Remember when Tim Burton was supposed to direct a Superman film entitled Superman Lives, written by Kevin Smith and starring Nicholas Cage as the Man of Steel? Well, neither do we, but it was definitely a thing. A new documentary aptly titled The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened? will stream next week, and will tell us exactly what happened to the never-realized project. It includes supposed “holy grail” footage of Nic Cage in a costume so tight it’ll make your eyes water, and the LA Times has an exclusive clip of Cage testing it out for your viewing pleasure… if Nic Cage squeezed inside brightly colored superhero gear is your thing.
In other documentary news, Drunk Brilliant Stoned Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon, a doc that premiered at this year’s Sundance about the trailblazing humor magazine, has been bought by Magnolia Pictures. The Douglas Tirola film received great reviews at the festival in January, with Variety saying it’s: “a real nonfiction crowdpleaser, with broader appeal than even a fest favorite like Jodorowsky’s Dune.” Here’s a hilarious clip of Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, and John Belushi warming up for a National Lampoon show, just because:
And, speaking of Dune, this year marks is the 50th anniversary of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic. A long read on The Guardian explores the rich legacy the book left behind. Just try to forget the David Lynch film that included Sting looking like this:
While Dune hits its half-decade mark, Frida Kahlo would’ve been 108 today. To celebrate, The Huffington Post has provided seven practical steps to being “more like Frida.” Its also as good a time as any to re-read Vanity Fair‘s 2003 feature on the artist.
Wimbledon is into its second and final week. If you are not a sports person, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament in the world. Among those competing is Roger Federer, who is tied with Pete Sampras for most Wimbledon titles won, though it is Federer who is widely regarded as the greatest to ever pick up a racquet. David Foster Wallace, who was a highly ranked junior tennis player himself, wrote one of the greatest sports features of recent times about Federer for The New York Times. Federer’s quest for an historic eight title is as good an excuse as any to revisit Wallace’s excellent insight into the beauty of the sport at its highest level, and how our top sports stars can obtain “reconciliation with the fact of having a human body.”