How Community Saved Christopher Reeve’s Kids After His, Wife’s Deaths
By Movieguide® Contributor
Will Reeve, son of SUPERMAN star Christopher Reeve, recently shared how “alone” he felt after the deaths of his father and mother, Dana.
In 2004, Christopher passed away unexpectedly due to heart failure. Just two years later, his wife Dana — mom to Will and stepmother to Matthew and Alexandra — died after a battle with Stage 4 lung cancer.
“Despite the love and security that my siblings provided me, and my family provided me, and my adoptive family provides me, that was the moment, March 6, 2006…I’ve been alone since then,” Will said in new documentary SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY.
Will moved in with the family of his best friend, and his older siblings were always there for him as well.
During an interview with ABC News, Will asked his siblings if they thought people had worried enough about them after the losses of their father and stepmother.
“I don’t think I’ve ever thought about that either, like, that wasn’t the job at hand,” Alexandra replied. “The job at hand was keeping things going, keeping us OK, keeping everyone OK, honoring them in the right way, setting you up for success.”
Matthew added, “I think our greatest focus and frame of mind was you.”
Talking to PEOPLE, Will marveled at the level of support he felt from those around him, saying, “We were fortunate enough to live in a tight-knit community. We had big groups of friends and teachers and coaches and people from the past and people from the present just chipping in however they could always.”
SUPER/MAN was a way for Reeve’s children to revisit their memories of him, as well as learn new things about their dad.
“It is a gift. We’re so lucky,” Matthew told Variety. “We not only have his films to look at but a collection of home movies to dig up and go through and interviews on YouTube of him to pull up. Seeing things I hadn’t seen before didn’t change my perception of him but enhanced it…like some rare Australian interview done in 1977 that was uploaded and I didn’t know existed. It was pretty cool to see that and uncover a lot more material than we knew about.”
SUPER/MAN will be available to watch in theaters Sept. 21 and 25, with tickets available via Fathom Events.
Movieguide® previously reported on SUPER/MAN:
A new biographical documentary following SUPERMAN star Christopher Reeve’s life will premiere in theaters this fall.
While at the CinemaCon 2024, DC Studio head Peter Safran announced Warner Bros.’s acquisition of SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY.
Per Deadline, “Safran showed a moving trailer involving Reeve’s son’s distress after the horse accident that left the actor paralyzed, the actor’s connection to pal Robin Williams, and his prep for his role as the Man of Steel in the 1978 Richard Donner classic SUPERMAN.”
James Gunn confirmed the news of the acquisition on social media, writing, “I saw the stunningly beautiful documentary SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY a couple weeks ago. It emotionally floored me. Peter & I knew DC Studios needed to be involved & I’m grateful to Peter & our WBD family at Warner Bros, HBO, CNN & Max having worked so hard to acquire it. It’s a wonderful film by wonderful filmmakers & Reeve’s family not only for people like me who love Reeve’s work but for everyone.”
