'The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent', Starring Nicolas Cage As Himself, Gets A Spring 2021 Release Date
Last fall, we reported on what could be the most Nicolas Cage movie ever made. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent will see the National Treasure star playing a fictionalized version of himself struggling with career ambitions, a strained relationship with his daughter, and helping the U.S. government stop a Mexican drug cartel kingpin who is responsible for a high profile kidnapping. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, this movie is real, and it just got a release date in spring 2021 from Lionsgate.
The Hollywood Reporter revealed The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent has been given a release date of March 19, 2021. Currently, that's where Paramount Pictures has staked out a date for a Paranormal Activity sequel and United Artists is planning on releasing a Tomb Raider sequel, both projects that we haven't heard anything about in a long time.Tom Gormican (That Awkward Moment) is directing from a script he co-wrote with Kevin Etten, which makes us think this will be a little more of a tongue-in-cheek dark comedy than the more serious, oddball stuff that Nicolas Cage has been attracted to in recent years. The story certainly sounds like it has a little of everything, making for a rather wild portrait of the fictional life of Nicolas Cage.
In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the fictional Cage (again, played by Nicolas Cage himself, seen above in the Lionsgate release Primal) is desperate to get a role in Quentin Tarantino's next movie. However, his personal life is in rough shape since he's having a hard time connecting with his teenage daughter while also trying to knock down a mountain of debt. That's why Cage takes a gig making a paid appearance at some Mexican billionaire's birthday party, ends up making friends with him, and listens to his pitch about a script for a movie that the guy wants him to make.
Things get complicated when Cage learns this man is actually a drug cartel kingpin who has kidnapped the daughter of a presidential candidate. Suddenly, the CIA recruits Cage to help get intelligence on the situation, and that movie script the kingpin has been working on starts to resemble the events in the story that is unfolding in front of our eyes. Inevitably, Cage's wife and daughter get caught up in this too, and – you know what, just shut up and take my money.
Cage has made some really bad movies in recent years, but he's also made some rather compelling, peculiar and fascinating choices in the roles he takes. This sounds like it could be one of his most intriguing yet, and it'll be something that longtime Cage fans can truly enjoy.