Superman decides to sacrifice his powers so that he can be with Lois, unaware that three Kryptonian criminals he inadvertently released are conquering Earth. Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut is an American superhero film directed by Richard Donner and was released in 2006. It is the re-edited director's cut of the 1980 theatrical version of Superman II directed by Richard Lester and serves as an alternate sequel to the 1978 film Superman, which was also directed by Donner. The film stars Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, and Marlon Brando in original footage filmed by Donner back in 1977.