Nicolas Cage has declared himself a Trekkie, and the popular movie star is exactly what Star Trek 4 needs. Cage recently rejected the idea of joining Star Wars and revealed, “I’m a Trekkie… I’m on the Enterprise, that’s where I roll. That’s a fact, I grew up watching Shatner. I thought Pine was terrific in the movies, I think the movies are outstanding.” A big name like Nicolas Cage gushing over Star Trek is an unexpected windfall that Paramount should capitalize on.It’s no secret that the Star Trek movie franchise is stalled in drydock. While the Star Trek TV series are thriving on Paramount+, there hasn’t been a theatrical release since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond. Although the cast, including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, and Zoë Saldaña, have stated their interest in reprising their roles aboard the Starship Enterprise, there has been no movement on Star Trek 4 since director Matt Shakman left the project to jump to Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four in 2022. It’s unknown if another Star Trek movie will happen any time soon, but perhaps all Paramount needs is a jump start: such as a major movie star publicly stating his love for the Star Trek franchise, and the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies.Related: Star Trek 4’s Full History Of Boldly Going Nowhere
Star Trek 4 Should Cast Nicolas Cage Immediately (As The Villain)
Paramount and Bad Robot should reach out to Nicolas Cage and cast him immediately in Star Trek 4. Cage could play an incredible villain, and his charisma and star power would perfectly complement Chris Pine’s Captain Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s Spock. Cage could join the already impressive list of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek villains like Eric Bana’s Nero, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Khan, and Idris Elba’s Krall. Yet Cage has more name recognition than those actors. Nicolas Cage in Star Trek 4 is a slam-dunk for Paramount to market and would draw both Trekkers and casual moviegoers into theaters to see Cage take on the Starship Enterprise’s crew.
Cage’s career apex was in the 1990s when he won the Best Actor Oscar for Leaving Las Vegas and starred in blockbusters like The Rock, Face/Off, and Con Air. Although Cage went through a career slump in the 2000s, he was always well-liked and respected by moviegoers. Cage is now experiencing a resurgence in popularity. He recently drew raves for starring in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and fans are looking forward to his tongue-in-cheek portrayal of Dracula in Renfield. Star Trek 4 would be just the kind of high-profile role that would boost Cage further as well as draw new eyes to the next Star Trek movie.
Nicolas Cage Could Also Appear In Strange New Worlds
Nicolas Cage declaring that he’s a Trekkie naturally drew the attention of current Star Trek franchise stars like Brent Spiner from Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks executive producer Mike McMahan, and Anson Mount and Christina Chong of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Of course, the idea of Nicolas Cage joining Star Trek excites them as well. Picard ends with season 3, so if Cage were to join a Paramount+ Trek TV show, the most natural place for him would be Strange New Worlds season 3. Cage’s love of Star Trek seems to be focused on the 23rd-century Starship Enterprise, and if he doesn’t join Star Trek 4, Strange New Worlds would certainly benefit from a movie star like Cage guesting in the series.
Cage also has experience voicing animation, such as his work in The Croods. It’s not out of the question that Cage could voice a character in the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks or Star Trek: Prodigy. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Discovery is the TV franchise’s closest approximation of J.J. Abrams’ action-packed blockbuster Star Trek movies, and Cage might be interested in joining that series. However, Nicolas Cage’s status as a movie star would most naturally work best if he were cast in Star Trek 4, and Cage could be what finally shoots production of the long-awaited next Trek movie into warp speed.
