SUPERMAN II

ALEXANDER SALKIND   

PRESENTS

“SUPERMAN II”
 

PRODUCERS:

ILYA SALKIND and

PIERRE SPENGLER

Director:

RICHARD LESTER

Shooting Script
 
[* NOTE: Scenes completed by Richard Donner have been typed in bold. ]

1        INT. OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL OF ELDERS CHAMBER - KRYPTON NIGHT

         All is still. A KRYPTONIAN GUARD stands at sentry beside massive crystalline portals.

Suddenly, silently, NON appears behind him and slips a massive arm across his throat. He

squeezes, cutting off the guard’s breath: the guard crumples silently, and drops to the floor.

         Now GENERAL ZOD and URSA step INTO FRAME.  As ZOD nods his approval to Non,

Ursa holds the chamber door open for the General to enter.

2        INT. COUNCIL OF ELDERS CHAMBER KRYPTON – NIGHT

ZOD leads the         way into the chamber. This imposing crystalline space, the parliament of

Krypton, is empty for the moment. But the signs of its members are ever-present: around the great floating slab that is their conference table each has his (or her) own console of crystals – a transparent container marked with the identifying insignia, c.f. the symbols on each of their robes in Part I.

         As Non and Ursa follow two paces behind. Zod strides along the slab, ignoring console after       console, stopping only when he reaches the one emblazoned with the S-like crest of Jor-El.

         ANGLE DOWN ON IT as Zod lifts the lid of the console and removes, from among all

         transparent crystals, the one red crystal.

         PAN UP as he lifts it high. It glows even in the dim light of the empty chamber – until Zod,

with a satisfied and sinister smile, snaps it in half. He tosses it to the ground and looks with a

self-congratulatory air at Ursa and Non.

EFECTS: The luminous Spinning Rings (c.f. Part I) descend and encircle the villainous trio,

imprisoning them like a magical lasso in perpetual motion.

Zod and Ursa are instantly subdued, if sullen; Non stares out at his captors making subhuman     noises of rags and frustrations – literally a caged beast.

3        INT. KRYPTON TRIAL CHAMBER

         A FULL C.U. OF ZOD FILLS THE SCREEN, as:

                                             ELDER (V.O.)

                                    General Zod. A warped, would-be

                                    dictator. His only feeling is contempt.

                                    His only desire is to command

                                                                                          CONTINUED        

3        CONTINUED
 

C.U. OF URSA FILLS THE SCREEN

                                             ELDER (v.o.)

                                    Ursa. Her only feeling is for the

                                    vicious General. Her only desire --

                                    to rule at his side.

         C.U. OF NON FILLS THE SCREEN

                                             ELDER (V.O.)

                                    Non. He is without words and

                                    without thought. He is a brute force.

The General need only command to                                            inspire this monster to acts of

mindless destruction.

ON THE THREE – listening implacably.

         ELDER (V.O.)

Together these three are responsible

for the darkest episode in Krypton’s

history, the one attempt at insurrection

against our reasoned way of life.

(NOTE:  Many of the shots and sequences that follow are to be taken from Superman, Part I, and are so indicated, including, whenever possible, identifying material from the Release Script of Part I to facilitate the locating of the exact footage required.)

4        RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL ONE --Spot 1/26
 

                                             SECOND ELDER

                                    Guilty!

5        RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL ONE – Spot 1/27

         C.U. Zod’s eyes.

                                             ELDERS

                                         (all speaking together)

                                    Guilty!

                                            (echoed)

6        RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REL ONE – Spot, 1/29

         C.U. Zod looking off L. towards Jor-El.

                                             ZOD

                                    The vote must be unanimous, Jor-El.

7        RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL ONE – Spot 1/31

Close THREE SHOT – Zod on the L. with Non to R. beyond him and Ursa on the R. looking off L. to Jor-El.

                                             ZOD

                                    You alone will condemn us if you

wish…

8        RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL ONE – Spot 1/32

         C.U. Zod looking off L. towards Jor-El.

                                             ZOD

                                    …And you alone will be held

responsible by me.

9        RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL ONE – page 15

         CLOSE SHOT as Phantom Zone revolves TOWARDS CAMERA. IT FILLS THE    SCREEN and collects up the Villains. It SPINS AWAY FROM CAMERA and we SEE       the three Villains’ faces in the Phantom Zone. They are crying out as it moves away.

(NOTE:  The following SHOT is new footage)

10      A CLOSE-UP of the Green Crystal (the one used in Part One to construct the Fortress, etc.) ON SCREEN, shimmering, pulsing with Kryptonian energy and life. As it does so:

 Music:  Main Title Theme begins.

TITLE APPEARS OVER IMAGE OF GREEN CRYSTAL.

