He may not have gone far, but Nicolas Cage is back, as he put it in his own film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. And he’s made a huge comeback by joining the A24 team and starring in their newest film. Dream Sequence, written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli, will be produced by Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen of Square Peg Films, with financial support from A24. Borgli is writing and directing the picture, and Jacob Jaffke and Tyler Campellone are producing. The plot of the film is still being kept under wraps, however, it has been said that it would be a comedy. Given his previous success with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, that’s a brilliant move on Cage’s part.
The fact that this is Square Peg and A24’s fourth picture together is also noteworthy (the other three include Hereditary, Midsommar, and the new Joaquin Phoenix film Disappointment Blvd.). Bringing together A24 and Cage in one project is thrilling for their respective fan bases. Both directors have a strong body of work that audiences love. Our wildest hopes have finally been realised. Therefore, the fact that we can look forward to seeing Cage in an A24 film makes the fact that we know so little about Dream Sequence all the more exciting. Cage has been doing fantastic work outside of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, with projects like Pig, and he’ll be playing Dracula in the forthcoming Renfield.
However, he has built quite a career for himself as a leading man in films that never fail to shock and surprise us. For example, in the classic Face/Off, he and John Travolta switched faces. Having him star in a film produced by A24 seems like a natural choice, as they are responsible for such critically acclaimed works as the current summer smash Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, as well as the excellent The Green Knight and Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. As a result, the fact that we know next to nothing about the film is not a major issue. It doesn’t really matter if it’s a comedy or any other genre right now.
The fact that Cage will be included prominently in Borgli’s output is what really matters, and if that means we’ll keep getting fantastic music from Cage, then that’s terrific news for everyone.
To reiterate, it’s great to have Cage back—not that he ever left.