Ok, look, I knew about this – in fact, I knew about it two years ago, but I never in a million years imagined that it would be revealed officially before the movie was released.
There’s a cameo in The Flash, which opens next month, that might just be as big – if not bigger – than Micheal Keaton’s return as Batman and the movie’s director, Andy Muschietti, just told the whole world it’s in the movie.
So, let me take you back through the Speed Force, to a simpler, some might argue better age.
Tim Burton had brought Batman and Batman Returns to the big screen, making Batman the most iconic hero of all time – deal with it – and making Micheal Keaton a household name but, while the world we eventually got sequels sans Keaton, the immediate plan was much more complicated and was akin to what we’re seeing now.
Famously, production had started on a Burton-directed Superman movie, titled Superman Lives, it would feature Keaton’s Batman and tell the story of how Superman returned after dying at the hands of Doomsday, to save the world but, most exciting/interesting of all, it was to star Nicholas Cage as the Man of Steel. Kevin Smith was working on the script and yes, Jay and Silent Bob were set to cameo.
Sadly, the movie never happened, but there is a record of the work that had begun, which you can check out here:
WATCH: Test footage of Nicholas Cage in Superman suit for abortive Superman Lives project revealed
It’s one of those movies that fans have dreamed about for years… Keaton’s Batman fighting alongside Cage’s Superman… who knew what could have come next! Flash?? Green Lantern? was DC on the verge of creating a shared universe thirty years ago? Who knows.
A few years back [full article here] Cage finally talked about the movie that never was, saying: “The only thing I’ll say about that — because that is such a lightning rod hot topic and if I say anything at all it just seems to snowball — but I will say that I had great belief in that movie and in what Tim Burton’s vision was going to be for that movie. I would’ve loved to have seen it, but I feel that in many ways, it was sort of a win/win because of the power of the imagination.
“I think people can actually see the movie in their minds now and imagine it and in many ways that might resonate more deeply than the finished project.”
He went on…
“Tim [Burton] is the total artist, a pure artist with a real vision, and I’ve often said that he can create worlds and that’s exactly what he does. I saw some of the tests of different characters and costumes for Krypton and they were just so surreal and so magical and beautiful. He’s definitely one of my favorite filmmakers because of his originality, because of his vision.”
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Cage eventually did play Superman in the animated Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (here) but that was the end of the dream.
Until Now.
In a new interview, Muschietti reveals that Cage has finally suited up and IS in The Flash as Superman!
Whhhhaaaaaatttttttt?
“Nic was absolutely wonderful,” Muschietti says, “Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it… I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon!”
He goes on to discuss Cage’s almost legendary Superman fandom: “He is a massive Superman fan. A comic book fanatic,” he says.
Grant Gustin finally addresses rumour of cameo in The Flash movie
This.
Is.
Massive!
Cage teased a while back that there “might still be a chance” that he would play Superman (here) but it went relatively unnoticed but it seems that he was telling us that his portrayal of Kal El was coming.
all these years later, finally seeing Cage in the blue and red is going to be something very special, indeed and will, for many fans, be the biggest part of The Flash and, while it seems it will be cameo and nostalgia-heavy, I, for one, cannot wait to see the wider DC universe explored on the big screen and, like Spider-man: No Way Home last year, this could lead to big things… waiting to see what is going to be the hard part. But isn’t that part of the fun?
I’d kill to see a Superman/Batman movie with these two legends… but we’ll see what happens.
Worlds collide in “The Flash” when Barry uses his superpowers to travel back in time in order to change the events of the past. But when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation, and there are no Super Heroes to turn to.
That is, unless Barry can coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian… albeit not the one he’s looking for. Ultimately, to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?
Thoughts? I know you have them! Voice-off in the usual ways on FTN’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
“The Flash” ensemble also includes rising star Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon (“Bullet Train,” “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”), Ron Livingston (“Loudermilk,” “The Conjuring”), Maribel Verdú (“Elite,” “Y tu mamá también”), Kiersey Clemons (“Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Sweetheart”), Antje Traue (“King of Ravens,” “Man of Steel”) and Michael Keaton (“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Batman”).
The Flash arrives in the US on June 16th and in Europe/UK on June 14th.
Source: Variety
Marc
Marc is a self-confessed nerd. Ever since seeing Star Wars for the first time around 1979 he’s been an unapologetic fan of the Wars and still believes, with Clone Wars and now Underworld, we are yet to see the best Star Wars. He’s a dad of two who now doesn’t have the time (or money) to collect the amount of toys, comics, movies and books he once did, much to the relief of his long-suffering wife. In the real world he’s a graphic designer. He started Following the Nerd because he was tired of searching a million sites every day for all the best news that he loves and decided to create one place where you can go to get the whole lot. Secretly he longs to be sitting in the cockpit of his YT-1300 Corellian Transport ship with his co-pilot Chewie, roaming the universe, waiting for his next big adventure, but feels just at home watching cartoons with his kids….
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