In a recent interview with Deadline, Nicolas Cage officially closed the chapter on his involvement with Superman.
Superman was a role that has lingered in the actor’s career for over two decades. Despite the recent cameo in 2023’s ‘The Flash,’ Cage made it clear that he does not anticipate revisiting the role and revealed what initially made him confused about the cancellation of the Tim Burton-directed ‘Superman Lives’:
“Oh, no, I don’t think that’s coming back in any way. And listen, I wasn’t angry about the situation. I really wasn’t. I was just confused. I was mystified by what happened [in the first place] because [Tim Burton], one of the greatest directors in the world, had wanted to make the movie and already had kind of defined the way to make the best comic book-based storyline with the ‘Batman’ franchise with Michael Keaton. So I couldn’t understand why that studio, who had such success with that fantastic, brilliant director, would pull the plug.”
Elaborating on what he said, Cage continued to reveal he was dissatisfied with the use of CGI in his scenes:
“But that was a long time ago. And then subsequently, what happened with ‘The Flash’… I wasn’t upset; I was just perplexed. I was just like, ‘It wasn’t what I shot,’ and I was worried about it. Like, ‘Did you just tell me that I was witnessing the destruction of the universe so you could take pictures of me and then animate me?’ Whether it was through CGI or AI, that wasn’t the conversation we had. So, I was confused.”
While Cage admitted to being initially shocked by his CGI representation, he later acknowledged a sense of satisfaction in seeing the character brought to life on screen.
What Happened to ‘Superman Lives’?
‘Superman Lives’ was a project that was set to revolutionize Superman’s image in the late 1990s. Cage, who collaborated closely with Burton, also contributed to the character’s design. As he told Deadline, he envisioned a more vulnerable Superman with different features like long, black Samurai hair and a still gaze.
However, ‘Superman Lives’ was canceled only three weeks before filming was set to begin in April 1998. Despite the cancellation of the film, Cage’s Superman had a chance to come alive in ‘The Flash.’ His cameo as Clark Kent/Superman also had a reference to ‘Superman Lives,’ where Superman fights a giant alien spider.
Looking ahead, Cage told Deadline that he has several projects in the pipeline, although specific details remain under wraps. The actor mentioned the impact of the recent strikes and the pandemic on his upcoming work. He also expressed openness to exploring opportunities in television, which he had previously not considered.
Cage’s interest in the Superman character is well-known, and he even named his son Kal-El after Superman’s Kryptonian name. According to his IMDb profile, he has four upcoming projects, ‘Arcadian,’ ‘Longlegs,’ ‘Lords of War,’ and ‘The Surfer.’
