Exc: Nicolas Cage talks success of comic movies & an R-rated Ghost Rider

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

This week sees the release of the latest Nicolas Cage sci-fi thriller, THE HUMANITY BUREAU, hitting limited theaters and VOD on April 6th, and I had a lengthy conversation with the prolific actor about the film, as well as a few other topics of interest. I'll be sharing his thoughts on his latest film, as well as an answer to what comic book roles he would be interested in playing now later this week, but up first are his thoughts on the comic book genre as a whole and how it has risen to the top to be the leading genre in Hollywood and what he thinks his GHOST RIDER should have been (or should be going forward).

Paul: You were inches away from playing Superman (for Tim Burton) and you suited up for Ghost Rider twice and since then the genre has really taken off. What are your thoughts on the current state of the comic book genre and comic book movies in general?

Cage: Totally unsurprised. Back when I was reading comic books voraciously, almost religiously, I was, what, between the ages of eight through twelve…I would sit in my bedroom on the hardwood floor all day long with my box of comics and I was really into the colorful ones….well, that's what I responded to about comic books was the colors. But, I liked the Hulk, for example, and I'd be staring at the cover of the Hulk comic and my brother seems to remember me doing it for hours, not moving, just staring at the cover. And I remember specifically saying internally to myself…cause I wanted nothing more than to see The Hulk come to life in a really believable, authentic way in a movie. But nobody had the technology then, they just didn't have it, and every time they tried it, it looked goofy. Every comic book looked goofy. And I knew that when the technology got to the point that they could tell the stories, the colorful stories, in a believable way and make them come to life in an authentic way, that the comic book format would take over the screen. And I was right and it did and I was prescient about it, but to me it was obvious. There was such an allure and an excitement and an engagement that compelled us that were reading comic books back then that when the technology got there that filmgoing audiences would get that bug and that appetite and it would stick around. And it's not gonna go anywhere, it's staying. I don't think it's like the Western and it's going to die out. It's not. it's going to be around forever and that's a good thing, because it's great entertainment, it's great for the whole family, it's fun and it's colorful and it's exciting. 

When I was potentially doing Clark Kent with Tim [Burton], y'know…and he kind of started the ball rolling with what he did with the BATMAN franchise, I think he was the beginning of the genesis of what's happenend now, but it didn't kick into high gear, really, until IRON MAN. And that was when Marvel kind of took over, because they had the story structures and a development process and a machine in place that could really understand how to make the movies in a way that would touch mainstream audiences. And then brought together the team aspect of it that was brilliant, in terms of THE AVENGERS.

I am not surprised at all. This is exactly what I thought was going to happen and great, y'know?

Cage on his GHOST RIDER and what he feels it should have been (and should be) going forward:

I think that when the GHOST RIDER movies were happening Marvel hadn't gotten the entire process worked out yet and now they have and they know exactly where to go and what to do and it's working beautifully for them. Y'know, GHOST RIDER was a movie that always should've been an R-rated movie. David Goyer had a brilliant script, which I wanted to do with David and for whatever reason they just didn't let us make the movie. But that movie is a still a movie that should be made, not with me obviously, but it should be an R-rated movie-heck, DEADPOOL was R-rated and that did great. GHOST RIDER was designed to be a scary superhero with an R-rating and edge and they just didn't have it worked out back then.

More to come from Cage later this week and be sure to check out his latest film, THE HUMANITY BUREAU in limited theaters and VOD on April 6th!