Nicolas Cage recently explained why he doesn’t ever see himself returning to the world of big budget blockbusters, but that’s okay; the actor is in the middle of what could turn out to be one of the hottest streaks he’s ever experienced throughout a career that began 40 years ago, and all of them have been relatively inexpensive independent films.
Intimate, introspective drama Pig was lauded as arguably the best performance the Academy Award winner has ever given, and he immediately followed up such a thoughtful piece with the deliriously demented Prisoners of the Ghostland, one of the wildest movies you’re likely to see this year.
Self-aware action comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is so out-there that the leading man is already refusing to ever watch it, and he plays himself in the movie, while revisionist Western The Old Way marks the first time Cage has ever thrown on a Stetson and saddled up with his six-shooter.
As the Nicolas Cage renaissance continues, Variety reports that Saban Films have acquired Butcher’s Crossing for distribution, which is written and directed by Gabe Polsky, based on the novel of the same name by John Williams. The plot follows a buffalo hunter in rural 1970s America who takes a young Harvard dropout under his wing, where they head off on a journey that risks both their life and sanity. It sounds like another intense character-driven piece, and could lead to the latest in an increasingly long line of acclaimed turns.