How NOT To Make A Comic Book Movie (Why These 10 Failed)
4. Hiring A Ludicrous Lead - Steel (1997)
Do you remember when Shaquille O'Neal starred in a Warner Bros. Superman-esque movie in the late '90s? If you do, you and Shaq may be the only two, because hardly anyone saw it in the theaters or bothered to watch it since it was released in 1997.
In the comics, Steel is John Henry Irons, a former weapons designer who decided to create an Iron Man-type suit of armor, so he could fill the gap of superheroism left following the (apparent) death of Superman. The character was one of the few fans liked in those dark times of overproduction, and a movie of Steel could have worked.
Sadly, it didn't. The movie was put together on a relatively small budget of only $16 million, and it managed to pull in a paltry $1.7 million, which actually seems like a lot, seeing as this movie was celluloid trash. One of the biggest problems with this film is the man they picked to star in the titular role.
Shaq could certainly dunk, but that didn't make him a good actor. He's showed up in several films as a side-character, and that works, but don't cast him in a role like this just because he physically fits inside the suit. The acting in this movie is horrendous, and it's hard to watch as a result — it's as simple as that.