The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

[CyberpunkCentral]

Nicolas Cage is in talks to star in his first studio movie since 2011’s ghost rider: Spirit of vengeance, but it took a special project to convince him to take a break from the string of forgettable indies with one-word titles that he’s been stuck doing for the better part of the decade. Cage is nearing a deal to play none other than nicolas cage(!) in lionsgate’s meta drama the unbearable weight of massive talent, collider has confirmed.

Tom gormican is attached to direct from a wacky screenplay that he co-wrote with kevin etten. If a deal makes, cage would produce via his saturn films banner along with mike nilon and kevin turen, the latter of whom produced waves and serves as an executive producer on hbo’s euphoria.

Lionsgate beat out paramount and hbo max for the strangely hot project, which follows actor ‘nicolas cage,’ who is trying to get a role in a new tarantino movie while navigating a strained relationship with his teenage daughter. He’s also under a mountain of debt, and as such, is forced to make an appearance at the birthday party of a mexican billionaire who also happens to be a ruthless drug kingpin who has kidnapped the daughter of a local politician. Naturally, the cia recruits cage to get involved and assume the role of action hero once again.

Nicolas-cage-unbearable-weight-of-massive-talent
image via paramount pictures

the script also calls for cage to talk to an egotistical 1990s version of himself who’s critical of his recent career choices, with references to cage classics such as leaving las vegas, face/off and gone in 60 seconds. The hollywood reporter broke the news, and describes the script as a cross between adaptation, the hollywood caper get shorty, and the meta movie jcvd, which starred jean-claude van damme as a fictional version of himself. It certainly doubles as a love letter to cage, who has a good sense of humor about himself and decided to trust the filmmakers and sign on to the project — but only for the kind of paycheck that rivals the oscar-winning actor’s standard fee from his ’90s heyday.

Oddly enough, the screenplay was written on a lark as a sample, as gormican and etten hoped it would open new doors for them within the industry. They previously created the short-lived fox series ghosted, while gormican directed the romantic comedy that awkward moment starring zac efron, michael b. Jordan and miles teller. 3 arts represents gormican and etten, who are also repped by wme and uta, respectively. Cage is repped by wme, stride management.

I’ll take a risky oddity like this project over generic non-theatrical movies like dark, arsenal, inconceivable, rage, outcast and primal. To watch a trailer for cage’s next indie movie, color out of space, click here.

https://collider.com/nicolas-cage-pl...mpression=true

[imsounoriginal]

Nicolas Cage in Talks to Star as Nicolas Cage in Meta Drama 'The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'

Lionsgate pushed aside several suitors and is in final negotiations to pick up the meta movie project that references 'Leaving Las Vegas,' 'Face/Off' and more.

Nicolas Cage has spent the last several years knocking out one low-budget yarn after another, making disposable thrillers or interesting oddities, sometimes in the same year. Other than some occasional voicework, the last major studio release starring the actor was 2011’s Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, based on the Marvel character.

But now Cage could be back (not that he ever went away) in a big way as he finds himself in the center of a hot deal for a project in which he would play one of the most iconic characters in Hollywood: Nicolas Cage himself.

Lionsgate, beating out several suitors such as HBO Max and Paramount, is in final negotiations to pick up The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (can there be anything more Cage-like?), The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The meta movie project has a script by Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, with Gormican attached to direct.

Cage, if deals close, would star as actor Nicolas Cage. The character is desperate to get a role in a new Tarantino movie while also dealing with a strained relationship with his teenage daughter. He also occasionally talks to an egotistical 1990s version of himself who rides him for making too many crappy movies and for not being a star anymore.

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.

The story is meta and includes nods to Cage works such as Leaving Las Vegas, Face-Off and Gone in 60 Seconds, while the script that Cage and the Mexican are writing begins to mirror events on the storyline. The project has tones of Adaptation, which starred Cage, Jean-Claude Van Damme’s meta movie JCVD, and the John Travolta Hollywood caper Get Shorty, among others.

Kevin Turen, who produced the just released drama Waves and was an exec producer on HBO's Euphoria, would produce with Cage and his Saturn Films banner along with Mike Nilon.

The fact that there is even a spirited interest for Unbearable Talent is part Hollywood dream factory concoction since the script wasn’t even supposed to be seen by buyers. Gormican wrote and directed the little seen rom-com That Awkward Moment that starred Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller, and with Etten, created Ghosted, a comedy that ran for one season on Fox. The two were looking to shake things up in their career and wrote Unbearable Talent as a sample script, hoping it would open additional doors. The script was sent around months ago, according to sources. Interest seemed to bubble up simultaneously when many began thinking that the script itself could be sellable and, mind blown, what if Cage himself did it?

According to sources, the script was shown to Cage accompanied with a letter that Gormican wrote, pleading his case and saying how the piece was a love letter to the actor, not something that made fun of him. Cage was convinced and became attached only in recent weeks.

The interest in the project was so high that sources say that Cage is lining up to achieve a payday that would put him in the same range he was in when making such studio hits as Con Air and National Treasure.

Cage is repped by WME, Stridge Management and Goodman Schenkman. Gormican is repped by WME, 3 Arts Entertainment, and Goodman Schenkman. Etten is repped by UTA and 3 Arts.

[AstroChicken]

I am all in on this, even if the filmmaker's credentials are less than convincing. the premise is just too perfect to ignore.

[captveg]

Great concept, but pulling it off successfully is another matter. Cage will give his all, though.

[Gacivory]

Sounds like something I would enjoy!

[MifuneFan]

Sounds almost Spike Jonze-esque.

[aiman04]

Sounds cool!

[Guydowood]

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDnW5XxjwI8

[Creed]

****ing. Brilliant.

[DR Herbert West]

Interesting.

[Michael1989]

I do love Nicolas Cage and this sounds very intriguing

[SpiderBaby]

Cage Rising

[Astro Zombie]

Cinema has peaked

[darkness2918]

It sounds so out there I think I need to check it out.

[Kaiju]

There can never be too much Cage.

[Boccaccio]

Knowing Cage this will probably be great or horrible.

[Red Dragon]

..."You had me at Nicolas Cage..."

[notops]

Sounds like a surreal, ultra-meta version of The Interview. I'm in!!

[Damon1281]

Since this sounds pretty good, it probably won't happen or it will be changed to something that doesn't sound good.

[Mikezilla3k]

I'm in.