Superman Lives Trailer Revives Canceled Nicolas Cage DC Movie
A new Superman Lives fan trailer imagines Nicolas Cage in the canceled DC movie, finally giving fans a glimpse of his Man of Steel in action.
With Superman’s big-screen future currently at the forefront of most DC fans’ minds, an animation studio has brought Nicolas Cage’s canceled Superman Lives movie back to life in a new trailer. Originally based on a story pitched by Clerks III director Kevin Smith, Superman Lives was set to begin filming in 1998 with Batman’s Tim Burton sitting in the director’s chair and Cage playing the Man of Steel himself. After a series of rewrites by Burton Batman Returns screenwriter Wesley Strick, the film entered pre-production in 1997, but Warner Bros. challenged the budget required by Strick’s rewrites. After bringing in another writer, Dan Gilroy, the studio ultimately opted to scrap the project altogether in April 1998. The troubled production would later serve as the focus for the 2015 documentary film, The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?
While the story of Cage almost getting his own Superman movie has since become pop culture legend, sadly only a few pre-production photos of the actor in costume hinted at what might have been. Now, however, animation house Lazy Droid Studio has given fans a glimpse into a world in which Cage’s canceled DC movie was never let go. Delivering an animated trailer, the clip shows the film’s main villain, Brainiac, receiving a message from Lex Luthor before Cage’s Superman takes off. Check out the new fan trailer below:
Nicolas Cage’s Superman Backstory Explained
An avowed comic book fan, Cage has a long history with DC’s Man of Steel. While word of his casting in Superman Lives has long been discussed and debated by the comic book fandom at large, Cage was producer Jon Peters’ first choice who wanted to see the actor tackle the role right after. his first Oscar win for Leaving Las Vegas and the blockbuster hit Con Air. The actor would later reveal that he was ultimately the one who brought Burton into the project and had a very specific take on his version of the character.
While the project would eventually stumble and fall before principal photography could begin, Cage’s apparent love for the character would continue. In 2005, he would even name his second child Kal-El, after Superman’s original Kryptonian name. Then, in 2018, Cage would finally get his chance to play DC’s greatest superhero by providing the voice of Superman in Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, some 20 years after he was first attached to the role. His son Kal-El will also appear in the film’s cast, providing the voice of a young Bruce Wayne.
More recently, Cage was also being considered by Smith to potentially play Superman villain Bizarro in the now-cancelled anthology show DC’s Strange Adventures, which would have focused on some of the DC Universe’s lesser-known characters. Unfortunately, that opportunity also seems to have slipped through Cage’s fingers. Nevertheless, with this new fan trailer, fans can finally imagine what could have been with Cage front and center as DC’s Man of Steel in Superman Lives.
Key Release Dates
We wish to thank the author of this write-up for this awesome material
