Nicolas Cage as Superman? Yep, it occurred—properly, form of. DC followers watching The Flash obtained a wild multiverse cameo of Cage battling a large alien spider as Clark Kent himself. However right here’s the twist: Cage’s Superman dream wasn’t only a random CGI throw-in. It was a callback to Hollywood’s most distinguished “what-if” tales.
Within the late ‘90s, Cage was set to put on the crimson cape in Superman Lives, a Tim Burton-led reboot that might’ve redefined the Man of Metal. The film had Cage rocking samurai-style lengthy hair as a darker, emo-ish Superman. Suppose moody, broody, and never your traditional Clark Kent. Kevin Smith wrote the script, Jon Peters produced, and Burton was recent off Batman and Batman Returns. All the things appeared primed for an excellent comeback—till it wasn’t.
The film was speculated to pit Superman in opposition to Brainiac, Lex Luthor, and Doomsday. However after Burton’s Mars Assaults! Bombed on the field workplace, Warner Bros. panicked and shelved the undertaking. In accordance with Cage, the studio feared something “bizarre” or groundbreaking. “They obtained chilly toes,” he advised Selection.
The ultimate nail? A cringe-worthy Polaroid of Cage in a prototype Superman swimsuit leaked. Followers weren’t shopping for it, and the backlash solely cemented the film’s destiny. Holly Payne, who labored on the tell-all doc The Demise of Superman Lives: What Occurred? mentioned the photograph didn’t do Cage justice. “And nobody had seen the artwork, aside from one horrible Polaroid of Nicolas Cage, exhausted, taken throughout a dressing up check,” she admitted.
Burton, although, was all in. He thought Cage was the proper man to convey depth to Superman. “With Nic, you possibly can see the change from Clark to Superman,” Burton advised Howard Stern. However sadly, that imaginative and prescient by no means made it to the large display.
Quick-forward to The Flash and Cage lastly obtained his second within the cape, full with a showdown in opposition to a large alien spider—an Easter egg for hardcore Superman Lives followers. Director Andy Muschietti known as Cage “completely fantastic” and mentioned he dove headfirst into the cameo.
And let’s not overlook: Cage is a die-hard Superman fan in actual life. He even named his son Kal-El. Speak about dedication. This Flash cameo wasn’t his first time as Superman; he voiced the character in 2018’s Teen Titans Go! To the Films.
Whereas Superman Lives by no means took flight, Cage’s multiverse second gave followers a style of what might’ve been. And truthfully? Solely Cage might flip a scrapped undertaking right into a legendary full-circle second. Iconic, as at all times.
For extra such tales, try Hollywood Information.
Should Learn: When Jennifer Lawrence Admitted She Was Drunk Throughout Her Well-known Kiss With Chris Pratt In Passengers
Observe Us: Fb | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google Information