Christopher Reeve as Superman in a wheelchair is revealed as no less a hero in the trailer for DC Studios and Fathom Events’ documentary Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, which was released on Monday.
“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles,” Reeve, who died in 2004 at the age of 52, says at one point in the film teaser about the iconic Hollywood star who played the Man of Steel in four Superman franchise movies, before a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 left him paralyzed from the neck down.
Despite becoming a quadriplegic, the doc reveals Reeve overcoming earlier doubts about continuing to live and, lifted by the strength of family and friends behind him, devote his life to discovering a cure for spinal cord injuries and advocating for disability rights and care.
Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, who helmed McQueen, the film about Reeve’s Hollywood and personal history includes home movies and interviews with Reeve’s three children and Hollywood colleagues and friends.
“My dad was very competitive, and he didn’t necessarily slow down,” daughter Alexandra Reeve said in tribute to her father.
The film, which DC Studios, HBO Documentary Films and CNN Films acquired out of the Sundance Film Festival this year, will debut in cinemas across the U.S. on Sept. 21, 2024. An encore presentation will follow on Sept. 25, the Superman actor’s birthday.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is produced by Passion Pictures and Misfits Entertainment, with Words + Pictures financing and also producing.
The film’s international theatrical rollout will follow.
