. But Reeve synched up with the character in ways never thought possible. He embodied the kindness, the purity, the goodness that came with being Superman. You couldn’t separate the actor from the part.
If you know Reeve’s story, things turned tragic. In 1995, he was involved in an equestrian accident. Reeve was thrown from his horse and landed on his head, shattering his first and second vertebrae. Reeve would be paralyzed for the remainder of his life.
But as the spectacular new documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story proves, the accident hardly was the end of Reeve’s life. It merely indicated a change. And having seen the documentary, I can tell you that Reeve embracing the fortitude, the spirit, and the tenacity of Superman made him a fighter in his own life, and a hero to everyone who watched his miraculous journey.
And what a journey it is. Watching Christopher Reeve fight back from death’s door, and continue to lead a life of love and commitment, is beyond inspirational. It’s actually life changing. In the trailer, the documentary shows how Reeve evolved from seeing Superman as a part to fully understanding and embracing what the persona means to a global community. By then accepting his fate, and not letting it defeat him, made him a role model for a new community of warriors who needed their own motivation to fight. As Glenn Close says in the Super/Man trailer:
The fact that Superman was in a wheelchair, and was willing to go public with it, was huge.
The Reeve family forever will be linked with the Superman legacy. Reeve himself almost guest-starred in Lois and Clark before his accident. And Will Reeve, Chris’s son, will have a cameo role in James Gunn’s Superman movie, arriving in theaters in 2025. But this emotional, beautiful documentary confirms that Reeve was so much more than Superman. He forever will be remembered as a super man.
Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Events plan to release Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story in select theaters September 21, followed by an Encore Presentation on Christopher Reeve’s Birthday, September 25.
