For years, DC has been known for the strength of its animation. From Batman: The Dark Knight Returns to Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, movies produced in the animated DC realm have encompassed wide ranges of genres and styles. The latest project on deck is Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, which features Nicolas Cage as the voice of Superman. Many fans have waited decades for a Nic Cage Superman performance, but Cage recently opened up about the project to admit that it's a very different take on the Man of Steel than what he would've done with Tim Burton back in the 1990s. The actor explained:
It wasn't really the version that Tim Burton and I had in mind, but it was just fun. It was terrific. It was just nice to be involved in something my kid loves and we got to do it together.
Right off the bat, it's interesting to note that Nic Cage's take on Superman in Teen Titans Go! To The Movies isn't all that reminiscent of the Superman that he would've played in Tim Burton's Superman Lives. The Raising Arizona star's ill-fated take on the Man of Steel has become iconic to geeks who know about that never-made film, and the prospect of him finally getting to voice Supes in an animated DC adventure seemed like a great way to bring that incarnation of the character to life. Nevertheless, this is a different take on Superman that Nicolas Cage enjoyed because it allowed him to tap into something more family friendly, which would let him watch Teen Titans Go! To The Movies with his son, who is actually named Kal-El after Superman and voices young Bruce Wayne in the film.
That makes a lot of sense in the grand scheme of things. Though we never actually saw Tim Burton's take on Superman (aside from leaked photos and behind-the-scenes tests that they did on suits), what we do know about the movie suggests that Superman Lives would've had a darker edge consistent with the style of the director. With Teen Titans Go! To The Movies, Cage got to take a more lighthearted approach to the Man of Tomorrow, and per his remarks to USA Today, it was fun to embrace something with a family-friendly tone.
Teen Titans Go! To The Movies is currently in theaters. Check it out to see the offbeat versions of these DC icons for yourself, and if you're waiting for something a bit more adult-oriented, then you can watch out for the DCEU's solo Aquaman movie later this year on December 21. As for Nic Cage, he's not done voicing superheroes yet, as he's also lined up to voice Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which will premiere on December 14.
