With a filmography that boasts over 100 films and an Oscar win for his heart-wrenching performance in Mike Figgis’ Leaving Las Vegas back in 1995, Nicolas Cage continues to defy the odds and evade any singular Hollywood label. His chameleon-like adaptability has seen him delve into dramas, thrillers, horrors, & fantasy films with a vigor that is uniquely Cage.
Now, as the Ghost Rider actor starts a new adventure in the TV industry, Cage is ready to swing into action with the highly anticipated MGM+ ad Amazon Prime Video’s live-action Spider-Man Noir series—an 8-episode exploration into a tantalizing Pop-art infused world, as he recently disclosed in a chat with The New Yorker.
With his reprised role from the animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the actor promises a spectacle that’s brimming with “monsters” mash madness—a truly sparkling addition to his already luminescent career.
Spider-Man Noir: What Fans Can Anticipate from Nicolas Cage’s Upcoming Series
In a recent interview with The New Yorker, Nicolas Cage delved into his ultimate career goal: to be considered a part of the “Golden Age” of Tinseltown. He aspires to capture the allure and mystery of classic actors like James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, keeping audiences guessing with every performance. In Cage’s words:
Well, I mean, the fantasy would be that I could try to aspire to be something more Golden Age. You know, something more like James Cagney or Humphrey Bogart. Or Hedy Lamarr or Bette Davis.
As Cage traverses a diverse range of genres, from dramas to horrors to fantasy films, he refuses to be pigeonholed into a single category. His desire to remain enigmatic and aloof is a nod to the old adage, “Familiarity breeds contempt”. Cage wants to keep audiences on their toes, always surprising them with his versatility:
I’m always trying to keep it enigmatic and a little bit mysterious. So, it’s a bit of a tap dance. Familiarity breeds contempt, and I don’t want people to know too much. I want to stay a little aloof.
With the upcoming Spider-Man Noir project, Cage sees an opportunity to add a spark of pop art to his career. He describes the show as a “mashup” with “some sparkle to it”, reminiscent of a Lichtenstein painting.
And don’t worry, Cage assures us that despite the monsters involved, he’s not a fan of violence and prefers to stick to the realm of fantasy. To quote him:
I don’t like violence. I don’t want to play people who are hurting people. One of the things that I like about this potential show is that it’s fantasy. It’s not really people beating people up. Monsters are involved.
He portrayed Spider-Man Noir in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the critically acclaimed flick that brought several Spider-based heroes from various universes to life.
Nicolas Cage Opens Up About His Fear of AI
Nicolas Cage revealed in the same interview with The New Yorker that he is “terrified” by artificial intelligence (AI). Also, he hopes that the recent body scans he had to undergo for impending projects will not be used as a template by the technology to recreate him on screen after his demise. To quote him:
They have to put me in a computer and match my eye color and change — I don’t know. They’re just going to steal my body and do whatever they want with it via digital AI. … God, I hope not AI. I’m terrified of that.
I mean, what are you going to do with my body and my face when I’m dead? I don’t want you to do anything with it!
As of right now, Cage is slated to star in the live-action Spider-Man Noir series on MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video. Although he admitted he had never been a big television fan, he claimed that what “interested me” about the medium was the amount of time it allowed him to express himself.
Moreover, Cage also stated that, although he is open to the idea if the right project comes his way, he is not too interested in starring in $100 million tentpoles at this point in his career.
Although Spider-Man Noir’s premiere date is unknown, the series will premiere on MGM+ and Amazon Prime Video.
Stream Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on FuboTV.
