The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened? is a detailed and fascinating look inside the belly of a superhero movie beast that was devoured in development hell.

Hollywood can be a dream factory that pumps out classic cinema. It can also be a living hell in which stalled productions rot and die, never to be spoken of again. Yet sometimes these failed productions live beyond the grave. One of those is Superman Lives, a once high priority project poised to resurrect the Superman character on screen under the direction of Tim Burton (he who successfully rebooted Batman) and with Nicolas Cage set to play the “Man of Steel”.

The mere thought of Burton + Cage + Superman brought about fascination from many a superhero movie fan. One of them was Jon Schnepp, a director and producer known for his work in animation (Metalocalypse) whose curiosity turned into an obsession.

The end result is the documentary The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened?, a thorough exploration into one of the biggest “what ifs” in fanboy-dom, with Schnepp leaving no stone unturned or question unanswered about how this project came to be and how it perished under the weight of high expectations and distrust in its creative direction.

A juggernaut of talking heads feature. From multiple script writers (Kevin Smith, Dan Gilroy & Wesley Strick); to the mass amount of technicians and artists who reworked an iconic concept for a new era; to Tim Burton himself in all of his spectacled, frizzy haired glory, what is evident is that Superman Lives was a film that would have had an impact on pop culture…whether positive or not is another story. Shnepp’s great effort in digging up concept art and securing the holy grail of Nicolas Cage’s multiple costume fittings in various Superman garb adds to the case.

Most memorable though is the introduction to the masses  of one John Peters, hairdresser turned movie producer whose success rate ranges from Batman to Wild Wild West, now known to a new generation as the “Man of 500 street fights!” such are the wacky statements made in his recollections of a movie he championed. In the annals of Hollywood personalities, Peters is a keeper.

The Death of “Superman Lives”: What Happened! is a wet dream for fans of the character, this is true. But is also a must for fans of the movies, with this documentary a thoroughly enjoyable and detailed exploration into the making of a “could have been”.