Production:
Development
Series producer
Ilya Salkind originally wrote a
treatment for this film that included
Brainiac,
Mister Mxyzptlk and
Supergirl, but
Warner Bros. did not like it.
The treatment was released online in 2007.
The Mr. Mxyzptlk portrayed in the outline varies from his good-humored comic counterpart, as he uses his abilities to cause serious harm.
Dudley Moore was the top choice to play the role.
Meanwhile, in the same treatment, Brainiac was from
Colu and had discovered
Supergirl in the same way that Superman was found by the
Kents.
Brainiac is portrayed as a surrogate father to Supergirl and eventually fell in love with his "daughter", who did not reciprocate his feelings, as she had fallen in love with Superman.
Both
Gene Hackman and
Margot Kidder were angry with the way the Salkinds treated
Superman director Richard Donner, with Hackman retaliating by refusing to reprise the role of Lex Luthor.
After Margot Kidder publicly criticized the Salkinds for their treatment of Donner, the producers reportedly "punished" the actress by reducing her role in
Superman III to a brief appearance.
However, Hackman later denied such claims, stating that he had been busy with other movies and general consensus that making Luthor a constant villain would be akin to incessant horror movie sequels where a serial killer keeps coming back from the grave. Hackman did reprise his role as Lex Luthor in
Superman IV, with which the Salkinds had no involvement.
In his commentary for the 2006 DVD release of
Superman III,
Ilya Salkind denied any ill will between Margot Kidder and his production team and denied the claim that her part was cut for retaliation. Instead, he said, the creative team decided to pursue a different direction for a love interest for Superman, believing the Lois and Clark relationship had been played out in the first two films (but could be revisited in the future). With the choice to give a more prominent role to Lana Lang, Lois' part was reduced for story reasons. Salkind also denied the reports about Gene Hackman being upset with him, stating that Hackman was unable to return because of other film commitments.
Following the release of this movie, Pryor signed a five-year contract with
Columbia Pictures worth $40 million.
