Nicolas Cage has his own opinion of Henry Cavill’s Superman, calling himself a fan of the actor’s emotional portrayal. Cage has long been a fan of the character, so much so that he named his son Kal-El, Superman’s birth name. He was once pegged to play the Man of Steel on the big screen in Tim Burton’s Superman Lives, a project which was never made. His chance to play a superhero came instead in the form of 2007’s Ghost Rider. Cage remains invested in the fate of Superman, despite never having played the character himself.
Questions regarding Cavill’s role in the DCEU arose this past week due to a series of conflicting reports. It was initially reported that Cavill would be exiting his role as Superman, only for the actor's agent to immediately claim otherwise. Warner Bros. issued a statement addressing the rumors, indicating that they're untrue, though they refrained from a straight denial. Cavill later appeared to agree in a somewhat vague Instagram post. But with him now set to star in Netflix’s The Witcher series and claims that DC wishes to shift its focus to Supergirl, Cavill’s role in the DCEU remains subject to speculation.
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IndieWire reports that Cage has only praise for Cavill’s Superman, saying, “I thought Henry Cavill was a very good Superman and I liked the anger he brought to the role.” He hopes DC is not finished with Superman and that future films will dig deeper into the aspects that make him so compelling, namely the character’s vulnerability and struggle to be accepted by the people of Earth.
While Cage has plenty of interest in seeing more Superman films, he has no desire to take part in them. In fact, he has little interest in staring in anymore Hollywood blockbusters. He said: “I’ve kind of gone in this other direction and I’m happy with this little world I have. I think it’s been a mutually successful relationship.” However, he does have some thoughts about what DC should do in the future, saying they should be more concerned with who directs the next Superman film than who plays him. He already has two names in mind: Tim Burton and Panos Cosmatos, director of Mandy, Cage’s next film.
It’s a shame for fans that they’ll never see Cage officially don Superman’s suit. They’ll have to make due with the Superman Lives photos making the rounds online, not that his shifting interests should come as a surprise. Cage has previously said he hopes for an R-rated Ghost Rider reboot but said it likely wouldn’t star him. Regardless, Cage does have a point about what makes Superman compelling and the need for future films to take the time to explore his humanity. Hopefully, fans will get to see that side of him despite whoever ends up playing the character.
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Source: IndieWire
