10 DC Comics Movies That Almost Happened
1. Superman Lives
Nicolas Cage as the Man Of Steel, polar bears guarding the Fortress of Solitude, Brainiac transforming into a massive spider creature - Kevin Smith must have been raiding Jay and Silent Bob's secret stash while he was writing Superman Lives.
This failed DC Comics revival is perhaps the most infamous cancelled superhero movie of all time, and its demise was so drawn out and eventful that somebody made a documentary about it.
Superman Lives would have been loosely based on the Death and Return of Superman arcs, following the Man of Steel as he perishes in battle by Doomsday's hand before returning from the dead in his black costume to save the day.
Lex Luthor and Brainiac would have been the movie's antagonists, together hatching a plot to block out the sun (clearly been watching too many episodes of The Simpsons) and unleash Doomsday on the underpowered Last Son of Krypton.
Whether Superman Lives would have been good, or set comic book adaptations back by 10 years, is unknown, but one thing's for sure - this would have been Supes as you've never seen him before.
At no point in the script does Cage's Man of Steel fly, with Smith describing him as flashing across the screen in a blue and red blur. Tim Burton was, at one point, attached to direct, which would have only made it more unconventional.
Test shots of Cage is costume are widely available online, as is the movie's script, if you fancy having your brain scrambled.