Rare Footage of Nicolas Cage Trying On His SUPERMAN LIVES Test Costume
Some rare video footage from 1997 has surfaced of Nicolas Cage trying on the Superman test costume that he would be wearing in Tim Burton's Superman Lives. The video is a clip from the documentary The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened? that debuted on LA Times.
Superman Lives is a fascinating film project that very well could have ended up being as much of a classic as Burton's Batman movie. We'll never know how it would have been received by audiences, but seeing Cage trying on this costume is so weird and silly, but at the same time it's kind of cool. It gives us a little glimpse at what could have been. The more I learn about this movie, that more I wish it would have been made.
The video also includes interviews with Colleen Atwood and Burton's assistant Derek Frey. In it, they talk about the film and the suit that Cage would be wearing. If for some reason the video doesn't load for you below, you can watch it here. I also included the trailer for the documentary.
The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened? will be available on DVD, Blu-ray, and video on demand on July 9th through the doc's website or at booth #3915 at San Diego Comic-Con.
The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened? is a Feature Length Documentary about the unmade movie "Superman Lives". This film, out of all the various attempts to make a Superman movie between 1987 and 2006, would have stood the test of time and become a bonafide Cult Classic nowadays. I am not alone with my intense interest in knowing everything I can about this project, and so now I'm embarking on making a Documentary that will cover everything ever made for this film, from interviewing as many people as I can who were involved, to including actually recreating scenes from the script!!!
I’ve been interested in this film since it was first announced back in the late 90’s. Nicolas Cage was announced as Superman, Kevin Smith was announced as the Writer, Tim Burton was announced as the Director, and fans have had very heavy opinions, both positive and negative, on all of this. As news slowly bubbled out, news buzzed around about Rainbow Robot Outfits, Brainiac Skull ships, Superman not "flying", Fighting a Giant Spider, Polar Bears guarding the Fortress of Solitude. It all sounded so crazy, so weird, so different, that I honestly was hoping that they would actually make it, just so we would have something different from what had come before. It never happened. Cut to almost 15 years later, and I really wish I could slap that “Superman Lives” disc into my player, and watch this guaranteed weird, strange, and original new take on the mythology of the Superman character. By this time, whether it was a success or failure at the box office, It would have for sure been a cult classic, due mainly to its inspired casting, and its tremendous bravery in it’s attempt to merge toy sales with the weirdness.