A long times ago, in a reality which very nearly intersected with our own, Nicolas Cage was set to play Superman in a film written by Kevin Smith and helmed by Tim Burton.
Mull those notions for a moment; it came close to happening. Very close.
While the production spun apart and was clearly never realized, SUPERMAN LIVES remains one of the greatest ‘What ifs’ in Hollywood history. So much so that, to this day, Geeks across the globe still ponder what such an undertaking might’ve wrought.
We’ve seen glimpses of it over the years; a few pieces of concept art here and there, and some footage of Cage’s lighty-uppy bio-Superman grab (previously posted here on AICN HERE and HERE)…
…but we’ve yet to be afforded a holistic sense of what kind of film SUPERMAN LIVES might’ve been.
As previously mentioned HERE, filmmaker Jon Schnepp is looking to change all of that with a new documentary entitled THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN LIVES. We’ve previously seen this trailer for the project (which features test footage of Burton’s Supes flying)…
…but The Powers That Be have now issued a fresh promo, allowing a number of fresh glimpses into this Man of Steel picture that almost was.
THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN LIVES is still rounding up funding over at FanBacked (HERE) - consider helping out the project, as it’s looking rather amazing and a great deal of heart, soul, and effort have clearly gone into gathering material to illuminate this forgotten era in Geek mythology.
I’m imagining this movie would work along the same lines as JODOROWSKY’s DUNE - a stunning compelling docu glimpse into the development and pre-production of a defunct DUNE movie which was never made, but would’ve been game changing if it had come to pass. From the looks of its pre-production material alone, Burton’s SUPERMAN would’ve left one helluva impact on the marketplace…for better or for worse…and I can’t wait to learn more about what Burton, Cage, Smith, and Co. had in store for us. Personally, I rather liked the script for this film. But, would the masses have embraced this as ‘Superman?’
Let the debates begin. Again…
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Glen Oliver
“Merrick”
