Lionsgate is putting outUnbearable Weight of Massive Talentand Nicolas Cage will be playing himself in the meta drama. Cage has not starred in a major studio project since 2011’sGhost Rider. So, naturally, it’s a pretty Nicolas Cage thing to do when taking on your first studio project in 8 years when the part is playing a version of yourself. It almost seems too perfect. The meta movie project references Cage favorites includingLeaving Las Vegas,Face/Off, and more.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentwas written by Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten, with Gormican attached to direct. The story will find Nicolas Cage at a time in his life when he is desperate to get cast in an upcomingQuentin Tarantinomovie. During this time, he is living with his teenage daughter, though their relationship is strained. The movie also features Cage talking to an “egotistical 1990s version of himself who rides him for making too many crappy movies and for not being a star anymore.”
If that sounds interesting, it’s only the tip of the iceberg here.The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentgoes even further into the world of a fictionalNicolas Cage. The plot thickens when Cage, who is in a mountain of debt, is asked to appear at the birthday party of a Mexican billionaire, who just so happens to be a massive fan of the actor’s work. The billionaire hopes to give a script he’s written to Cage in order to have him star in the project.
While Nicolas Cage continues to bond with the man, he is informed by the CIA that “the billionaire is actually a drug cartel kingpin who has kidnapped the daughter of a Mexican presidential nominee.” Cage is then recruited by the U.S. government to get intelligence on the billionaire. Things get even worse when the man 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.” This is an incredibly bonkers idea and it will more than likely work really well with Cage in the lead role.
In addition toLeaving Las VegasandFace/Off,The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talentwill also have references toGone in 60 Seconds, which will be acted out on the big screen when Nicolas Cage and the billionaire are going through the script. Cage was apparently really into the idea when it was pitched to him by director and co-writer Tom Gormican. Gormican wrote the actor a letter and revealed that the movie was not making fun of him. Instead, it was pitched as a love letter to Cage’s career. Cage could end up making some serious cash from the upcoming meta project when all is said and done.The Hollywood Reporterwas the first to announce the project.
