The increasingly busy Nicolas Cage (The Wicker Man) and Nicole Kidman (Bewitched) have joined the cast of a new thriller from Batman and Robin director, Joel Schumacher.
Trespass, which will be produced by Nu Image/Millennium Films was written by Karl Gajdusek and Eli Richbourg. Cage has worked with Schumacher on 8MM, while Kidman was featured in Schumacher’s other Batman attempt – Batman Forever.According to Variety:
“(The story) centers on a husband and wife taken hostage by four brutal perpetrators seeking easy cash. Complications ensue amid the unexpected discovery of betrayal and deception.”
While it’s easy to look at the tongue-in-cheek opening lines of this article and approach the film with dread (because of past cinematic crimes committed by the talent involved) – it’s important to remember that Cage, Kidman, and Schumacher have also been involved in some fine films.
Cage, especially, has had an erratic career – but you could also say that it’s a career filled with variety and choices. Sure, he’s always willing to take that National Treasure paycheck to pay the bills, but he’s also offered up some great performances in multiple genres: Raising Arizona, Leaving Las Vegas to The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Even his forthcoming roster is like a cinematic smorgasbord, with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Drive Angry, Season of the Witch, Ghost Rider and National Treasure sequels on the way.
While I’m not a fan of Kidman (or the majority of her work), I do concede that she is an Oscar-winning actress – responsible for some pretty good films over the years.
As for Schumacher, he definitely has a lot of haters out there. His colorful take on the Batman destroyed the franchise – before Christopher Nolan, miraculously resuscitated it. That said, you may still be angry about Bat-suit nipples, but remember that Schumacher is behind some great and iconic films over the last twenty five years including The Lost Boys, Falling Down, Tigerland, A Time To Kill and St Elmo’s Fire – all of which stand strong today.
Yes, his Batman films were met with disdain but you can’t dismiss the director for taking the occasional paycheck. Not to mention, Hollywood in the 1990s definitely had a different view of superhero films. Sure the Schumacher Batman films didn’t hold up well over time but, despite receiving a critical panning, they both were extremely profitable films.
At this point, as far as I’m concerned, Trespass has a lot of potential. It will be interesting to see how the supporting cast fills out.
I’m sure that there’s a lot of you out there with very strong opinions on Cage, Kidman and Schumacher. I’d love to hear them – but remember to play nice!
