Nicolas Cage discusses his failed Superman project with Tim Burton and why he’s not in the MCU

Nicolas Cage is certainly on his way back after critically acclaimed performances in Pig and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, though he has no interest in returning to the superhero fold.

The 59-year-old actor received the Variety Legend and Groundbreaker Award at the Miami Film Festival over the weekend, where he reflected on his career.

Cage is no stranger to the superhero world, having starred in two Ghost Rider movies and voicing Spider-Man Noir in 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, though he recently admitted he’s unsure about his future. in the superhero franchise.

During a wide-ranging chat with Variety, Cage, who was born Nicolas Coppola, the nephew of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, admitted that he took his stage name from the Marvel character Luke Cage, created by Stan Lee, and opened up about his failed project of the decade. 1990. Superman lives.

Still, he has no desire to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any form these days.

Failed: During a wide-ranging chat with Variety, Cage, who was born Nicolas Coppola, the nephew of legendary director Francis Ford Coppola, admitted that he took his stage name from the Marvel character Luke Cage, created by Stan Lee and opened up about his failure. 1990s project Superman Lives

Not Marvel: Still, he has no desire to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in any shape or form these days.

“I have to be nice to the Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage. What am I going to do, leave the Marvel movies? Stan Lee is my surreal dad. He named me,” she said. Cage, when asked about the current state of superhero movies.

He added: ‘I understand what the frustration is. I understand. But I think there is plenty of room for everyone. I’m watching movies like Tár. I’m watching all kinds of art and independent movies. I think there is plenty of room for everyone.

Though when asked outright if he’d be interested in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe at some point, Cage is fine without it.

“I don’t need to be in the MCU, I’m Nic Cage,” the actor said clearly.

Aside from his two Ghost Rider movies, which were not set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Cage came very close to playing another iconic superhero: Superman.

Cage was attached to star in a project called Superman Lives in the 1990s, and though it never saw the light of day, photos of Cage with long hair and a Superman suit have been dotting the internet for decades.

There was even a 2015 documentary titled The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened? where the key players discussed why the project never happened.

Cage revealed that the studio wanted Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) to direct, though Cage himself wanted Tim Burton on board.

Nic’s Name: ‘I have to be nice to the Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage. What am I going to do, quit the Marvel movies? Stan Lee is my surreal father. He named me,’ Cage said, when he was asked about the current state of superhero movies.

No need: “I don’t need to be in the UCM, I’m Nic Cage,” the actor said clearly.

‘I said, this has to be Tim Burton. I called Tim and said, “Would you do this?” Tim didn’t choose me, I chose Tim, and Tim said yes. He loved what he did with Michael Keaton and Batman and he was a huge fan,” Cage said.

Cage added that he loved Burton’s 1996 film Mars Attacks, though that very movie, which lost millions for Warner Bros., is the same reason the studio was hesitant to bring Burton on board for Superman Lives.

“These movies that are really weird, that challenge and break new ground, upset a lot of people.” I think they have cold feet. They had already spent a lot of money building the sets and costumes and whatever. But you never know. I don’t want to be cryptic Cage, but you never know! said the cage.

The film was in development for about a year and a half, from late 1996 to April 1998, before the studio finally pulled the plug, but Cage enjoyed working on it.

“He was more of an ’80s Superman with long black samurai hair. I thought he was going to be a really different Superman, sort of emo, but we never got there,” Cage said.

The actor also talked about some of his favorite genres to act in, with his personal favorite being ‘independent-spirited family drama’.

“I like movies that take place in the home and the struggles we have at home and how we’re trying to succeed and become better people or succumb to the pressures of the human experience,” Cage said.

‘My other favorite genre, I would say is horror. Some of the most talented artistic people are now making horror movies. I think you can do a lot. The reason why science fiction and horror are so important to me is that they gave me a format in which I could express some of my most surreal and abstract dreams with film acting,” he added.