born Director Richard Lester , an American expatriate living in  England, claimed he had never heard of the Superman character before  being hired to replace original director Richard Donner (qv) for  the sequel as comic books had not been allowed in his house when he  was child. Many critics believe that Lesters lack of understanding  of the character of Superman bordered on disrespect, which was most  apparent in the next sequel, _Superman III (1983)_ (qv), which he  directed entirely on his own.