Naturally, now that superhero movies run the world, the Telegraph brought them up when they spoke with Donner in a December 30 interview, and naturally, Donner had a lot to say. “When you see it done right, by my standards, it’s so fulfilling,” he said. “I’m very happy and proud when I see them. When it’s done wrong, it’s such a disappointment.”

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Donner, of course, directed what’s still one of the most optimistic superhero movies of all time with the original Superman, and the genre proceeded to take a dark turn in later years with films such as Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. However, if Donner has anything negative to say on the subject, he’s subtweeting it at most.

“There are so many people that make superheroes so cynical, it’s depressing,” Donner said. “When they’re dark and bleak and angry with themselves and the world, I don’t find it entertaining. I think there’s enough reality going on for that. We just got over four years of that. I think we crave the opposite.”

Fans who are hoping that Donner, a pillar of the business, would take the opportunity to slam DC’s competitor Marvel will have to find their salt elsewhere. In response to Martin Scorcese’s famous comment about the MCU films, that they feel like they’re “theme park rides” more than movies, Donner said “Well, I’d like to be able to make one of those theme park rides! …The problem is, a lot of times, we see in our industry that when the technical lens becomes readily available, it’s totally misused. But at the same time, every once in a while you really see quite a wonderful story with one of these films.”

Donner also clarified during the interview that he hasn’t been following the modern genre, to the extent where he wasn’t sure who Zack Snyder was. He does support Snyder’s recut of Justice League, however, as Donner himself had a similar opportunity in 2006. Donner had been fired (by telegram) from the production of Superman II in 1980, due to clashing with producer Pierre Spengler. 27 years later, he was given the chance to release Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, which reinstates several scenes featuring the late Marlon Brando’s Jor-El.

Donner is currently preparing to direct Lethal Weapon 5, also known as Lethal Finale, with a script by Lethal Weapon 4 writer Channing Gibson. No shooting schedule has been announced.

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Source: The Telegraph