Does anyone remember the Tim Burton movie, Superman Lives? If your answer is no, it’s because it was never made. Yeah, there is a whole litany of movies that were in development but were never made, but this one is a special case. I can also name some superhero movies that were never made, such as the long-awaited Spider-Man 4. But seriously, given the most recent news about Tobey Maguire returning, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Spider-Man 4 getting back on track. The thing is, I think most fans really wanted that movie to happen, even after that colossal disappointment that was Spider-Man 3. Can we say the same for Superman Lives? Probably not, especially since Nicolas Cage has proven that he’s not really leading man material for superhero movies. Remember those two Ghost Rider movies he was in? Yikes, those were doozies.
Oh, and yes, Nicolas Cage was the man who was going to play the big blue boy scout in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives. They didn’t just cast him, either. Nicolas Cage was brought in for costumes fittings, wear he donned the classic suit and kept his hair long. Honestly, he didn’t look right. The long hair just doesn’t suit him and the suit was literally a skin suit. It looked more like him trying to cosplay than an actor suiting up for a legitimate superhero movie.
To be honest, I’m glad this movie didn’t happen. If you want to hear the story about it discussed in detail, check out the documentary, The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?, directed by the late Jon Schnepp. I watched some, but I just couldn’t handle seeing Nicolas Cage in the skin suit. However, the story behind Superman Lives did intrigue me. Why would the studios allow a project directed by Tim Burton and led by Nicolas Cage enter pre-production, only to pull the plug on it shortly afterwards? After all, the pre-production for Superman Lives took place during 1996-98, back when Tim Burton was on a roll and Nicolas Cage was at the peak of his career.
So with that in mind, what actually did happen with Tim Burton’s Superman Lives? The short answer is a lot. Honestly, the drama behind that production was no different than the drama that other productions go through. The one and only Kevin Smith was brought in to write the script and Jon Peters was hired to produce it. From the very beginning, they were on two different pages. In fact, according to Kevin Smith, Warner Bros. specifically told him that Superman Lives was a corporate movie. He elaborated by claiming that according to Warner Bros., it didn’t matter how good the dialogue was, it only mattered how many toys they could sell. Not a very inspiring way to start a movie, is it? Yes, well, Kevin Smith felt the same way, but props to him, he did what he could to make Superman Lives a good superhero movie.
Unfortunately for our boy Kevin, he and Jon Peters just didn’t see eye-to-eye on many things. Kevin Smith doesn’t hold back when talking about the bizarre ideas Jon Peters had for Superman Lives. According to Kevin Smith, Jon Peters suggested that Superman wear a new costume and a climax where he battled a giant robotic spider. Speaking of which, you guys remember that very lame Will Smith movie, Wild Wild West? Yeah, Jon Peters apparently loved that idea so much, he decided to keep it in mind for that movie. Okay, now it wouldn’t be too outlandish for Superman to battle a giant spider robot, but after we got a taste of that in Wild Wild West, I just don’t see our beloved Superman fighting that thing.
Oh, but wait, Jon Peters’ crazy ideas didn’t stop there. Kevin Smith explained that more of his ideas included a gay robot assistant and a no-flying rule. Wait, a Superman movie where Superman doesn’t fly? What kind of nonsense is that?! And Kevin Smith, being the big comic book nut that he is, certainly had a problem with these ideas enforced by the studio, but did his best to work around it. Kevin Smith managed to submit a script for Warner Bros. in 1997, and what he wrote seemed to fit their odd standards.
No flying? Well, Superman could just travel via sonic boom. Jon Peters suggested a different costume to sell toys, so Kevin Smith had a de-powered Superman wear a darker suit. If you’re a comic fan, you’d probably guess that Kevin Smith was taking cues from the iconic Death of Superman storyline. Well, for Superman Lives, that was the main inspiration for the script, but of course, some changes were expected to be made.
For instance, the famous Superman villain Brainiac was added to the script, and he had a huge hand in the death of Superman. Oh, and in another idea from Jon Peters, he wanted Brainiac to knock out a polar bear. Yeah, some bizarre stuff, but there were some cool elements in there. Brainiac teamed up with Superman’s archenemy Lex Luthor, and the two villains unleash Doomsday. Brainiac absorbs power from The Eradicator, an android created by Superman’s father to protect him, then they blot out the sun, rendering Superman powerless. Doomsday then kills Superman and the Earth is covered in darkness. But of course, Superman gets resurrected, The Eradicator destroys the machine covering the sun, and Superman fights the Thanagarian Snare Beast (or the giant robot spider).
So that’s the main story of Superman Lives. There was a lot of cartoony gimmicks in there, but you know what? Maybe it would’ve been a good movie. Tim Burton already made his mark with the superhero genre and I think Nicolas Cage has moved on from it. Then again, I think it’s possible for him to at least voice Superman in an animated movie, similar to how he voiced the noir version of Spider-Man in Into the Multi-Verse. Of course, that means he would by no means play a serious Superman. But that’s okay, because I can see him voicing a cartoony Superman. That would be the closest I can see him coming to playing Superman.
Now will Superman Lives ever be resurrected? Probably not and I don’t think most fans mind. On the slim chance, it would be an animated movie. Maybe that would be Nicolas Cage’s chance. Other than that, I can safely assume that Superman Lives will forever be that Superman movie that almost was.
Follow Us
