Christopher Reeve’s documentary Super/Man flies to Max after WBD picked up the Sundance favorite
The Christopher Reeve Documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story was one of the hits of this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and Warner Bros. Discovery has bagged the streaming rights in a deal reportedly worth $15 million, according to Variety. The deal sets a precedent for the launch of a Sundance documentary and likely means the documentary will stream on Max.
It’s been a good year for Sundance documentaries: Will Ferrell’s road trip with his trans friend, Wil & Harperalso created serious buzz after being greeted with tears and a standing ovation at the festival. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is also well received, and it is very emotional in every way.
The documentary features home movies we’ve never seen before, as well as extensive selections from Reeves’ own archives, as it tells the story of how Reeves became an iconic movie hero and then suffered a terrible accident that left him dependent on a ventilator.
Why Super/Man’s home planet is probably Max
Deadline says part of Max’s story is that it already owns the original 1978 Superman film, directed by Richard Donner, and that “would make the film suitable for the studio” – and there’s more synergy in the form of the upcoming Superman renewal Superman: Legacywhich comes next year.
The documentary has already received many positive reviews. To write VarietyOwen Glieberman says it is both exquisitely crafted and extremely moving; “the documentary fills his life with a compelling richness… There is incredible drama in the story of how he recovered from the disaster, learned to breathe and talk and, more than that, rehabilitated his life.”
In the meantime, The Hollywood Reporter says it is a “deeply moving film…rich with evidence of hope and kindness, gratitude and the resilience of the human spirit”, and Time-out says: “The Man of Steel gets the documentary he deserves, 20 years after his death… it’s an intensely moving experience.”
Although the biopic will likely be a tearjerker, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story It sounds like it will be a must-watch later this year when it comes to the best streaming service.