Finished the second draft of Mario Puzo's Superman. It's quite the read.

For the most part, it follows the original draft with a few extensions and "smoothing over" of scenes. In the original script, stuff "just happens." In this one, there's more detail added: The Krypton scenes and Smallville scenes have a little more material that makes the scenes far less choppy. Scenes of Kal-El journeying to earth are added as well. The stealing of the kryptonite now has an actual heist, versus just kind of happening as Luthor and Eve walk by. The rescue of Clark from radiation poisoning has scenes of taking over the ambulance and plane, as well as a crash landing.

There's no Jor-El or Lara holograms until we get to the Fortress of Solitude, instead they're substituted with a "computer voice." I'm assuming they were going to make a Big Reveal of the two once they Fortress is made, but that doesn't seem to be in the script. They just show up.

All the Galaxy Communications scenes are the same, except that Perry White takes over Martin Edge's role (who is never seen, only heard) over a PA system. Luthor Lux is now Lex Luthor. :)

Once Superman loses his powers for Lois, he insists they get married and have a wedding feast in the Kryptonian fashion. IT's a hilarious scene as it's obvious Lois wants to get him to bed to make love, but Clark wants these grand marriage proclamations ("This sounds more like a declaration of war than a declaration of marriage") and then eats like a pig. Lois is just kind of strumming her fingers through this whole scene, poor thing. Probably my fave scene in the script.

The Pope Assasination plot, and Luthor's grand declaration of three great crimes is removed at this point and we go straight into the Peacock Throne and H-Bomb episode.

At this point in the script, there's a break written in where Puzo specifically says "here's where you can have the film split into two" and even considers calling it "The Four Great Villains and Luthor's Three Great Crimes."

This is all almost all new material moving forward. Luthor mentions he has three great crimes he plans to do, beginning with the assasination of the Pope, which is moved here. Added to this plot was a quick recognition of Luthor as a priest before the assasination, and a random hijack attempt after the assasination is quashed.

Kent considers quitting Galaxy Communications because, while he's getting all the scoops, he IS the scoops as Superman. Martin Edge refuses to let him go but gives him a 30 day vacation. Kent asks Jor-El about profiting off his superpowers in the new business. Jor-El can't answer - that's an ethics issue, and has to be his own decision.

Luthor launches his Second Great Crime. He tells his henchmen that he plans to steal the US' new nucear submarine and sell it to the highest bidder. But as the plot unfolds, it turns out that he plans to launch the nuclear weapons off the submarine instead. Superman attempts to stop him, but Luthor has the launch codes and will launch the missles unless Superman lets him have the submarine. Instead Superman leaves, and drags the submarine to the ocean floor. Luthor negotiates his way out of being arrested.

Kent decides to quit Galaxy Communication just as the news of Australia being wiped out hits the office. The Four Great Villains have arrived and hae destroyed Australia.

At this point, Lois realized Kent is quitting to go to Australia, and suspects that, while he ISN'T Superman, he's at least in contact with Superman, which KEnt confirms. He gives her power of attorney if he doesn't make it back, and tells her there's a letter in a safety deposit box that will explain everything should he not survive.

At this point, he goes up to the penthouse of Galaxy Communiations president Martin Edge (who has only rarely shown up in this version of the script with Perry White taking over his role, but does show up every so often to deliver the important news and hand out assignments), and it turns out the Martin Egge is ALSO Clark Kent, in makeup.

Oddly, at this point, we have the same out-line vagueness of the first draft. It's again far less "Screenplay" and more "outline" where the destruction is genertically described. The only real difference is that Jor-El doesn't say "there's no way to defeat them" instead saying "they can't be killed for ethical reasons."

The story ends the same way witht he four villains being powered down and memory wiped, and Luthor questioning wehter Superman will memory wipe him.

Oddly, in a very prescient move, there's a post-credits sequence where Luthor is hiring new henchment for his next crime (Superman didn't mind-wipe him), and it's the Four Great Villains applying for the role, presumably for Luthor's Third Great Crime. :)

This is a much MUCH smoother script than the first one, but still has a way to go. These seem to be the only two drafts Puzo did for Superman. I'm not sure if there were any drafts by the Newmans that morphed this movie into their publically available scripts. But the seeds for the movie are absolutely there.