Way back in the '90s, Michael Keaton was Bruce Wayne, comic books came with a dozen variant covers and Nicolas Cage was the actor tagged to bring another DC icon, Superman, back to the big screen. And now we have a peek at what the "Ghost Rider" actor might have looked like as the Man of Steel.
Or do we?
A photo that recently popped up on TimBurton.jp purports to be a leaked image from Cage's screen test for the role of Superman, complete with spandex costume and long, "Death of Superman"-era hair. They've also posted a video that features some of the concept art created for the film, which was set to be directed by Tim Burton and feature a story initially conceived by Kevin Smith.
Here's the video:
As the story goes, the "Superman Lives" project never took off (pun totally intended), and everyone involved eventually departed for other projects. The script was eventually crafted into "Superman Returns," starring Brandon Routh.
So, what do you think? Did we dodge a bullet? Is the photo a fake? Let us know what you think in the comment section or on Twitter!