‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ trailer shows the heartbreaking story of the ultimate Man of Steel

In 1978, Christopher Reeve made history by becoming DC Comics’ most popular character at the time: Superman, one of the most popular comic book adaptations of history. Reeve played the most famous Man of Steel ever, and would do so on three more occasions: Superman II (1980), Superman 3 (1983) and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987). His appearance as Superman was also the first to be seen in full color, and the film’s visual effects were a milestone for its time.

Horse riding accident turns Reeves’ world upside down

But despite what many believed, Reeve was not made of steel, but of flesh and blood. In May 1995, the actor suffered an accident that left him completely paralyzed from the neck down. His horse refused a third fence jump and he was thrown head first, landing on the far side of the fence. His his first and second vertebrae were completely shattered in the fall.

Reeves, the most well-known Superman of all, was suddenly severely disable and considering euthanasia as the only option for him.

“You’re still you, and I still love you,” says his wife Dana in the trailer for Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, the documentary which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January as a tribute to Reeve’s career and life.

Reeve’s life came to an end in 2004, at the age of 54, but not before he was able to set up a foundation that he named after himself to support research into the fight against spinal cord injuries and for the rights of the disabled. It is on his figure as a man that this production by Warner Bros and DC Studios emphasizes prior to the release of ‘Superman’ in 2025.

“It’s a gift, we’re very lucky,” his son Matthew told Variety. “We not only have his films to look at but a collection of home movies to dig up and go through and interviews on YouTube of him to pull up. Seeing things I hadn’t seen before didn’t change my perception of him but enhanced it - like some rare Australian interview done in 1977 that was uploaded and I didn’t know existed. It was pretty cool to see that and uncover a lot more material than we knew about.”

His daughter, Alexandra Reeve Given added, “My dad was very competitive and he didn’t necessarily slow down”.

‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’ will be released in American theaters on Saturday 21 September followed by an encore presentation 25 September on what would have been Reeve’s 72nd birthday.

The documentary will go on wider, general theatrical release but as of the moment, no dates have been announced.