[Update: Cage is back onboard for Trespass. Details below.]
A few weeks ago we brought you news that Nicolas Cage and Nicole Kidman had signed on to the Joel Schumacher thriller Trespass. It all seemed hunky-dory with the shoot set to start in Louisiana in two weeks. That is, until Nicolas Cage decided to drop out of the project and go on vacation to the Bahamas.
This leaves the $35 million budgeted film in a bit of a pickle as Millennium Films financed the project using Cage’s star power to help seal the deal. Now it appears that without Cage there just might not be a Trespass film.
Originally Cage was set to play Nicole Kidman’s husband in the film, which sees a group of thieves kidnap a couple in an attempt to extort money from them. However, a couple of weeks ago Cage decided that he wanted to switch roles and play the kidnappers’ leader. His wishes were granted and an offer went out to Liev Schreiber to fill the vacated husband role. However, it now appears that Cage doesn’t want to be involved in the film at all. Now Schumacher and Millennium Films boss Avi Lerner are on a search for a leading man that can uphold the financing for the film and be available at two weeks notice.
No reasons were given for Cage’s departure from the film, but Deadline is speculating that it could be that the actor is burnt-out from working too hard. The star has filmed multiple projects back-to-back, including Drive Angry for Millennium Films. He’s also just completed press duties for the Disney under-achiever The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Apparently, Cage has left for the Bahamas and no one can get in touch with the eccentric star, who was set to score a $7 million payday for his Trespass role.
It’ll be interesting to see what happens with Trespass – Schreiber hasn’t yet accepted the offer, so it could be that Schumacher is now looking for two new actors, one to play the husband and one to play the bad guy. Either way, the Batman & Robin director isn’t in an enviable position as he has just days before the film implodes, leaving a lot of people out of work. Deadline quotes a source close to the project as saying:
“It sucks for everybody who was planning to go to work on the picture.”
With the current economic climate it would seem that this will leave a lot of people in financial trouble, much like Cage, who has recently had his own financial woes – something that may have led to his current heavy work load, thus leading to his possible need for a vacation.
Will Schumacher find a suitable A-list replacement for Cage? Time will tell.
Update: Well that didn’t take long. Trespass has found a suitable replacement for Nic Cage in the form of… Nic Cage.
Deadline reports that Cage is back onboard for the film, and will actually be playing the role of the husband opposite Nicole Kidman, as was originally intended. Speculation is that Cage’s relationships with both Millennium Films and Schumacher persuaded him to return and honor his commitment. Good for him. The uncertainty about which role to play and the demanding promotional campaign for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice are still being sighted as the reasons for his departure. For now, those involved with the production are said to be relieved, although the production start has been pushed back from August 16th to August 30th.
Screen Rant will keep you posted on the outcome of Trespass – so keep reading!
