1. Nicholas Cage As Superman
Two entries on a single list for the craziest man in Hollywood, but both wholly justified. If his casting as Scarecrow might have made at least some sense thanks to his famous ability to play deeply disturbed characters, the very idea that he could have ever played America's sweetheart superhero is beyond baffling. Whoever it was who thought of casting Cage as an action hero lead deserves some kind of perverse medal it should never have worked, but his almost post-modern, very self-aware performance as Cameron Poe in Con Air was a high-point that turned what could have been an empty-headed mess of an actioner into something that is both cult and mainstream at the same time. He would later do the same thing for Kick-Ass, showing his ability and awareness to reference old, established models and create something like a walking homage to and parody of the most obvious action movie quirks. But as Superman, Cage would have had to play it straight - unless we were going to go for a Dolph Lundgren type muscle head with a heart of gold, rather than the thinking man's Superman like Christopher Reeve has created - and that just wouldn't have worked ever. Cage is always better when he's in indie flicks and he's allowed to show his range, and his aptitude for weirder characters - he is a Coens alumnus of course - and the idea of him trying to play the All American Sweetheart from another planet just doesn't sit well at all. Thank Luthor it never happened. Did we miss any dodged superhero bullets that you're glad never came off? Share your own picks below in the comments.