Donner's Superman 2

Superman II
The Richard Donner version

Scenes 275 - 284, "The Daily Planet", pt. 1

275 EXT. METROPOLIS STREET - DAILY PLANET - DAY

CAMERA PANS DOWN from the sign over the Daily Planet building. On the street below a large pushcart selling fresh fruit has taken up a position in front of a ground floor pastry shop. A vacant cab pulls up. The CABBIE walks over to the cart to buy an apple.

276 CLOSER ANGLE

The CABBIE buys his apple from the PUSHCART MAN, starts to munch on it as behind him: a blue blur swoops down, approaches the cab from the side. The streetside back door to the cab opens and closes almost faster than the eye can see. A head pops up in the back seat - it is CLARK KENT, in his full, mild-mannered outfit. The CABBIE turns, mystified, his teeth sticking in the apple as CLARK steps out into the street, casually adjusts his tie, smiles nicely at the CABBIE.

CLARK
Keep the change...

CLARK enters the Daily Planet building.

277 INT. DAILY PLANET CITY ROOM - DAY

The hum of typewriters and activity is heard O.S. CAMERA CLOSE on an edition of the Daily Planet lying on a desk. The front page shows a picture of the collapsing Boulder Dam (seen in SUPERMAN) with the banner headline:

1

"LEX LUTHOR'S SCHEME BOMBS - SUPERMAN SAVES WORLD - CRIMINAL DRAWS LONG SENTENCE", exclusive story by Lois Lane. Photographs by James Olsen.

278 WIDER ANGLE

LOIS sits behind her desk, reads the story, nods approvingly, pleased with herself. JIMMY OLSEN stands over her shoulder, a camera around his neck, all admiration.

JIMMY
Golly, it's a great story, Miss Lane...

LOIS
A picture usually isn't worth a thousand words when I write the article, Jimmy.
(nice smile)
But in this case - congratulations.

JIMMY grins, looks off. CLARK enters in B.G.

JIMMY
There's Mr. Kent! I'd bet he wishes he'd been there when it all happened.

LOIS
(reading)
Poor Clark. For some strange reason he's never around when Superman appears...

2

JIMMY walks off to join CLARK. LOIS turns over the page of the paper. More of Jimmy's pictures and her story are inside. LOIS reads for a moment, then glances over at CLARK and JIMMY. She returns to her paper, suddenly blinks, looks back.

279 ANGLE ON CLARK AND JIMMY - LOIS' POV

3

CAMERA ZOOMS IN on CLARK. He stands talking to Jimmy, hands on hips, smiling.

280 BACK TO LOIS

4

LOIS, her eyes widening, looks down at the paper again.

281 INSERT SHOT - SUPERMAN'S PICTURE

5

A photograph of SUPERMAN - both the pose and the expression are exactly identical to the way CLARK is standing and looking.

282 BACK TO LOIS

LOIS is stunned. She looks over at CLARK again.

283 CLOSEUP - CLARK AND SUPERMAN INTERCUT - LOIS' POV

CLARK, talking to JIMMY. Then SUPERMAN actually standing there in his place. Then CLARK. Then SUPERMAN, etc, as if two different men were carrying on the same conversation.

284 BACK TO LOIS

LOIS picks up a pen, goes to work feverishly, as CAMERA ZOOMS IN on the picture of SUPERMAN in the newspaper. She draws in eyeglasses, changes the hairstyle, colors in a suit, etc. It is a perfect match. CAMERA ZOOMS BACK to Lois, tensely excited. There's no doubt about it - she's made the discovery of the century. She rises triumphantly.

PERRY'S VOICE
Lane! Kent! Get in here!

Sources:
1 - PropWorld.nu.
2 through 10 - images courtesy of The Propstore of London.

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