While he is most famous for his roles in the drama genre, the shift to action was a big step for Nicolas Cage.

Fortunately, it turned out to be a worthy gamble as it paid off big time. Today, the star is known for his exceptional action and drama performances, making him a fantastic choice for studios to bet their money on.

Back then, DC was placing their bets on the star to play the role of Superman in a drastically different iteration of the Symbol of Hope, which unfortunately had to be scrapped, never to see the light of day.

But this wasn’t the only role that WB was eyeing the star for. In fact, the character the studio wanted him to play happened to be a role that is most dear to Keanu Reeves.

Nicolas Cage Was Offered To Star In Constantine Before Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves in and as Constantine

Whether it may be a mystery film filled with action and suspense or a drama film with rampant emotions, if Nicolas Cage is at the center of it, then the movie has little to worry about.

Receiving an Oscar Award for Best Actor for his exceptional performance in 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, the actor’s career took a turn for the better when he shifted his sights to action films, which eventually landed him a role as Superman.

However, due to budget constraints and other problems, the film that was supposed to feature Tim Burton as the director never got made.

But apart from the aforementioned role, the National Treasure star was offered yet another role, which happened to be for the 2005 action horror film Constantine.

But sadly, the star reported that the project never really worked out for him, and since he had offers for other projects at the time as well, he decided to drop it.

This was a blessing in disguise for Keanu Reeves, who was the boyfriend of Cage’s 1st cousin Sofia Cappola back in the day, as he got to play one of the most iconic roles of his career while also being one of his favorites. Cage said to Total Film:

“I was gonna do Constantine, but that just didn’t work out. And they came to ask me to play the Green Goblin, but I said I’d rather, at that time, do Adaptation.”
While he wasn’t able to play Superman, he did bag another superhero role, which was none other than the role of Ghost Rider from Marvel, which arguably became one of his most iconic roles.

What Would Have Been Nicolas Cage’s Superman?

Nicolas Cage as Superman in a still from The Flash

Loosely based on The Death of Superman storyline from the pages of DC Comics, Nicolas Cage’s Superman would’ve been part of Superman Lives, which was scripted by screenwriter Dan Gilroy and was all set to be directed by Tim Burton, who was behind the success of Michael Keaton’s 1989 blockbuster Batman. 

The film would’ve featured Cage as Kal-El, who was placed in the pod and blasted off to space, where he would eventually arrive on Earth.

But in this story, the young Kryptonian wasn’t discovered by Jonathan and Martha Kent, which would give him no guidance in living amongst humans. This in turn would make him more emotional and alienated from society, which would’ve pushed him over the edge, bringing on a darker version of the superhero.