In recent posts about Nicolas Cage I’ve commented on the escalating weirdness of his projects, which were already Goddamn strange since he became such a straight-to-VOD warrior. Whether he’s plotting murders during hurricanes, battling exotic animals and assassins on a boat, or facing Lovecraftian extraterrestrials, Cage may be about to embark on his weirdest movie yet…because he’ll be playing himself.
In what sounds like some Being John Malkovich meta shit, Cage is in talks to star in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which might be the greatest title ever that isn’t Bone Tomahawk. Directed and co-written by Tom Gormican (That Awkward Moment), the film would find Cage playing himself, who is desperate to land a role in a Quentin Tarantino movie while dealing with a strained relationship with his daughter. In truly self-aware fashion, Cage also talks to an egotistical 1990s version of himself who hates that he now makes a bunch of crappy movies and is no longer a star.
And that is just the beginning. From THR‘s report…
The Cage character is also under a mountain of debt and finds himself forced to make an appearance at the birthday party of a Mexican billionaire who happens to be a fan of Cage’s work and secretly hopes to show him a script on which he’s been working.
While he bonds with the man, Cage is informed by the CIA that the billionaire is actually a drug cartel kingpin who has kidnapped the daughter of a Mexican presidential nominee, and is recruited by the U.S. government to get intelligence. The situation spirals even more dramatically when the Mexican brings over Cage’s daughter and his ex-wife for a reconciliation, and when their lives are on the line, Cage takes on the role of a lifetime.
Yo. I need this movie right now. The good news is, Cage doesn’t turn a lot of shit down so we know he’ll sign on. And I know from experience that Cage is very aware of the path his career has taken so he should have a ton of fun doing this movie, which will reference some of his most iconic films such as Leaving Las Vegas and Face/Off. The film is close to being picked up by Lionsgate, beating out several big-money suitors, which will make this Cage’s first lead role in a major studio film in years.
