A new deepfake has finally given us a glimpse of what Hollywood legend Nicolas Cage could have looked like had he ever playedSupermanon screen. The clip puts Cage’s face over that of Brandon Routh’s in snippets from 2006’sSuperman Returns, and…it is a sight to behold.
Nicolas Cagewas once due to portray the Man of Steel in the infamously never-made comic book outingSuperman Lives. Set to be directed by Tim Burton and produced by Jon Peters,Superman Liveswould have been (very) loosely based on the comic book arcThe Death of Supermanand feature the likes of Brainiac, Lex Luthor and Doomsday as villains. The script went through various re-writes, including one byClerksdirector and huge comic fan Kevin Smith. Smith was famously given several bizarre requirements for the script, including having Supes fight a giant mechanical spider.
Wesley Strick and Dan Gilroy wrote the screenplays that were nearly filmed, with Nicolas Cage officially announced to play the DC icon.Tim Burton and Nicolas Cage worked on Superman Livesfor a year, with the movie even going into pre-production with costume tests, location scouting, and the beginnings of art decoration. Sadly, Burton eventually became frustrated working alongside Peters, and departed the project, leaving it an unrealized dream forSupermanfans everywhere. Or a bullet that was narrowly dodged, you decide.
Thebehind-the-scenes story of Superman Livesarguably ended up being more interesting than the movie itself, with the critically acclaimed documentaryThe Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?wonderfully laying out the entertaining tale for all to see. The documentary even features backstage footage of Cage wearing variousSupermanand Clark Kent costumes, confirming unequivocally thatSuperman Livesis the greatest movie that never happened. Cage would eventually get his wish of playing the Man of Steel though, providing the voice for the character in 2018’s animated featureTeen Titans: Go! To The Movies.
While the hair line in thedeepfakeclip is way off and does not compare to the long-haired look that the actor would have sported inSuperman Lives, the footage does give us a good idea of what Cage’sSupermanwould have looked like.
Though you may assume that Cage’s chance to play a live actionSupermanare long over, rumors continue to circulate that he will finally take up the mantle in the upcoming DC outing,The Flash. Reports from late last year claimed that the studio was looking to bring in an assortment of previous DC iterations, including Cage as Superman, andGeorge ClooneyasBatman. While this all sounds completely ridiculous,The Flashis already due to feature both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck as alternate Bat-men, with the idea to explore the multiverse and the various alternate characters who well within it.
Directed byIt’sAndy Muschietti,The Flashhas been described as taking audiences “to a place where the DC Universe hasn’t gone before,” which can surely only mean that Nic Cage will suit up as the Last Son of Krypton. Sadly, fans will have to wait some time before finding out whether this is the case, withThe Flashscheduled to hit screens on November 4th, 2022. This comes to us courtesy ofstryder HD.
