One of the great 'what-ifs' of cinematic history is that of Tim Burton's late-90's cancelled Superman movie, Superman Lives. The film would have starred Nicolas Cage in the title role as the son of Krypton, and who knows how our comic book movie history might be different had that film come to fruition. But life is strange and Hollywood even more so, as Nicolas Cage now finds himself the once and future Superman. The Oscar-winning actor will get another chance to take on the Man of Steel in the animated film Teen Titans Go! To The Movies.
Just yesterday the big screen outing for the Cartoon Network series added a pair of music stars, Halsey and Lil Yachty to the cast as Wonder Woman and Green Lantern, respectively. But the celebrity cameos didn't stop there, as USA Today reports that Nicolas Cage will finally take on the role that so famously eluded him. The actor will be voicing the most famous member of the Justice League and the DC canon in the comedic animated film. Nicolas Cage isn't just an actor taking a part here either; he is a true fan of the character. In addition to having almost played Superman in Tim Burton's live-action film, the actor has owned Action Comics #1 (Superman's first comic book appearance) ,and named his son Kal-El. That is some serious fandom.
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies is racking up a fairly impressive and star-studded lineup of cameos, but I don't know how it can top Nic Cage. Having big names come in to voice the more famous members of the DC universe opposite the upstart Titans is fun, but to have someone who was famously robbed of playing the character come back for another shot is just poetic. While this might not mean much to the younger audience who watches the Cartoon Network series, it is very cool for us older fans who will always wonder how weird and amazing the Burton/Cage collaboration on the character would have been. It has to be neat for Nicolas Cage, too. While he will never get to play Superman in live-action now and the role in the animated movie is just a cameo, he can still look back on his career and know that he was one of the actors to put his own stamp on the Man of Steel.
Based on the TV series and the trailer for the film, Teen Titans Go! To The Movies will be taking a satirical approach and making fun of the superhero genre and Hollywood at large. I have to wonder if there will be some fun meta jokes about Superman Lives and the Nic Cage interpretation of the character. Perhaps an allusion to the super weird costume that would have been worn in that film?
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies hits theaters on July 27th. To find out more about the Nicolas Cage Superman movie that didn't happen, check out the documentary: The Death of "Superman Lives" What Happened? For all the biggest movies coming to theaters this year, take a look at our release schedule.
