“Action No. 1″ heist story optioned for film

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the story of how Nicolas Cage lost and recovered his “Action Comics” #1 comic book, featuring the first appearance of Superman, has been optioned for a movie.

The heist comedy “Action No. 1″ is written by Reno 911! creators Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon.  Lionsgate has picked up the film.  Cage’s comic was stolen in 2000 and recovered in a storage locker in 2011.  It later sold, the Reporter says, for $2.1 million at a November auction.

In the proposed film, the story will revolve around a group of nerds who attempt to steal Cage’s copy of Action Comics No. 1.  According to the Reporter, the role of Cage is not likely to be played by Nicolas Cage.

Cage was set to play Superman in a late 1990s film to be called “Superman Lives” that was to be directed by Tim Burton.  The script, the original draft of which was written by Kevin Smith, was partially based on the “Death of Superman” comics.  Burton and Cage eventually left the project; no further Superman film was made until 2006′s “Superman Returns.”   A new Superman film directed by Zack Snyder, “Man of Steel,” is set for a 2013 release.

- Matt Price