Filmmaker Richard Donner, who helped create the modern superhero blockbuster with 1978’s Superman and mastered the buddy comedy with the Lethal Weapon franchise, has died. He was 91.

Richard died Monday, July 5, in Los Angeles, his family said through a spokesperson.

Richard gained fame with his first feature, 1976’s The Omen. A then-unheard-of offer followed: $1 million to direct 1978’s Superman. Richard channeled his love of the character into making the film, repeatedly facing off with producers over the need for special effects that would convince the audience that a superhero could really fly. In the title role, Richard cast Christopher Reeve, who was associated with Superman for the rest of his life.

By the 21st century, the genre was dominating the box office in the US and thriving overseas. The heads of Marvel Studios and DC Entertainment—producers of most of today’s superhero fare—both worked for Richard when they were starting out in Hollywood.