Christopher Reeve’s Son, Mathew, Says New Documentary Came at the Right Time

In the new film, one of late ‘Superman’ actor’s sons recalls the final moments he saw his father on his feet before equestrian accident left him paralyzed.

Former actor Christopher Reeve (R) and his son Matthew (L) talk on the promenade overlooking the Mediterranean Sea in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Aug. 1, 2003. Israel Hadari-Pool/Getty Images

Oct. 10 marks 20 years since the passing of beloved actor and father Christopher Reeve, but the story of his life continues in a new documentary coming to the big screen.

DC Studios released the first trailer for “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” on Aug. 26. It gives an inside look at Reeve’s life, beginning as an aspiring actor and blossoming into a movie star.

Throughout the ‘70s and ’80s, Reeve brought Clark Kent and his superhero persona “Superman” to life in four films before a 1995 equestrian accident left him paralyzed from the neck down.

While it still remains a somber time for Reeve’s family, his son Mathew says the movie could not have come at a better time.

“It all came together really organically,” said Mathew following a film screening at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Mathew and his siblings, William and Alexandra, were previously approached with inquiries to create the movie, but it wasn’t until directors Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui came along that it felt right.

At one point in the trailer, Mathew recalls the final moment he saw his father on his feet before the near-fatal horse-riding accident.

“We said goodbye, he gave this wave … that was the last time I saw him on his feet.”

Despite becoming a quadriplegic, Reeve took his tragedy and turned it into triumph, becoming an advocate for disability rights and care. He ultimately founded the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation for spinal cord injury research.

Reeve died in 2004 at the age of 52 from heart failure as a result of infection.

The documentary highlights Reeve’s will to live, overcoming any previous doubts he had and giving credit to the love and support of his family.

“I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles,” Reeve is heard saying in the trailer.

The film includes never-before-seen home movies and interviews with Reeve’s children and his late wife, Dana, who died from lung cancer in 2006. It will also feature a number of personal archive material.

(L-R) Matthew Reeve, Alexandra Reeve Givens, and William Reeve attend the "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" premiere during the 2024 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre in Park City, Utah, on Jan. 21, 2024. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

In 2019, on the 15-year anniversary of Reeve’s death, his son William took a moment to remember his parents while attending a gala for their foundation and the legacy that carries on in their name.

“I think his legacy is never going to go away and I think that is a responsibility that I feel, to carry his and my mother’s legacy on for the rest of my life and hopefully beyond that,” Will told People magazine.

The foundation is a national and informational non-profit dedicated to improving quality of life for people living with paralysis and their caregivers.

“I think that the foundation is one way, one tangible way, that his legacy and my mom’s legacy will always live on. And I think the way that I and my siblings live our lives is another way. And I think that his impact is felt by the millions of lives that he touched.”

“Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will open in theaters nationwide on Sept. 21, followed by an encore presentation on Sept. 25, the late actor’s birthday.