{"id":38676,"date":"2021-07-05T16:26:39","date_gmt":"2021-07-05T23:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theculturednerd.org\/?p=38676"},"modified":"2021-07-05T16:26:42","modified_gmt":"2021-07-05T23:26:42","slug":"legendary-filmmaker-richard-donner-dies-at-age-91","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theculturednerd.org\/?p=38676","title":{"rendered":"Legendary Filmmaker Richard Donner Dies at age 91"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Iconic filmmaker Richard Donner<\/strong>, known for films such as Superman (1978)<\/em><\/strong>, The Goonies<\/em><\/strong> and Lethal Weapon<\/em><\/strong>, died Monday morning at age 91. The news comes from his wife Lauren Schuler Donner<\/strong> and his business manager, though no cause of death has been revealed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born on April 24, 1930, the gracious yet commanding director and producer got his start in television. His credits include The Twilight Zone, Perry Mason,<\/em><\/strong> and The Wild Wild West<\/em><\/strong>, just to name a few. Having done only a couple of feature films in the 1960s, it wasn’t until 1976’s The Omen<\/em><\/strong> that Donner saw breakout success; the feature would become the fifth-highest grossing film of that year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then in 1978, Donner directed Superman<\/em><\/strong> starring Christopher Reeve<\/strong>, which also included Margot Kidder<\/strong> and Gene Hackman<\/strong> as Lois Lane and Lex Luthor respectively. The film grossed $134 million domestically, becoming a pop culture phenomenon and reigniting people’s interest in superheroes. Having filmed much of the sequel, 1980’s Superman II<\/em><\/strong>, simultaneously with its predecessor, naturally it was assumed he would finish the project. However, that would not be the case as he was replaced by Richard Lester<\/strong>. Much of Donner’s original footage was scrapped and replaced by reshoots. It wouldn’t be until 2006 that we would see the director’s true vision of the film with Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut<\/em><\/strong>, much to the delight of Superman fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Donner’s treatment of the “superhero” undoubtedly pioneered the “play-it-straight” approach to subsequent superhero films as apposed to the camp of earlier films in the genre. This influenced the likes of Christopher Nolan’s<\/strong> Dark Knight<\/em><\/strong> trilogy, Bryan Singer’s<\/strong> X-Men<\/em><\/strong> films (which all were produced under The Donner Company<\/strong>), and Zack Snyder’s<\/strong> DC<\/strong> trilogy (Man of Steel, Batman v Spuerman: Dawn of Justice<\/em><\/strong> and Zack Snyder’s Justice League<\/em><\/strong>), all of which went on to be commercially successful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Richard Donner’s filmography is diverse to say the least, including family-friendly films such as The Goonies<\/em>, as well as more adult-oriented thrillers such as Conspiracy Theory<\/em><\/strong>. No matter the film, Donner has always left a lasting impression on his fellow filmmakers, and on October 16, 2008, he and his wife Lauren received stars on The Hollywood Walk of Fame<\/strong> for their achievements in cinema.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Source: Deadline<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Superman” director Richard Donner has passed away. 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