Superman III is a 1983 superhero film based on the DC Comics character Superman, portrayed by Christopher Reeve. It is the third installment in the Superman film series and the sequel to Superman II (1980). Directed by Richard Lester and written by David and Leslie Newman, the film stars Reeve, Richard Pryor, Jackie Cooper, Marc McClure, Annette O'Toole, Annie Ross, Pamela Stephenson, Robert Vaughn, and Margot Kidder. In the film, Superman battles Ross Webster, a corrupt businessman who has constructed a powerful supercomputer to kill him.