Nicolas Cage has said he’d be a great Lex Luthor in a Superman movie and you know what, he’s absolutely goddamn right.
Over the course of his career, Cage has demonstrated that he’s got a beautiful grasp of megalomaniacal self-confidence tinged with craziness that would make him a perfect Luthor. Of course, the role’s currently held by Jesse Eisenberg, but it’s unlikely that he’s going to reprise it again, so Cage could get his wish one day.
The news came in a very entertaining interview with the Guardian, where they explained to the actor that there’s an online campaign to make him the next Superman. Upon hearing this, here’s how he replied:
“Oh, I think my Superman days are long gone,” Cage laughs with a little pat of his belly. He would be an amazing villain in it, I reply. His eyes light up. “Oh, that would be GREAT! I’d make a great Lex Luthor!”
Of course, Cage has been repeatedly and notoriously linked to the role of Supes himself over the years. Back in the 90s, Warner Bros. were desperate to get their Superman Lives film into production, with Tim Burton attached to direct and Nicholas Cage starring.
It got pretty far into pre-production, too, resulting in some fascinating pictures of Cage in the costume and some cool videos of their rave-influenced take on his suit. Sadly, the project collapsed in a tangled heap of giant robot spiders and ravenous polar bears, but Cage did eventually play the role this year in the excellent Teen Titans GO! To The Movies.
As for Luthor, the actor would obviously be great in the part. While Gene Hackman, Kevin Spacey and Jesse Eisenberg all have their merits, we somehow still haven’t seen a live-action version that really captures the character’s intelligence, bitterness and sheer insanity – three things that Cage can deliver in spades.
Now that I think about it, I’m genuinely surprised Cage hasn’t played a villain in a superhero movie yet, as he seems like he’d be a great pick for any number of characters (and he certainly doesn’t discriminate in which roles he takes). Come on Warner Bros., make it happen.
