What If Superman Lives Had Actually Been Made
Though the famously unmade Superman movie, Superman Lives, never came to fruition, it could have drastically changed the careers of those involved as well as audiences' perception of the iconic hero. After Superman's run of successful movies in the late '70s and early '80s, the poorly-received Superman IV: The Quest for Peace effectively ruined the reputation of Christopher Reeve's iteration of the hero. In 1996, Kevin Smith pitched a story outline that reimagined elements of the character in an apparent attempt to move away from the previous movies.
Smith's script included the villain Brainiac sending Doomsday to kill Superman, as well as blocking out the sun to rob the hero of his powers. After director Tim Burton signed on and Nicolas Cage was cast in the title role, Superman Lives entered pre-production in the summer of 1997. Wesley Strick was hired to rewrite Smith's script and reworked numerous elements of the story that Smith had written. Strick's version was later deemed too expensive, and Dan Gilroy was brought in to rewrite it again in order to bring down the film's budget. These behind-the-scenes issues ultimately led to Superman Lives being put on hold in April 1998, and the production never recovered.
Related: Every Unmade Tim Burton Movie
Had Superman Lives come to fruition, however, it would have drastically changed the landscape of superhero movies, as well as the careers of those involved. The reasons behind the cancelation of Superman Lives can ultimately be boiled down to the involved writers, directors, and actors being incredibly passionate about the project — something that most likely would have translated to an excellent movie had the issues been overcome. Superman Lives also could have been a
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