With Kevin Smith writing, Tim Burton directing, and Nicolas Cage starring - this is the history of the doomed Superman Lives explained.
The Big Picture After Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, it was more apparent than ever that Superman needed a refresh on the big screen. The incredible success of the 1989 movie Batman at the box office just seemed to reaffirm that there was untapped potential for Warner Bros. in launching a new Superman movie that resonated with moviegoers. However, throughout the 1990s, there were belabored attempts to get the Superman franchise back off the ground that included the tormented Superman Lives.
It's a good thing Smith was the one that was tasked with shepherding the screenplay for Superman Lives since, if nothing else, this filmmaker’s love for telling stories about his time in Hollywood means that the general public has gotten a deep look into this unmade blockbuster’s production.
As this version of Superman Lives began to gain steam, other key cast members began to fall into place, though they were radically different than the actors Smith envisioned earlier in production. Per the documentary, The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?, Burton was angling to get Christopher Walken to play the nefarious Brainiac while Chris Rock had been secured for the part of Jimmy Olsen. The idea of Walken going toe-to-toe with Cage could've been a treat for the ages.
In April 1998, Warner Bros. announced that it was concerned over the quality of the script for Superman Lives, not to mention its budget, and was putting the project on hold for the time being. In this announcement, it was noted that Nicolas Cage was still set to play Superman and that the blockbuster could, in a best-case scenario, restart production by that autumn. Gilroy’s recollection of this news, though, was that Warner Bros. was much more definitive in saying the film was dead.
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