There has been a recent and delightful trend for documentaries to be made about films that were cancelled during production, or went horribly wrong during production. The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened? is the latest in this and despite the clunky title, the film provides an interesting insight into Hollywood logistics and gives us a back story to one of the most infamous photographs of Nicolas Cage ever!
Most of us have seen it; the bizarre photograph of Nicolas Cage in a Superman suit. It’s been confusing comic book and film fans for almost a decade now. This documentary explains how the idea for a Tim Burton Superman film came around, how far they got in its production, and what eventually caused the film to be shelved.
Although the documentary is fairly basic in its structure, it makes it pretty easy to follow the complicated conception of ‘Superman Lives.’ There are great interviews with major stars such as Kevin Smith and Tim Burton about their contributions to the failed film. We also get to see a lot of the concept designs and costume drawings. These aspects are great because it highlights just how much work was put into this film before Warner Brothers ultimately decided to scrap it. It is also good at making you wonder what could have been, especially when you find out what film Warner Brothers chose to make instead of this!
The film serves as a sort of myth debunker, attempting to clarify any rumours about the film that have been spread since the photograph of Nicolas Cage in the suit became public. Even Bryan Singer kept a copy of this photograph in his file whilst directing Superman Returns, as a sort of guide to help him NOT make a cheesy remake. The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened? provides great insight into the inner workings of Hollywood – such as the clashes between writers and producers, budget constraints, how other films in the box office affect those in production, and how much a script can be changed before filming has begun.
What is even more interesting is some of the bizarre demands that producer Jon Peters allegedly required Kevin Smith to include in his first draft of ‘Superman Lives.’ There are several intriguing and unusual aspects to this film that show just how odd the film industry can sometimes be, and how they determine what films are produced and which are not.
Overall, this documentary is structured simply and is easy to follow. There are some great interviews and funny conversations between documentarian Jon Schnepp and various writers, producers, and Hollywood executives. Another documentary with a ridiculously long title which is similar to this is Lost Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau, so if you enjoy this style of documentary, there are several others out there for you to enjoy too.
