In 1983, Richard Pryor was essentially the sun that Hollywood revolved around. He was untouchable. He was the most dangerous, brilliant, and commercially viable comedian on the planet. So, when he appeared on The Tonight Show and offhandedly told Johnny Carson how much he loved the first two Superman movies, the producers didn’t just hear a fan—they heard a cash register ringing.
Producers Ilya and Alexander Salkind were notorious for their "more is more" philosophy. They didn't just invite Pryor to join the cast of the next installment; they essentially handed him the keys to the Fortress of Solitude. Richard Pryor Superman 3 is often remembered as the moment a prestige superhero franchise turned into a slapstick variety hour, but the story behind the movie is way weirder than just a "bad casting" choice.
It was a perfect storm of a massive ego-driven paycheck, a director who wanted to mock the source material, and a script that forced a stand-up god into a role that basically required him to be a "computer genius" who didn't know how computers worked.
The 5 Million Dollar Joke
Let’s talk money. For his role as Gus Gorman, Pryor was paid a staggering $5 million. To put that in perspective, Christopher Reeve—the actual Man of Steel—made somewhere around $1 million for the same film.
Imagine being the guy wearing the cape, doing the stunts, and carrying the legacy of a cultural icon, only to find out the comedian playing the bumbling sidekick is making five times your salary. Honestly, it's a miracle Reeve didn't fly into the sun out of pure spite.
Pryor wasn't even a villain, really. He played Gus Gorman, a chronic loser who discovers he has a "superpower" for computer programming after taking a night class. The Salkinds were chasing the burgeoning computer craze of the early 80s. They figured: "Everyone likes Richard Pryor, and everyone is talking about these new computer things. Let's mash them together."
The problem was that the script, written by David and Leslie Newman, didn't actually have any jokes for him. They just left "dead air" in the scenes, assuming Pryor would fill it with his legendary improv.
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When Camp Overwhelmed the Cape
Director Richard Lester was a different beast than Richard Donner, who had helmed the first film. Donner treated Superman like a myth. Lester treated him like a cartoon. Lester had a background with The Beatles (A Hard Day’s Night) and a penchant for British slapstick. He famously stated that his goal was to "destroy the legend."
It showed.
The movie opens with a five-minute Rube Goldberg-style sequence of pratfalls and sight gags involving toy penguins and blind men walking into phone booths. By the time Superman actually shows up to save the day, the audience has already forgotten they aren't watching a sequel to The Pink Panther.
The Infamous Skiing Scene
If you want to know why fans were annoyed, look no further than the skiing scene. At one point, Gus Gorman (Pryor) dons a pink tablecloth as a makeshift cape and skis off the side of a skyscraper. He falls hundreds of feet, lands perfectly on a city street, and walks away.
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No powers. No explanation. Just pure cartoon logic.
Christopher Reeve later wrote in his autobiography, Still Me, that he found these moments to be in "poor taste." He felt the franchise was being cheapened. He wasn't wrong. The tonal shift was so jarring that it felt like two different movies were being edited together by someone who hated both of them.
The "Cigarette Tar" Kryptonite
One of the most bizarre plot points involves Gus Gorman trying to manufacture synthetic Kryptonite. Because he can't figure out the final 0.5% of the chemical makeup, he looks at a pack of cigarettes and decides to substitute "Tar."
It’s ridiculous. It’s silly.
But, weirdly enough, this led to the best part of the movie. Instead of killing Superman, the "Tar-Kryptonite" makes him a jerk. We get "Bad Superman" with the 5 o'clock shadow who straightens the Leaning Tower of Pisa and blows out the Olympic torch just to be a menace. This culminates in the junkyard fight where Clark Kent literally fights his evil self. It's dark, it's psychological, and it’s arguably one of the greatest scenes in superhero cinema history.
And then, five minutes later, Richard Pryor is back on screen pretending to be an Army General with a giant foam hat. The whiplash is real.
Why Richard Pryor Still Matters to This Movie
Despite the critical drubbing, Richard Pryor Superman 3 was a financial success, even if it didn't hit the heights of its predecessors. It grossed about $80 million worldwide.
The movie didn't "fail" because of Pryor. In fact, his star power is probably what kept the box office numbers respectable. He was charming even when he was being forced to do "nerdy" bits that didn't fit his persona.
The real issue was the cynicism behind the scenes. The producers were tired of the franchise and the high costs of actors like Gene Hackman and Margot Kidder (who was famously sidelined in this film to just a few minutes of screen time as a punishment for supporting Richard Donner). They wanted a cheap, funny hit.
What You Can Learn From This Era
Looking back at the 1983 release, there are some pretty clear takeaways for how we view cinema today:
- Casting for Clout Rarely Works: Just because someone is the biggest star in the world doesn't mean they fit into every world. Pryor’s comedic energy was raw and R-rated; putting him in a PG Superman movie was like putting a Ferrari engine in a lawnmower.
- Tone is Everything: You can have a dark junkyard fight or you can have a man skiing off a building in a pink tablecloth. You really can't have both.
- The "Evil Superman" Trope Started Here: Before The Boys or Invincible, this movie gave us the first real look at what a "bad" god looks like. It's the only part of the film that truly holds up.
If you’re going back to watch it, don't go in expecting a superhero epic. Go in expecting a weird, 1980s time capsule. It’s a movie where the greatest comedian of all time is trapped in a computer room, and the Man of Steel is fighting himself in the mud. It’s messy, it’s frustrating, and it’s honestly kind of fascinating.
To get the most out of the experience, focus on the Clark vs. Superman fight and try to imagine what the movie could have been if the writers had actually given Richard Pryor something funny to say.
Practical Next Steps for Fans:
- Watch the Junk Yard Fight: Search for the "Clark Kent vs. Evil Superman" clip on YouTube. It's the highest-quality part of the film and stands on its own.
- Read Christopher Reeve's "Still Me": This provides the most honest behind-the-scenes look at the tension between the actors and the producers.
- Compare to Superman II (The Donner Cut): To see what the franchise looked like before the shift toward camp, watch the restored version of the second film.