BEGIN CREDITS – SUPERIMPOSED OVER THIS IMAGE AND CONTINUED OVER THE FOLLOWING IMAGES (all from Superman Part I.) ALL M.O.S.

(NOTE: On the first listed below, some optical changes will have to be done in order to eliminate Jor-El from the existing shot, so as to make it one of Lara, the baby and the

Green Crystal without a certain highly-paid actor in the FRAME).

11      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL TWO  --  Page 8

TWO SHOT -- LARA and baby KAL EL, as the Green Crystal is placed in the infant’s

 starship.

12      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL TWO -- Page 11
 

            Baby Kal-El’s starship takes off.

13      RELEASE SCRIPT , PART ONE, REEL THREE --Page 1

         EXT. SPACE

VERY LONG SHOT as the Red Sun hits Krypton and it explodes. CAMERA ZOOMS IN through the exploding particles of the planet.

14      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL THREE --Pages 4 – 5

         The rocket lands in the wheat field.

15      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL THREE -- Page 11

         Baby Kal-El lifts the back end of the pick-up truck.

16      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL FOUR -- Page 6

Young CLARK is summoned to the barn by the force of the Green Crystal and its “effect.”

17      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL FIVE -- Page 1

         At the North Pole, young Clark throws the Green Crystal and where it falls the Fortress
         of Solitude begins to rise.

18      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL FIVE -- Page 11

         CAMERA PANS UP the front of the Daily Planet building

19      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL SIX -- PAGE 6

THREE SHOT – PERRY, LOIS and CLARK in Perry’s office as Clark first meets everyone.

20      RELAEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL EIGHT -- Page 4

         MEDIUM SHOT shooting up towards the roof of the Daily Planet, with the helicopter

on the edge of the roof, as Lois falls out of the open door. She screams.

CUT TO:  LONGER SHOT as Lois continues falling, hanging on a strap, still screaming.

21      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL EIGHT -- Page 4

Shooting up through the windscreen of a boat cabin towards bow of boat where Superman is standing on deck with arms folded. Hatch in deck behind him opens and

a CROOK climbs out. TWO OTHER CROOKS (who’ve been counting their loot) are relieved to see the first crook about to attack Superman from behind. The first crook bashes Superman with a crowbar. Superman doesn’t react at all, but the crowbar and the crook holding it vibrate madly.

22      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL

Voluptuous EVE TESCHMACHER in bikini takes a subterranean sunbath in Luthor lair.

23      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL TWELVE -- Pages 15 – 16

LEX LUTHOR with his map of America reveals his scheme; the "old" West Coast drops off the map.

24      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL THIRTEEN  -- Page 14

         The rocket hits the earth and explodes.

25      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL THIRTEEN -- Page 15

LONG SHOT FROM HIGH ANGLE SHOOTING DOWN onto the San Andreas Fault, as the crack in the earth widens and part of it start to fall in.

26      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL THIRTEEN -- Page 29
 

         LONG SHOT along railway line as Superchief Train approaches.

         C.U. SUPERMAN lying in place of the broken tracks. He lowers his head.

LONG SHOT toward Railway Embankment with Superman in place of broken track as train enters L. along line and crosses over him.

CLOSE SHOT towards Superman lying in place of broken track as train passes over him.

27      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL FOURTEEN – Page 15

Lois’ car has fallen into a crack. CLOSE SHOT – the front of the windscreen as the car is being crushed, earth falling down from TOP OF FRAME.     

CLOSE SHOT – LOIS, as the car is being crushed. She is screaming.

28      RELEASE SCRIPT, PART ONE, REEL FOURTEEN – Page 22

LONG SHOT the world with traces of Superman going round and round the centre R/l and then finally swinging down wide L. of the world, and reverses and starts going L/R very fast leaving trails. World starts moving normally West to East.

END CREDITS AND TITLE MUSIC

29      EXT. DAILY PLANET – DAY

         ESTABLISHING SHOT of the office building on a busy Metropolis street.

30      INT. DAILY PLANET  -  DAY

CLARK KENT comes in, ready to begin a day’s work, chipper and friendly. TRACKING WITH HIM as he passes various EMPLOYEES, all of whom seem to be bustling about with exceptional preoccupation. There is an air of tension, often found in newspaper offices when a big story is breaking. At first Clark doesn’t realize anything unusual is up.

As a REPORTER with a sheaf of wire service copy in hand bustles by him:

                                    CLARK

                           Morning, Phil ---

                                    PHIL

                              (can’t stop to talk)

                           ‘Scuse me Kent…..

Clark is a bit surprised, but continues walking on. A WOMAN REPORTER is heading down the aisle just ahead of him.

                                    CLARK

                                   (cheerily)

                           Hi, Alice. That’s a very pretty

                           blouse you –