Warner Bros.
While most of the internet was quick to wrap themselves in outrage over the cameos in The Flash, they likely never considered that maybe, just maybe, the creatives involved actually *wanted* to be a part of it.
Take the legendary Nicolas Cage, for example, who appeared in the film as the version of Superman who would have played if the infamously-never-made Superman Lives actually happened (quick summary for those who are unaware: Cage signed on to play Superman in a late 1990s film that was set to be directed by Batman filmmaker Tim Burton).
Despite barely being on screen for more than a few seconds, Cage said that he felt “actualized” by the camo as he relished the opportunity to “finally see it on screen.”
“Well, I was glad I didn’t blink. For me, it was the feeling of being actualized. Even that look for that particular character, finally seeing it on screen, was satisfying. But as I said, it’s quick,” Cage said in a recent interview with USA Today, which was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
Cage then pointed to his 1998 film City of Angels as an example of a movie fans could look to if they wanted to get a feel for how Cage would’ve played the legendary superhero.
“If you really wanted to know what I was going do with that character, look at my performance in City of Angels,” Cage said.
“I was supposed [to play] Clark Kent after that and I was already developing this alien otherness playing this angel. That is a perfect example of the tonality you would’ve gotten for Kal-El and for Clark Kent: Clark would’ve been a little more amusing but Kal-El had the sensitivity and the goodness and the vulnerability and all those feelings that were kind of angelic and also terrifying.”
Hearing Cage talk about the character now, and watching his excitement when he tried on the Superman suit in that infamous screen test video, it’s clear that — as he does with all his work — he would’ve put everything he had into playing the Last Son of Krypton.
Cage can most recently be seen playing Satan in the film Sympathy for the Devil, which was recently made available on-demand to rent or purchase.
2023 will also see Cage starring in the action comedy The Retirement Plan, which is currently scheduled to release on August 25.
The 59-year-old Academy Award winner also recently wrapped production on A24’s Dream Scenario, the horror film Arcadian, and the thriller Longlegs. All three of those films are dated to release in 2024.
As for the character of Superman, 29-year-old relative-unknown David Corenswet will be taking up the mantle in James Gunn’s newly rebooted DCU, as he was cast to star in 2025’s Superman: Legacy earlier this summer.