Nicolas Cage has starred in his fair share of strange films over the course of his career. From Face/Off to National Treasure, the actor has appeared in everything from action to horror to serious drama and irreverent comedy in a catalog as eclectic and eccentric as the man himself, but his latest project may just take the cake for his strangest yet.
Having been delayed as result of the pandemic, the upcoming Tom Gormican-directed film that sees Nicolas Cage star as a fictional version of himself is set to hit theaters next April. Already described by Cage as "too bizarre" for him to watch, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent stars Cage as famous-yet-down-on-his-luck actor "Nick Cage" who accepts a superfan's million dollar invitation to his birthday party only to get caught up in an undercover operation involving a crime boss and a whole other host of shenanigans.
“(Nick Cage) is an invented version of Nic Cage,” the actual Nicolas Cage clarifies for Entertainment Weekly. “The character is feeling unfulfilled and contending with the rejection that can happen so often in the small town that is Hollywood.”
As if the Being John Malkovich-levels of meta weren't already headache-inducing enough, Cage will also play yet another version of himself, Nicky, styled after his Wild at Heart-era that only appears in the protagonist's imagination. “He’s got the lanky long hair,” Cage says. “He’s just constantly riding Nick about his career choices.”
Further untangling the ouroboros of self-representation, Cage explains that he “wasn't too excited about the idea of playing myself, but when Tom sent me this script, Nicky reminded me a little of Jerry Lewis’ Buddy Love in The Nutty Professor. I always admired what he did with that movie. For me, Nicky steals the show.”
In more straight forward roles, Pedro Pascal is set to Nick Cage superfan, Javi, with Neil Patrick Harris taking on the role of his agent, Sharon Horgan and Lily Sheen as his ex-wife and daughter and Tiffany Haddish as the CIA agent that ropes him into her clandestine operation.
Watch the trailer for The Unbearable Weight of Marvelous Talent below.
Photo via Getty/ Ethan Miller
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