“Superman Lives”! Or, The Story Of How He Died!
With the new movie “The Flash” opening worldwide, I read that it has a lot of cameos that are making fanboys very happy!
First, did you know that Nicolas Cage was going to be “Superman?”
More on this doomed effort in a moment, but first, just as Michael Keaton returns in “The Flash” as “Batman”, the film may have another surprise:
According to Vulure.com:
“a CGI recreation of a famous Hollywood star in an almost-blockbuster with its own intriguing history: Somehow, Nicolas Cage’s Superman lives.”
Buzz is online that there are a number of happy surprises in “The Flash” – but Nicolas Cage?
The 80’s “Batman” Director Tim Burton was behind the “Superman Lives” project that fell apart years ago, and here’s what he said later in a great documentary:
“Highly creative people have a hard time getting their movies made. Full stop. That’s all it is. Because they bring stuff that blows everyone away, and as much as the claim is they want something original, they’re terrified of it. That’s what happens. So, you don’t see those movies because they scare everybody up the chain of command.”
That quote sums up the failure of Burton and star Nicolas Cage, fresh off his Oscar win, to make the ultimate Superman film, “Superman Lives!”
Now there’s a terrific documentary that tells the whole, fascinating story – with tons of behind-the-scenes footage – and almost everyone participated!
First, check out the trailer:
Documentary Filmmaker Jon Schnepp tells the story, and while the trailer shows too much of his on-camera antics, he’s not obtrusive that way in the film itself – the documentary is beautifully made, and Schnepp got a ton of great on-camera interviews with everyone involved!
Kevin Smith’s Hilarious Anecdotes!
Kevin Smith is laugh-out-loud funny as he recounts his role in this saga. He tells hilarious stories about developing the screenplay – and getting forced out when Tim Burton came on board.
What makes this documentary so compelling is a brand new, INDEPTH and CANDID interview with Director Tim Burton, who explains how the entire project fell apart just weeks before filming was to begin.
The documentary has a ton of behind-the-scenes footage, and a long and very funny interview with legendary Producer Jon Peters, plus Warner Brothers Executives, special effects artists, costume designers – and Kevin Smith has a funny story about being asked to come up with a Giant Spider for Superman to fight!
The Giant Spider Battle!
The documentary has some real fun as Smith tells the giant spider story, intercutting various people contradicting Kevin, who has a lot of fun remembering the spider! It really shows how the collaborative effort can be upstaged by ego.
Here is a fun fact: Kevin Smith directed some episodes of the second season of Supergirl (2015), the first titled “Supergirl Lives” as a reference to the film. Smith joked he expected Supergirl to fight a giant spider as in the infamous battle scene proposed for this film.
As I said, just weeks before filming was set to begin, the entire film fell apart.
I found this terrific, insightful documentary online, but I’m not fully sure it’s still available…but search for it because it’s worth the effort!
This is a great film, and a fascinating look at what it takes to make a film in Hollywood.
I’m curious to see if anything is in “The Flash” that recalled this doomed effort!
Legendary Movie Producer Jon Peters is interviewed as well – and is very candid and honest about his background:
His tale is a real “True Hollywood Story” – click on my story here to find out why he made millions for NOT producing a “Superman” film:
As for Nicolas Cage: well, he continues to make movies of all kinds, with his own unique style:
I watched SIX of his recent movies and lived to talk about it – click here to see which ones:
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Let me know if you’ve seen Nicolas Cage as Superman – and if you like this story please share on social media!
Categories: Action Films, Art, Cult Movies, documentary films, Film Fight Club, Hollywood, Movies, Movies About Movies, Pop Culture, Talent/Celebrities
johnrieber 
It was always a bizarre idea to cast Cage as Superman. But then I thought the idea of Michael “Beetlejuice” Keaton as Batman was insane, and, yes, I was so wrong! Superman and Batman are as different as night and day, though. As for Cage, I don’t know what to say, he is talented, but why, why keep making so many films. Pay your debts, buy a little flat somewhere, and wait for a good script.
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HI John, an interesting post. This quote: “Highly creative people have a hard time getting their movies made. Full stop. That’s all it is. Because they bring stuff that blows everyone away, and as much as the claim is they want something original, they’re terrified of it. That’s what happens. So, you don’t see those movies because they scare everybody up the chain of command.” really resonated with me. I see this happening everywhere and in every aspect of life.
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And it’s so much worse in Hollywood now than it was when he said that Robbie…our business is petrified of failure, the bottom line, and job security. The entertainment business is retrenching at such a rate that Executives see a 2-3 year window of job security at most, so they won’t do anything that puts them out on the limb any earlier…sad times here
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Gosh, I had no idea. To be honest, I don’t think any jobs are safe in this sort of economy. It is very hard times.
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I loved him in the unbearable weight of massive talent!
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Beth, he came on my wife’s show to discuss that and was a complete professional who was engaged and fascinating to listen to….a real class act!
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he’s such a talented eccentric and glad to know how he was in real life
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I love Nicholas Cage, but can picture him as Superman.
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My favourite Nick Cake film is ‘8MM’. So dark, and so authentic.
I enjoyed the first Superman film, but haven’t watched any other comic-book films since except for ‘Deadpool’, which is definitely for grown ups. I loved it.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Thanks Pete…8MM is a great double feature with “Hardcore” with George C. Scott!
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