SuperShaquille

Never mind George Clooney stepping in when it became clear that Val Kilmer wouldn't play Batman forever. The most inspired bit of casting for a DC Comics character may involve sometime pro basketball player Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal, who has already posted up in front of the camera for the hoop flick Blue Chipsand next month's Shaq-as-genie confection, Kazaam, is considering playing Steel, an armor-plated superhero introduced as a substitute Superman when DC briefly ''killed off'' the genuine article in 1992. While O'Neal and Warner Bros. maintain a steely silence, word is that this is one of DC's hottest Hollywood properties. ''Well, Shaq does have that Superman logo tattooed on his arm,'' says a DC insider, ducking a fuller answer. ''I guess [fellow tattooee] Jon Bon Jovi will play his dual identity.''