The Flash: Why is this actor suddenly appearing as a DC hero?

Attention! Major spoilers from “The Flash” below! Stop reading here if you want to keep all the surprises of the movie intact!

This is one of The Flash’s most amazing cameos: during the scene where Barry Allen sees parallel universes moving in front of him, we get to see Nicolas Cage in a Superman suit fighting a giant spider! But why ?

In fact, the scene is taken entirely from a long-in-the-making DC Comics movie that never saw the light of day: Superman Lives. Nic Cage was supposed to play the long-haired Man of Steel in it.

It’s 1996, and the screenplay was entrusted to Kevin Smith, the director of Clerks and an absolute fan of comics. Producer John Peters gives him three rules: Superman must not fly, must wear a black suit, and must fight a giant spider in the final act.

Tim Burton is approached to direct the project and agrees on the condition that he will be paid $5 million regardless of whether the film is made or not (a very welcome decision, as the sequel will prove). Nicolas Cage does the same, to the tune of $20 million!

The idea for this film, according to Burton, was based on two principles: the superhero should be presented as an outsider, and the script explored this feeling experienced by Cal-El.

But the script is constantly reviewed and corrected, the film stalls and misses the release date several times. Meetings go on for months, Nicolas Cage even goes through costume tests, sets are prepared, then Warner throws in the towel and sees the budget escalate to close to $100 million, and the movie isn’t even shot!

In April 1998, after more than a year of active production, the project was scrapped and Tim Burton left to direct Sleepy Hollow with Johnny Depp. Several directors were considered to replace him, including Michael Bay, but the film did not move forward, with Nicolas Cage slamming the door in 2000. And that’s the end of Superman Lives.

As for John Peters, he’s been working on the idea of ​​a giant spider in the Wild Wild West with as much success as we know…

Therefore, Nicolas Cage’s appearance in The Flash echoes a fantasy film that never existed except in the imaginations of Burton fans. The Oscar-winning actor actually came to film his scene, much to the delight of director Andy Muschietti ( Esquire):

Nick was really cute. The role was pure cameo and he dived. (…) I dreamed of working with him all my life, I hope I will be able to do it again in the near future.

Not right away, as Muschietti was recently announced to helm The Brave and The Bold , the DC Connected Universe’s next Batman adventure. If the role of the Dark Knight is not cast, how about Alfred, played by Nicolas Cage?