Throughout his treasured career, Nicolas Cage has played a slew of intriguing characters on the big screen. But now he gets to take on the role of his lifetime: himself. Cage is officially set to play an exaggerated version of himself drowning in debt, desperate to work with Quentin Tarantino and working undercover for the CIA in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent next year.
Lionsgate has just announced that Nicolas Cage’s next project will be released in theaters on March 19, 2021 – the same weekend Alicia Vikander returns to Tomb Raider and another Paranormal Activity film hits theaters (via THR). File this under movies we never thought would happen, but wow, it's both wild and impressive that it's coming together.
That Awkward Moment and Ghosted writers Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten wrote the script and sent it over to Nicolas Cage hoping he’d take on the passion project. The creatives attached a letter to their project assuring the actor that The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent was born out of love for his career, and Cage agreed to star as himself in the meta film.
The 2021 release will follow Nicolas Cage during a particularly tough time. The actor’s finances are hanging by a thread, and so is his relationship with his fictional teenage daughter. In desperation, Cage agrees to get paid to show up at a Mexican billionaire’s party who is a big fan of his work. They bond until the CIA takes Cage aside later and reveals he’s the kingpin of a drug cartel.
The U.S. government then asks Nicolas Cage to pose undercover to gather intelligence for them when he kidnaps the daughter of a Mexican presidential nominee. Cage’s entanglement in the whole situation deepens when his ex-wife and daughter get caught in the middle as well.
In a hilarious twist, Nicolas Cage apparently has conversations with his ‘90s self during the movie. This alter ego mocks him for his more recent choices in film projects. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is said to be ridden with references to his work including Leaving Las Vegas, Face/Off and Gone in 60 Seconds.
Details of the project were announced back in November, with Nic Cage reportedly getting a huge paycheck comparable to his glory days to star in the role. Multiple studios were interested in financing The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, including Paramount and the streaming service HBO Max, but the project ended up in Lionsgate’s hands.
Considering National Treasure 3 may be back on track, Nicolas Cage may also be returning to his iconic Disney role. For now, the actor currently stars H.P. Lovecraft’s Color Out of Space, which is playing in theaters.
