You guys are forgetting that if Burton and Cage did the project it wouldn't have been with Kevin Smith's script/story and would cease to be Superman Lives. Burton called up WB and told them that he was bringing in his own writers for the project- and, essentially, throwing out Kevin Smith's script.
I recall supermanv.com reported that the final script of Superman Lives by Dan Gilroy that Tim Burton wanted to film is "just a slightly darker, more serious version of Kevin Smith's script. The Burton/Gilroy version is just Smith's Superman Lives story void of all the too comic-booky, ultra-fanboy, silly wink-wink aspects and tongue-in-cheek moments."
The following is from this site
http://www.newsaskew.com/page/2/?s=supes
"This latest draft, which had the date 9/20/98 on its cover page, was written by Dan Gilroy, a well-known script doctor. Gilroy’s produced credits include “Chasers” and “Freejack,” and he currently has several high profile projects set up around town.
Whatever Warner Bros. (WBDX) is paying Gilroy to work on “Superman,” it’s well worth it because the script has greatly improved since the Smith version. Here are some details about the script. Then I’ll update you on what’s happening with its eventual production. I should warn you, there are some spoilers below…
Fade In on Metropolis
The script weighs in at 111 pages and begins not unlike the 1980 Christopher Reeve version of “Superman,” with Jor-El rocketing his son off the doomed planet of Krypton. However, in the yet-to-be-filmed version, it turns out Jor-El had been working on a humanoid creation that went awry. It has taken on an evil life of its own and doesn’t like the fact that Jor-El has given up on him in order to raise some puny little baby. Brainiac, who survives and feeds on electrical energy, destroys Krypton and vows to find Kal-El, Jor-El’s son… Superman.
What’s interesting about the new script and what Gilroy has given the super-hero are some true character traits. You see, Clark Kent/Superman is unaware that he’s from another planet, nor is he certain why he has special powers, until Lex Luthor, a wealthy tycoon, announces that his satellites have discovered an alien spacecraft buried beneath the earth in a rural town named Smallville. The ship is literally buried in the backyard of the farm Kent grew up on. That’s when he realizes that he must be from another world.
It turns out Lois Lane and Superman are actually having an affair, though she wants more of a commitment from him while he is torn between his work and his personal life. (Sound familiar, girls?!) Clark Kent decides to tell Lois that he is really Superman over a Japanese dinner. It takes all the fun out of it if she is having an affair with Superman, and Clark has nothing to hide. How lame! That’s what was so touching about the previous Superman film.
Thanks to the unearthing of Superman’s escape pod, Brainiac discovers his whereabouts in the galaxy and makes his way toward Earth. By the middle of the film, Brainiac has taken over the body of Lex Luthor with the intent of finding and destroying Superman. In an amazing action sequence (often referred to as a set piece by industry types), Brainiac actually succeeds in offing the super-hero, and he dies in Lois’ arms. Yes, Superman dies. I’ve given away so much by now, I don’t think I’m going to give away how he’s reborn and saves the world. I’ve gotta leave you in suspense until the movie is released. Just know that while the script may need a little work, it is in much better shape than any of the earlier drafts I’ve gotten my hands on." - HSX, October 14th, 1998.
http://www.mania.com/superman-lives-part-3-nicolas-cage_article_21288.html
"I had been working on the project for a year, and it didn't happen," says Burton. "I basically worked very hard. I made the movie; we just forgot to film it."
The rumor at the time was that part of the problem was the casting of Cage. Burton refutes this. "No," he says, "that was a done deal. I mean, that's why I wanted to do it. I love him. That's what people said about Michael Keaton for BATMAN. You'd have to ask Warner Bros, but I think and this is only my opinion, of course that it wasn't filmed because it was going to be an expensive movie, and they were a little sensitive because they were getting a lot of bad press that they had just screwed up the Batman franchise. Because of the corporate environment, all of the decisions are basically fear-based. So I think one of the aspects that lead to their decision was that somehow they were going to **** up another franchise."
"If they'd just allowed us to make the film," adds Burton, "I think that we could have done something interesting. And, you know, it was going to be an expensive movie. They made a choice. They had this, and WILD, WILD WEST, and they opted for that and canned this one. It's frustrating. I like to be positive, but I really feel that I wasted a year of my life. That's a terrible feeling. You never want to feel that in anything you do."
My thoughts? I think Superman Lives would have been great of they'd allowed them to make the film. Wild, Wild West was ******ed.
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