DCEU fans already know from the trailers that Andy Muschietti‘s “The Flash” has a bunch of cameos from previous DC movies. For instance, Michael Shannon shows up as General Zod, Ben Affleck reprises his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman; and, in one of the upcoming film’s multiversal twists, so does Michael Keaton from Tim Burton‘s “Batman” films. But EW reports that Muschietti leaked another surprise cameo not in any trailers in a new interview with Esquire Middle East earlier this week. So heed this warning, superhero fans: spoilers ahead. Keep reading, and something cool in “The Flash” may get ruined for you.
And Muschietti’s leak may be the wild cameo in “The Flash,” as Nicolas Cage shows up in the upcoming blockbuster as Superman. Superhero fans should relish Cage showing up because his appearance harks to the scrapped “Superman Lives” film the actor planned to make with Tim Burton in the 1990s. “Superman Lives” is one of those infamous lost films for fanboys, with test footage and photos popping up over the years with Cage in Superman garb, complete with the long, flowing locks Kal-El had in the “Superman” comics of the period. While the film never made it past development, it still looms large in the superhero movie mythos; someone even made a documentary about the scuttled project in 2015.
But now Cage’s Superman finally makes it to the big screen, and Muschietti couldn’t be happier about the cameo. “Nic was absolutely wonderful,” the director told Esquire Middle East. “Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it. I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon.” And the cameo is certainly a dream come true for Cage, too: he’s an avid Superman fan, so much so that he named his son Kal-El in honor of the superhero. Cage’s cameo marks the actor’s second turn as a superhero onscreen, after starring in the two “Ghost Rider” films in 2007 and 2011, respectively. And, of course, the actor’s stage name is a riff on one of his favorite Marvel heroes, Luke Cage.
Cage spoke to Variety earlier this year about “Superman Lives” and what he and Burton had in mind for the project. “It was more of a 1980s Superman with like, the samurai black long hair” Cage said about Burton’s take on Clark Kent. “I thought it was gonna be a really different, sort of emo Superman, but we never got there.” There’s all sorts of stories about the development of “Superman Lives,” from the film also starring Christopher Walken and Sandra Bullock to Kevin Smith penning the script. However, creative differences between Burton and Warner Bros. ultimately made the studio get “cold feet,” Cage explained. So all that existed of Cage’s Superman is test footage and photos–that is, until now.
Of course, Cage’s cameo in “The Flash” is almost certainly a one-off, and it’s not as if he’ll reprise the role in James Gunn and Peter Safran‘s new DCU. Gunn is currently developing his “Superman: Legacy” reboot, which will have a new young actor take on the role of Clark Kent. But for a brief moment, Nic Cage will embody the superhero onscreen in a dream come true for the actor and fans alike. Catch Cage’s cameo in “The Flash” when the film hits theaters on June 16.
