Production
Upon gaining the film rights for Superman, Alexander Salkind and his son, Ilya, also purchased the rights to the character of Supergirl, should any sequel or spin-off occur. The first major casting choices for the movie were Dolly Parton as Selena, and Melanie Griffith or Brooke Shields as Kara/Supergirl. These were Ilya Salkind's top choices but they were ultimately rejected by both Alexander and the film's director, Jeannot Szwarc, who wanted an unknown actress. In an interview taped to promote the original Anchor Bay DVD release of the film, Ilya Salkind stated that he thought Shields was the better choice. Dolly Parton turned down the role of Selena and a reported $7 million dollar salary, later stating that she couldn't play a witch no matter what amount was being offered. Goldie Hawn and Jane Fonda turned the role down before Faye Dunaway accepted.
Dudley Moore had been offered $4 million to portray Zaltar, but turned the offer down. However, Moore found himself working with the same producers and director the following year on Santa Claus: The Movie. At Moore's suggestion, his former TV partner Peter Cook was cast in the movie as Nigel. John Travolta was approached to play Ethan, as was former Spider-Man actor Nicholas Hammond.
Although the Salkinds financed the film completely on their own budget, Warner Bros. were still involved in the production as the studio owned the distribution rights to the film and its parent company, Warner Communications, was also the parent company of DC Comics, which held the original copyright. The entire film was shot, edited and overseen under the supervision of Warner Bros. However, shortly before the film's original Summer 1984 premiere date, Warner Bros. dropped the film in the US due to the disappointing critical and financial performance of Superman III the year before. The film proceeded to be released overseas, however, and received a Royal Film Premiere in the United Kingdom in July 1984.
Read more about this topic: Supergirl (film)
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