Nicolas Cage As Superman; New Images From ‘Superman Lives’ Surface Online [PHOTO]

“Superman Lives” is one of the most famous “what if” stories of Hollywood.” Everything was set for the movie: Tim Burton was going to direct and Nicolas Cage was going to star as the Man of Steel. The project was canceled before filming but was far enough in development to produce plenty of interesting images, including Cage as Superman.

Previously, there has been one image of Cage undergoing a screen test as Superman. The image isn’t flattering, as Cage does exactly look like the Son of Krypton that many have become familiar with. The suit is also different and very shiny. There were plenty of other tests done for “Superman Lives,” including holographic suits and one that lights up, which special effects and makeup artist Steve Johnson posted on his Facebook.

Now, a new photo of Cage as Superman has surfaced and this one looks pretty normal in comparison. Cage will never be the first person one thinks of when it comes to Clark Kent, and that may have always been the biggest hurdle for “Superman Lives.” The new photo of Cage was tweeted by DCU Movie Page although there is no attribution or credit as to who took the photo or who released it.

In every design in “Superman Lives,” the musculature is emphasized and the suit gives the character a sculpted look. This could have been done for a number of reasons, including the fact that Cage does not look like a superhero. But there may be a day soon that there will be more answers about “Superman Lives.”

In fact, if Jon Schnepp has his way there will be a documentary about the failed “Superman Lives” production. Badass Digest had the scoop on Schnepp (“Metalocalypse”) and the Kickstarter project.

Schnepp launched the Kickstarter project with a goal to raise $98,000 for “The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened?” The documentary began with Scnepp’s own passion for the subject, saying, “I am not alone with my intense interest in knowing everything I can about this project, and so now I'm embarking on making a documentary that will cover everything ever made for this film, from interviewing as many people as I can who were involved, to including actually recreating scenes from the script!!!”

Some of the things that fascinated Schnepp included “Rainbow Robot Outfits, Brainiac Skull ships, Superman not "flying", Fighting a Giant Spider, Polar Bears guarding the Fortress of Solitude. It all sounded so crazy, so weird, so different, that I honestly was hoping that they would actually make it, just so we would have something different from what had come before.”

“Superman Lives” is unfortunately just a very interesting footnote in Hollywood history, but Schnepp’s documentary could shed some new light on this story. So far, Schnepp’s Kickstarter project has raised more than $40,000 and has 39 days left to reach its donation goal.