How different would the superhero landscape look right now if Superman Lives had come together as it was intended? Or better yet, if it had come together at all? For those who may not remember, Superman Lives was an outlandish, really sort of absurd Superman film that would have been directed by Tim Burton, with Kevin Smith penning the script, and Nicolas effin' Cage as the Man of Steel. A lot of talent came and went, and a release date was set for the summer of '98, but it all fell apart due to creative and budgetary squabbles. Still, the failed film has become something of a legend, sort of a superhero version of Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, and now its past is being explored in the documentary, The Death of Superman Lives: What Happened?
The Kickstarter-funded film by Jon Schnepp takes a look at the history of the film, and the continued fan obsession with it. Judging by the trailer it's tough to tell just how informative it will actually be, or if it's more of a comedy with Schnepp as the center act. Either way, I'm interested in checking this out next summer.
