The renowned Hollywood star Nicolas Cage recently reflected on his brief appearance in the 2023 DC film The Flash. Initially slated to portray Superman in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives, Cage’s dream remained unrealized when the film was canceled. However, years later, he found the chance to embody the iconic character in the Ezra Miller starrer.
Despite significant criticism surrounding the film’s CGI and visual effects, Cage expressed contentment that Andres Muschietti’s movie ultimately granted his longstanding wish to bring the character to life on the big screen.
Nicolas Cage’s Vision For Superman Came to Life in The Flash
In a recent interview with Deadline, actor Nicolas Cage reflected on his brief appearance in the 2023 film The Flash. He acknowledged the criticism surrounding his Superman appearance, saying that he was “perplexed” and it was not what he shot for the movie.
However, he was happy to see the character come to life he and Tim Burton envisioned for Superman Lives with one specific feature. The actor has shared that he wanted his version of Superman to have Samurai black hair and a kind of emo look for the character in the canceled 1998 film.
“I wanted Superman to have the long, kind of black Samurai hair and a vulnerable feeling — almost no blinking, a stillness in his eyes. And so it was 50/50. It was Tim and myself, we had designed something, and it never came to light.”
The Ghost Rider actor is also seen with long hair trying on his Superman costume in The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? But he never had the opportunity to bring his vision to the screen. However, Andrés Muschietti incorporated the look into the 2023 multiversal adventure of The Flash.
Nicolas Cage on His Superman’s CGI Appearance In The Flash
Nicolas Cage acknowledged his satisfaction with seeing the character come to life. He praised the suit designed by Colleen Atwood, stating that 50% of the character’s design was his own. But the character’s final appearance still did not look right to him.
Cage shared that he was confused upon seeing the CGI version of his Superman in the movie, noting that it deviated from what he had originally filmed. “I was just like, ‘It wasn’t what I shot,'” and I was worried about it,” he said, as per Deadline. However, he incorporated it with Superman being an alien.
“So in that way, the CGI kind of looked right because it’s alien. It doesn’t look real. It doesn’t look like it has a heartbeat,” he said, emphasizing that it made sense for the CGI not to appear entirely realistic. While Cage’s brief appearance in the movie is expected to be a lasting topic of discussion, it does eventually offer a glimpse into what he could have looked like in the canceled project Superman Lives.
The Flash is available to stream on Max.
