'The Flash' director just spoiled one of the movie's biggest cameos (original) (raw)

It's a casting nearly 30 years in the making.

Published on May 24, 2023 07:25PM EDT

Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Flash.

It's no secret that DC's upcoming superhero movie The Flash is packed with cameos and guest appearances. Ezra Miller stars as the titular speedster, and they're joined by all sorts of familiar faces, including Michael Shannon as General Zod, Michael Keaton as Batman, and Ben Affleck as yet another Batman. But with the film hitting theaters June 16, many of The Flash's biggest secrets have been kept under wraps — until now.

In a new interview with Esquire Middle East, director Andy Muschietti opened up about the film's most jaw-dropping cameo. He revealed that Nicolas Cage makes an appearance in The Flash as Superman — yes, that Nicolas Cage.

"Nic was absolutely wonderful. Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it," Muschietti said. "I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon."

Ezra Miller in 'The Flash'. Warner Bros. Pictures/DC Comics

Cage, of course, was famously set to star in the 1990s movie Superman Lives, until it was unceremoniously scrapped weeks before filming was scheduled to begin. Batman's Tim Burton was set to direct from a script by Kevin Smith, and the rumored cast included Christopher Walken and Sandra Bullock. Over the years, test footage and behind-the-scenes photos have resurfaced, showing a look at what Cage's Supes could've been. (A documentary about the ill-fated film was released in 2015.)

"It was more of a 1980s Superman with like, the samurai black long hair," Cage said earlier this year. "I thought it was gonna be a really different, sort of emo Superman, but we never got there."

Cage is a well-documented Superman stan, and even named his son Kal-El as a tribute to the Kryptonian hero. He's also a fan of superhero stories in general: He starred in 2007's Ghost Rider, and he even adopted his stage name from the Marvel hero Luke Cage.

Muschietti explained that Cage's appearance in The Flash is just a cameo, and presumably the actor's time in the Superman suit will be a one-time-only occurrence. Meanwhile, new DC Studios co-chair James Gunn is currently hard at work on another Superman movie called Superman: Legacy, which will star a yet-to-be-announced young actor as the Man of Steel.

But hey, if Cage can don the cape almost 30 years after Superman Lives, who's to say he can't pop up again! After all, when it comes to multiverses, anything is possible.

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