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Nicolas Cage almost became Superman in one of Hollywood’s ambitious superhero projects. Led by Warner Bros. and Tim Burton behind the camera, the project was titled ‘Superman Lives’, which promised a completely different take on the iconic DC hero. But unfortunately, the project never saw the light of day.
Tim Burton, who had already transformed Batman into a box-office sensation, wanted to explore a different side of Superman’s life. He wanted to show the world how lonely it gets once you become a superhero, and the personal-life complications that remain unseen.
Nicolas Cage was also quite excited to bring such an unconventional style to the screen. The production even went so far as to design costumes, develop scripts, and invest more than a million dollars. Yet, Warner Bros. decided to pull the plug in 1998.
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Why Warner Bros. Canceled Superman Lives Starring Nicolas Cage?
‘Superman Lives’ was initially developed by Kevin Smith, but things changed when Tim Burton stepped in as director in 1997. Burton came up with a different vision. He wanted to ditch the OG idea of a superhero and explore the emotional vulnerabilities instead. As it turned out, Nicolas Cage seemed to be on the same page with him.
They both believed that the greatest struggle in Superman’s life was not defeating villains but finding a sense of truly belonging somewhere. The production also went so far as to experiment with different costume styles that didn’t align with the Superman we are used to seeing. Despite the efforts, there were serious problems behind the scenes.
The screenplay for Nicolas Cage’s ‘Superman Lives’ went through several rewrites, and Burton even went on to hire Dan Gilroy to revise the script. All this only started contributing to the growing production costs. Soon, budget became the biggest obstacle. According to the reports, the proposed cost was well over $100 million, with some estimates reaching $190 million.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good time for Warner Bros., either, as its notable movies like ‘Batman & Robin‘ suffered major losses in 1997. This was another reason the studio became reluctant to gamble on such an unconventional project. Sadly, in 1998, Warner Bros. officially put Superman Lives on indefinite hold.
Although ‘Superman Lives’ never reached theatres, Nicolas Cage’s wish to become Superman didn’t remain unfulfilled. In 2023, Cage made a brief appearance as Superman in the 2023 DC film, ‘The Flash’.
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