The ultimate look at one of the greatest movies never made.
Although Coco won the Thanksgiving battle at the box office this year, it’s Justice League that everyone can’t seem to stop talking about. The merging of DCs finest superheroes in one film has been criticized by many while being hailed by…some. With Zack Snyder’s imprint firmly on the finished product, despite last minute retooling from Joss Whedon, Justice League seems to be one hot mess of a movie that has got everyone in the comic book world riled up with one lively opinion after another.
If Justice League and its paltry box office take (the film saw one of the lowest opening weekends ever for a superhero movie of its magnitude) have allowed for one thing as it continues to bewilder, disappoint, and accidentally entertain, it’s my continued mourning of one of the ultimate superhero movies which never came to be and the documentary it inspired.
In The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?, director Jon Schnepp chronicles the making of Tim Burton’s unrealized “Superman Lives,” a reimagining of the classic Superman story which was to have starred Nicolas Cage. Featuring interviews with Burton, producer Jon Peters, screenwriter Kevin Smith, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, among others, The Death of “Superman Lives” looks at Burton’s vision, exploring its boldness and uncovering why it all fell apart.
Even now it’s easy to see how much of a game changer Burton’s film would have been for the image of Superman and the superhero movie in general. The documentary showcases much of the amazing and innovative visual art, sets, costumes, and creature designs that were to be showcased. Among the highlights was the regeneration suit that contained hieroglyphs and was inspired by Art Deco influences as well as several re-workings of the hero’s famous suit. Burton’s take on Brainiac (who was to be the film’s key villain) as a sort of shape shifting grim reaper is a gleeful thought made even more exciting when looking at the design of a skull ship full of his many creatures living within it. The same thought process extended to Krypton, which Burton saw as a dark sort of wasteland with characters such as “Kryptonian Partygoer,” an idea that was nothing short of awe-inspiring when looking at early sketches. In fact, ALL of the sketches, costume footage (yes, you actually see Cage in full costume), and concept art were seeped in a dark beauty and imagination that was unmistakably Burton and which would’ve been revolutionary even today. Speaking of Cage, it’s obvious in his view of the character that the actor was just as in tune with and curious about exploring the psychology of the character as his director was. While there may be some grumbling about the actor’s casting today (as there no doubt was then), there’s no denying Cage was an edgier take which would have added to the uniqueness of the overall film. The way Cage and Burton imagined Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent as a sort of comic con nerd, the kind of guy you would pass by without noticing, by itself said so much about what would have made “Superman Lives” so totally one of a kind.
Like any showbiz documentary that dares to have anything to do with Hollywood, The Death of “Superman Lives” is loaded with the kind of juicy tidbits many fans crave. As someone with a virtual all-access pass to the aftermath, Schnepp doesn’t waste the opportunity to load his film with behind-the-scenes details which both surprise and delight. This begins early on with the recollection from a Superman Returns crew member who tells of that film’s director Bryan Singer repeatedly citing “Superman Lives” by holding up an infamous candid photo of Cage and commenting, “You guys wanted to make this,” whenever he faced studio backlash. Meanwhile casting choices such as Sandra Bullock as Lois Lane and Chris Rock as Jimmy Olsen, among many other contenders, are interesting to note for their sheer randomness. There’s the expected studio input on the script, complete with ludicrous suggestions such as having Superman take on ninjas at one point by engaging in kung fu fighting. Most of the gossipy bits, however, come courtesy of Peters, who lives up to his legacy as the most notorious of unpredictable movie producers. Tales of Burton not particularly liking Peters and not wanting do any work while he was around, despite the latter’s claim that he was the director’s biggest champion, prove true. There’s also the tug of war between Peters and Smith, the project’s first screenwriter, over the producer’s many guidelines, such as the inclusion of a giant spider which Superman was to have battled. Peters’s old-school mogul nature even extended to the film’s artists and designers, with the producer bringing his kids to the studio as judges for the various concept art that was to be used in the film.
In some ways, The Death of “Superman Lives” is a tale of three wildly different screenplays and the legendary director trying to bring at least one of them to the screen. If there was a single idea which all three shared, it was the notion of bringing the superhero movie back down to earth. While Clerks and Mallrats maestro Smith’s script was self-proclaimed “fan fiction,” which included a cameo from Batman, his remains the only one available to read online. When Burton proved unhappy with the first screenplay’s approach, Wesley Stick, who had adapted 1991’s Cape Fear and was still riding on the success of 1994’s Wolf, took a more psychological approach with his version. After THAT take on the caped crusader failed to please producers, future Nightcrawler scribe Dan Gilroy turned in a script which focused on emotional angst mixed with a love story. It was this version that pleased everyone most, particularly Burton, who related to the concept of feeling like an alien from a different planet who never quite fit in. In fact, when thinking about it further, the project truly played to the director’s greatest strengths, calling on his understanding of the personal darkness of alienation and his mad scientist approach to filmmaking. One can in fact make a slight argument that Burton himself is a lot like Superman in some respects, a hero to movie audiences everywhere who has continuously wrestled with his own doubts and insecurities.
As is the case with most projects, good and bad, which meet the same fate as “Superman Lives,” the end came via a standard production meeting which stated that the plug was officially being pulled…three weeks before filming was set to start. Several reasons are given for the film’s demise. Some point to budget concerns which would have meant significantly re-tooling the screenplay. Meanwhile, others cite the failure of some of the studio’s other pricey titles like The Postman and Batman and Robin. The timing was just too lousy, and the risk attached to “Superman Lives” was simply too great. To this day, the level of disappointment at the project shutting down remains the only thing everyone seems to be in agreement on. So with a teaser poster already having been released, and with a number of articles in the showbiz trades, “Superman Lives” rightfully took its place in comic book movie lore.
For so many reasons, The Death of “Superman Lives” is a testament to the way Hollywood works in terms of creative control, originality, money, and egos. To this day, Burton’s movie remains one of the biggest “what could have beens” in the history of comic book movies, if not the all of film world. The fact that all of the movie’s key players (sans Cage, who only appears via archival footage) involved with “Superman Lives” agreed to be a part of the documentary shows how much the project meant to them and the level of regret show for its demise. Even Burton carries a slight bitter sadness about the project he put so much of himself into. That same sadness is clearly felt by all who watch The Death of “Superman Lives.” As fascinating as the documentary is, and as salivating as the test footage and concept art remain, there’s a great sense of despair that’s hard to shake when thinking of what never got the chance to be. In the end, the funds that were to comprise the budget for “Superman Lives” went towards the production of Wild Wild West (where producer Peters would eventually get his giant spider). A painful note to end on for sure. But hey, that’s Hollywood.
