Nicolas Cage looking unhinged in Vampire's Kiss
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Dani Kessel Odom
Published 14 minutes ago
Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer on the New TV team, focusing on writing and content planning for streaming shows. They often assist with Classic TV coverage, as well.
They have covered events, such as Denver Fan Expo. Their articles have also been shared by professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale.
In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.
Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.
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Nicolas Cage is the king of unhinged acting roles, but his upcoming fantasy show could beat out all the others for the weirdest role he’s ever done. Although he debuted in 1981, Nicolas Cage’s first unconventional role came in 1987 when he played Ronny Cammereri opposite Cher in the romantic comedy Moonstruck.
He gave such a fantastic performance in the career-defining movie that he found his niche: the lovable but strange and unhinged character. Since then, he’s built his career on his ability to play the weirdest characters in movies. He’s so well-known for this that the pop-culture-loving sitcom Community dedicated an episode to Abed dissecting whether Nicolas Cage is a good or bad actor.
While he is a movie actor, Cage will soon transition into television acting as well, with the show Spider-Noir. While this will be his first TV role, it’s unlikely to rank up there with his craziest roles. However, he also has another series in development that will take the cake as his weirdest role of all time.
Nicolas Cage Will Star In Eoin Colfer’s Highfire Adaptation
Highfire book cover shows Vern holding a martini glass out of the water
The adult fantasy book Highfire by Eoin Colfer is frequently described as “True Detective” meets “Swamp Thing.” It’s a fusion of fantasy, neo-noir detective, comedy, and thriller – a combination that doesn’t sound like it should work, but it does. The same year Highfire was published, Amazon optioned the rights for a live-action adaptation.
However, in 2022, Highfire switched from Amazon to Paramount+, a change that will ultimately benefit the TV show. Paramount+ is more selective about its shows, and most of them are really good.
The Highfire book presents an alternate history in which dragons ruled the Earth, but humans wiped them out. In the present day, a dragon leader named Lord Highfire has simply become Vern, a peculiar dragon hiding away in the Louisiana bayou, who believes himself to be the last dragon alive.
The plot centers on the 3,000-year-old dragon and a teenager named Squib who team up to survive, with the mob out to get both of them. In a twist that will surprise nobody, Nicolas Cage is executive producing, and he’s slated to voice Vern, the most unique character of the entire show.
Vern Is Just The Right Amount Of Weird For Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage and Vern from Highfire
The premise is already zany enough to be a Nicolas Cage movie, but the character Vern has quite a weird personality. He can speak to humans, walk on his hind legs, and wear clothes. The dragon drinks an obscene amount of vodka, is obsessed with Flashdance, and watches a ton of reality TV. His favorite music is jazz.
He’s also very depressed and foul-mouthed. He impulsively purchases from Amazon and has an extensive collection of Flashdance t-shirts. He frequently comes across as curmudgeonly, except when he’s discussing his latest pop culture passion. He has a deep, seething hatred for Game of Thrones, and he’ll never let you hear the end of it.
Rather than flying, Vern enjoys a good swim. He even wrestles with the boars and alligators in the area. Vern is a hilarious mashup of contradictions. Ultimately, he shines because he’s nothing that’s expected out of a fantasy protagonist, and he barely fits the criteria for a good thriller hero.
Why Highfire Could Beat Out Other Unhinged Nicolas Cage Roles
Nicolas Cage at the 77th Cannes Film Festival
Nicolas Cage has no shortage of absolutely unhinged characters. He thrives in this character archetype, even parodying his proclivity for weirdness in the movie The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. However, most of his unhinged roles at least make sense within the context of their own story and genre.
Exceptions to this would be Renfield, Face/Off, and Vampire’s Kiss, which not only showcase Cage at his most unhinged but also defy their own genre norms in clever ways. I expect Highfire to be on par with these three movie roles. The character Nicolas Cage is voicing is beyond strange in the book, and he feels unconventional in his own story.
On top of that, the long-running format of a TV show would give him more time to tap into the unhinged-ness. He has to maintain that characterization across multiple episodes. Plus, he will be voicing a live-action dragon. His performance can’t rely on his incredible facial expressions and body language, which contribute to his existing unhinged roles.
If he makes Vern just as unhinged and weird in Highfire as his existing roles, it will stand out from the rest because of these differences.
What Is The Status Of Paramount+’s Highfire Adaptation?
Highfire book cover shows claw slashes and a bayou in the background
Since the show switched from Amazon to Paramount+, there haven’t been many updates, except confirmation that it’s still in development. However, the slow development and production timeline make a lot more sense for such an unconventional show with a main character that’s entirely CGI. Paramount+ will need to ensure everything is in place for Highfire to be successful before it shells out money.
Plus, Nicolas Cage has a busy filming schedule. He’s high in demand, so it might be a little while before the timing lines up to film. In the end, it’s better that they take the time to do Highfire right instead of cutting corners to complete the show.
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