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Fans got to reminisce while watching The Flash when Barry moved through time to see a Superman multiverse showcasing actors who have played the role in the past. The film reveals that the Supermen belong to different timelines. But one Superman caught many off-guard, and it was Nicolas Cage. The thing is, Cage was involved in a Superman project that never materialized, which is how the footage was inspired.
Nicolas Cage Finally Got to Play Superman in The Flash
The Flash features a cameo of Nicolas Cage as Superman long after his version of the superhero for the unproduced 1998 film, Superman Lives, was canceled.
Cage spoke to Variety about the inauspicious Superman Lives. He described the superhero as more of a 1980s Superman with samurai-like black long hair and an emo vibe, but they never reached the filming stage. He also revealed that the studio preferred Renny Harlin to direct the film, but he wanted Tim Burton instead.
Despite Tim Burton agreeing to direct the film, they never produced his version of a Superman story. This was mainly because Burton’s 1996 movie Mars Attacks performed poorly at the box office.
How Nicolas Cage’s Cape-Wearing Superhero Appeared
Although filmmakers never made Superman Lives, fans can get a glimpse of what the film could have been like in The Flash. Toward the end of the movie, the main version of Barry Allen (Ezra Miller) engages in a deadly fight with General Zod (Michael Shannon) and the Kryptonians, along with the alternate Barry from a new timeline.
The alternate Barry, who has just learned to handle his speed, becomes enthusiastic in his bid to stop anyone from dying by turning back time. As alternate Barry continues to roll back time, he becomes more twisted with each journey until he becomes Dark Flash. Throughout the multiverse, the Barrys see millions of people die in millions of timelines, leading to the dangerous Dark Flash that shows up periodically throughout the movie.
The Barrys see several different worlds in the multiverse, which house superheroes from previous DC movies and TV shows, including the 1950s George Reeves’ Superman, Christopher Reeve’s Superman, Helen Slater’s Supergirl, Teddy Sears’ Jay Garrick/Hunter Zolomon from The Flash TV series, and Adam West’s Batman.
What We Know About the Never-released ‘Superman Lives’
The most notable cameo is that of Cage as Superman, fighting with a giant mechanical spider. The scene was in the original plan for Superman Lives. Superman kills the spider with his heat vision, and then turns to notice the multiverse opening up in a portal in the sky.
According to Jon Schnepp’s 2015 documentary The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?, the film was based on The Death of Superman storyline from the comic books. Though the studio ran through several scripts, including those by Wesley Strick, Dan Gilroy, and Kevin Smith, producer Jon Peters took a center seat.
Peters insisted that the big finale should be something different from the usual Superman fighting another supervillain. Instead, he envisioned the superhero fighting something more out of the ordinary – a menacing giant spider.
Tim Burton’s Exit Was Significant
Peters spoke to Schnepp about his idea for what he called the Thanagarian Snare Beast, adding that he got the idea from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Storyboard artist Tim Burgard drew sketches for the spider. The illustrations in the documentary showed how gigantic the beast was meant to be. Burgard explained that the spider would spit out mini spiders that attack Superman. This unique vision for the film is what Andy Muschietti and writer Christina Hodson wanted to finally bring to life in The Flash.
Warner Bros slated Superman Lives for a 1998 release date, but it was canceled only a few weeks before the cameras were meant to start rolling. However, it went as far as Cage trying the Superman costume on as well as building sets.
The project started going down the drain when Burton left to work on 1999’s Sleepy Hollow, though Peters insisted that they go ahead with the film. However, the studio officially canceled Superman Lives in 2000 after some financial issues with Batman & Robin and Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks.
