I think we can all agree that the 1990s was a magical time. Compared to today, Hollywood did a lot of experimenting with its superhero properties, including casting none other than basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal as a hero himself in 1997.
The film, loosely based on a DC Comics character of the same name, was a box office and critical bomb. However, the movie has gained a bit of a so-bad-it’s-good cult following since its release, with many noting the gloriously dated computer effects and rubbery-looking suit as key gaffs.
Shaq is now reportedly vying for a second crack at the character, according to ComicBook.
“Well, if you look at the Steel character, it’s me…It’s all me, John Henry Irons is me. You know, when we did the movie, I would have liked to have those Iron Man effects, but nah, we did the movie in the early ’90s, and technology wasn’t as it is now, but I would love to be able to do a redo of that,” O’Neal told PopCulture.
The film centers around John Henry Irons and his alter-ego Steel (Shaq), who creates a suit of iron with wheelchair-using partner Susan Sparks (Annabeth Gish), to stop the evil Nathaniel Burk from distributing mass-produced weapons to criminals. It was written and directed by Kenneth Johnson.
Shaq is still beloved in pop culture to this day, despite the cinematic misstep, drawing huge viewership numbers on Inside The NBA on TNT. With superhero movies now down to a science for many studios, including DC’s properties making a notable improvement in quality in recent years, we’d be willing to give the Kazaam star another shot.
