Nicolas Cage’s would-be Superman role has been discussed widely in recent times, as the role was featured in a CGI sequence in The Flash. Interestingly, Cage revealed using his other superhuman role as a practice run for his potential Superman role. City of Angels, released in 1998, featured him as an angel who flies around the city of Los Angeles watching over humans.
Cage intentionally made his character less human, and he even refused to blink on camera in his angelic role. The film was loosely inspired by Wim Wenders’ 1987 film Wings of Desire and explored the theme of a ‘fallen angel’.
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Nicolas Cage Used The City of Angels Role To Experiment For Superman
Nicolas Cage recently made an appearance at the Red Sea Film Festival and discussed his potential Superman role in 1998. According to Variety, Cage revealed that he committed to City of Angels as a practice run to play Superman. Cage starred alongside Meg Ryan in this romantic tragedy, exploring the story of an angel who transitions to human form to be with the woman he loves.
The film revolved around the idea that the immortality and superhuman nature of angels prevented them from understanding the human experience. In order to portray his angelic side, Cage made a conscious decision to not blink on camera. According to Cage, it was a subtle way to communicate the otherworldliness of an angel.
The Ghost Rider actor further shared that it was his first time playing a non-human character. Cage hoped to bring a similar approach into Tim Burton’s Superman Lives, which was supposed to be his next project after City of Angels. Cage’s role in the film received positive reviews, with Variety calling him “endlessly resourceful”. However, the film received a mixed reception despite its financial success.
Interestingly, the film was produced by Warner Bros., who were also set to produce Superman Lives. They were criticized by the film’s director, Brad Silberling, claiming that there was no supervision from the studio during the writing or filming of City of Angels. Silberling alleged that the studio prioritized their Batman film franchise over his project.
What Happened To Nicolas Cage’s Superman Lives?
The story of Superman Lives was extensively told in the 2015 documentary The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened, directed by Jon Schnepp. The Tim Burton film was abandoned by Warner Bros. shortly before filming began in 1998. The studio had spent $30 million on prep works for Kevin Smith’s script. Cage even did the costume tests, and the photos have been widely circulated on the internet (via IndieWire).
While several factors contributed to the abandoned movie, it all boiled down to the creative differences between Burton, WB, and producer John Peters. Peters had some interesting demands for his Superman film, which didn’t sit well with Burton. The Flash CGI sequence features Superman fighting a giant spider, which was a fun take on Peters’ weird demands. He also hated the several planned scenes in the film, including Superman’s flying scenes.
Superman was a dream role for Nicolas Cage, and he expressed his fascination with the character several times. According to Vulture, he once owned a rare copy of Superman’s first comics appearance and even named his son Kal-El.
